Absentee/Early Voting

Vote by Mail/Early-In Person Voting

The selectboard has voted to opt out of vote by mail for the 2023 Annual Town Election. 

The selectboard has voted to opt in for early in person voting for the 2023 Annual Town Election. Early in person voting for the 2023 Annual Town Election will be held on Saturday, April 22nd from 10 AM - 4 PM, at Town Hall, 1 Sylvan St., Danvers, MA 01923 in the Toomey Room.

Absentee Voting by Mail

A handwritten or scanned signature is required on an executed application to obtain an absentee voting ballot. A new absentee ballot application must be completed each calendar year. You may return your signed, executed, scanned application by email, place it in the drop box at the bottom of the front steps to Town Hall or by U.S. Mail.

When you receive your ballot please fill it out, you must sign the small ballot envelope, place your ballot in the return envelope, seal it with tape and place all in the white envelope and return by mail or drop it off in the drop box at the bottom of the front steps to Town Hall (be sure to allow enough time for it to get to us before the polls close on Election Day). As always, you may not return early or absentee ballots directly to the polls on Election Day, they must be returned to the Town Clerk's Office on Sylvan Street.

Eligibility for Absentee Voting

Absentee Voting will still be available for registered voters who qualify as follows:

  • Only those who will be absent from their city or town on Election Day, or
  • Have a disability that prevents them from going to the polls, or
  • Have a religious belief preventing the same, are legally allowed to vote by absentee ballot.

View the Absentee Ballot Application (PDF)

Returning the Application for Absentee Ballot

Absentee applications must reach your local election office by 5 p.m. on the fifth business day before Election Day.

Emergency Absentee Voting

If you have been admitted to a healthcare facility within 1 week of the election, you may use the absentee ballot application to designate someone of your choice to deliver a ballot to you. The person you designate to deliver your ballot will need to bring the signed application to your local election office, pick up your absentee ballot, bring it to you, and return it for you by the close of polls on Election Day. Emergency ballots may be requested up until the close of polls

Permanently Disabled Voters

A voter who is permanently disabled need not submit a request for an absentee ballot at every election. If such a voter submits a note from a registered physician indicating that he is disabled permanently, the Town Clerk will send an application for an absentee ballot at the beginning of each calendar year. Upon the Town Clerk's receipt of the signed application, the voter will be sent an absentee ballot for all elections that year.

Military & Overseas Voters

If you are a U.S citizen residing out of the country or on active military duty, you may use the Federal Post Card Application or the Massachusetts Absentee Ballot Application to request your ballot. More information is available on the Secretary of State's website for Voting for Military & Overseas Citizens.

Vote by Mail Accommodations

If you have a disability that prevents you from marking a paper ballot independently, you may qualify to use the Accessible Vote by Mail system. Visit the Secretary of State's Accessible Vote by Mail page for more information and to find an Accessible Vote by Mail Application.

Returning your Ballot

There are several options for returning your ballot. You may return your ballot by:

  • Mailing it back using the envelope provided; or
  • Hand-delivering your ballot to the Town Clerk's Office; or
  • Using the ballot drop box located at the front entrance of Town Hall

Ballots cannot be dropped off at a polling place on Election Day.

Ballots must reach your local election office by the close of polls on Election Day in order to be counted.

Use the Secretary of State's Track My Ballot tool to check the status of your ballot. The tracker will show you the date your ballot was mailed, the date it was returned, and whether your ballot was accepted or rejected.