How Massachusetts Elections Work

Updated Oct. 17, 2026. Deadlines and rules checked against official sources on that date.

Massachusetts holds its regular state election every two years, in November of even-numbered years. In 2026 the state primary was held on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and the state election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, whose Elections Division runs statewide elections together with local election officials in each of the state’s 351 cities and towns.

What is on the 2026 ballot

The Secretary of the Commonwealth lists these offices on the 2026 state ballot: U.S. senator, U.S. representative, governor and lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and receiver general, auditor, Governor’s Councillor, state senator, state representative, district attorney and register of probate. Some counties also elect a county commissioner or county treasurer, and Franklin County is filling a sheriff vacancy. Every voter sees the statewide races and nine statewide ballot questions; congressional, legislative and county races depend on where you live.

Terms differ by office. The governor and the other constitutional officers serve four-year terms, members of the state House and Senate and of the U.S. House serve two-year terms, and U.S. senators serve six-year terms, which is why only one of Massachusetts’ two Senate seats is on the ballot this year.

Primaries and getting on the ballot

Democratic and Republican candidates are chosen in the September state primary. Candidates who are not enrolled in either major party can go directly to the November ballot. Either way, a candidate must collect a set number of certified signatures from registered voters on official nomination papers. For 2026, the state required 10,000 signatures for U.S. senator, governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general; 5,000 for secretary of state, treasurer and auditor; 2,000 for U.S. representative; 1,000 for Governor’s Councillor and district attorney; 300 for state senator; and 150 for state representative.

Party candidates may gather signatures only from voters registered in their party or not enrolled in any party, and they must have been enrolled in their party for the 90 days before the filing deadline. In the primary, voters enrolled in a party receive that party’s ballot, and unenrolled voters may choose either party’s ballot. Question 3 on this year’s ballot proposes replacing party primaries for state offices with a single all-party primary; our Question 3 page explains what a yes or no vote would do.

Ways to vote

Massachusetts voters can vote early in person, by mail or at the polls. For a November state election, the early voting period lasts 14 days, starting 17 days before Election Day and ending the Friday before, and every city and town must offer weekend hours. In 2026 that means Oct. 17 through Oct. 30. No excuse is required to vote by mail; your application must reach your local election office by 5 p.m. on the fifth business day before the election, which this year is Oct. 27. On Election Day, every polling place is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and some communities open as early as 5:45 a.m.

Mail ballots can be returned by mail, at a drop box, at your local election office or at an early voting site during early voting hours, but not at a polling place on Election Day. In the November state election only, mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day count if they arrive within three days.

How ballots are counted

Massachusetts uses paper ballots for every election, so results can be checked during recounts and audits. Most communities count with electronic tabulators that read the filled-in ovals; some small towns count by hand. Local officials may begin feeding early and mail ballots into tabulators as early as nine days before the election, but no totals may be retrieved or released until polls close.

Unofficial, official and certified results

On election night, cities and towns report unofficial results. News organizations may project winners from those counts; a projection is not an official result. Local officials then complete their counts, including late-arriving mail ballots and provisional ballots, and the state certifies the final results several weeks later. The Secretary of the Commonwealth publishes results on its election statistics site after they are certified, not on election night. Our Massachusetts Election Tracker labels every number with its status.

Ballot questions

Citizens can put proposed laws and constitutional amendments on the ballot by petition, and can ask voters to repeal a law through a referendum. In 2026, Questions 1 through 8 are proposed laws that reached the ballot by initiative petition, and Question 9 is a referendum on an existing gun law. A booklet with the full text and arguments on each side, called Information for Voters, was mailed to every household in mid-September.