How to Vote in Boston on Nov. 3

Featured image: Boston City Hall, the city’s main early voting site. Photo: Beyond My Ken via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Boston voters have until Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, to cast a ballot in the Massachusetts state election, and several deadlines arrive earlier. This guide to voting in Boston covers registration, early voting sites and hours, mail ballots, Election Day polling places and the nine statewide ballot questions. Every date comes from the Boston Election Department or the Secretary of the Commonwealth as of Oct. 22, 2026.

According to the city, the ballot will include races for governor, a U.S. Senate seat, members of the U.S. House, seats in the state Legislature and other offices. The Boston Report does not endorse candidates or positions on ballot questions.

Key Boston voting deadlines for Nov. 3

Saturday, Oct. 24: last day to register. The deadline is 5 p.m. in person at the Election Department, City Hall Room 241, and 11:59 p.m. online at voteinma.com. Mailed forms must be postmarked that day.
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 5 p.m.: deadline to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot. The same deadline applies to accessible electronic ballots.
Friday, Oct. 30, 5 p.m.: early voting ends.
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Election Day voting at your assigned polling place.

Voters who are unsure whether they are registered, or who have moved, can check their status and their ward and precinct through the state’s voter lookup at the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website before the Oct. 24 cutoff.

Where to vote early in Boston

Any registered Boston voter can vote early at any city early voting site, and no excuse is needed. Every location carries all ballot styles, is accessible to voters with disabilities and has AutoMark machines for people who need help marking a ballot.

Boston City Hall (Haymarket Room) is open every weekday through Oct. 30. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Thursday, Oct. 29, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 23, 26, 28 and 30. The city asks voters to use the north entrance on Congress Street, across from the Haymarket T station.

Thursday, Oct. 22, noon to 8 p.m.: Florian Hall, 55 Hallet St., Dorchester, and BCYF Tobin Community Center, 1481 Tremont St., Mission Hill.

Saturday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.:

Harvard/Kent Elementary School, 50 Bunker Hill St., Charlestown
James F. Condon School cafeteria, 200 D St., South Boston
BCYF Perkins Community Center, 155 Talbot Ave., Dorchester
BCYF Mildred Avenue Community Center, 5 Mildred Ave., Mattapan
BCYF Roche Community Center, 1716 Centre St., West Roxbury
Boston Public Library Central Branch, 700 Boylston St., Back Bay
BCYF Shelburne Community Center, 2730 Washington St., Roxbury
Salvation Army Kroc Center, 650 Dudley St., Dorchester
Honan-Allston Branch Library, 300 North Harvard St., Allston

Tuesday, Oct. 27, noon to 8 p.m.: Saint Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church, 39 Belgrade Ave., Roslindale, and the Institute of Contemporary Art, 25 Harbor Shore Drive, Seaport.

Thursday, Oct. 29, noon to 8 p.m.: Saint George Orthodox Church of Boston, 55 Emmonsdale Road, West Roxbury, and BCYF Hyde Park Community Center, 1179 River St., Hyde Park.

Voting by mail and ballot drop boxes

Every registered Boston voter may vote by mail. Applications can be filed through the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website, in person at City Hall Room 241, or by mail. The Election Department warns that an application placed in a ballot drop box will be delayed, because the boxes are meant for completed ballots.

Completed ballots count if they reach the Election Department by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, or if they are postmarked by Nov. 3 and arrive by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6. As Election Day nears, the city recommends using one of its ballot drop boxes, which are emptied daily, rather than the mail. Ballots can also be dropped off at any early voting site during early voting hours. Voters can follow their ballot at trackmyballotma.com. Our earlier report on the Fields Corner ballot drop box covers one neighborhood’s drop-off option.

Voting on Election Day

On Nov. 3, voters must go to the polling place assigned to their ward and precinct, unlike early voting. The city publishes the full list of polling locations for its 275 precincts. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The nine statewide ballot questions

The Secretary of the Commonwealth assigned these numbers in July. Boston.gov posts the full official summaries, including what a yes or no vote would do, in multiple languages.

Expanding the Public Records Law to most records of the Legislature and the Governor’s office
Collective bargaining for Committee for Public Counsel Services employees
State primary elections: replacing party primaries with a single all-candidate primary in which the top two advance
Election Day voter registration
State revenue limit and rebate
Natural resource conservation fund
Single-family homes
Prohibiting retail sale of adult recreational-use marijuana
Firearms regulation: a referendum on the 2024 state gun law, in which a yes vote keeps the law and a no vote repeals it

For a look at the races that share the ballot, see our guide to the Massachusetts Senate, House and ballot questions on Nov. 3. Riders taking the T to the polls should also check our rundown of MBTA service changes in November 2026, which begin Oct. 31.

Additional details

Counting schedule: the city begins processing early and mail ballots at City Hall Room 801 on Monday, Oct. 26, daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eligible ballots that arrive after Election Day are scheduled to be tallied on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Check-in: early voting sites use electronic poll books, and the city says sites will be staffed with interpreters.
Poll workers: the Election Department is still recruiting for Nov. 3. The stipend is $160 to $200 plus paid training, and bilingual applicants are encouraged (boston.gov/pollworkers or 617-635-0905).
At the polls: the city’s guidelines for the press say the voting area may be photographed but marked ballots may not, and audio recording inside a polling place is not permitted under state law.
Questions: the Boston Election Department can be reached at 617-635-8683 or election@boston.gov, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sources

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Boston Voter Guide for Nov. 3, 2026: Early Voting Sites, Deadlines and Ballot Questions