Less than one month after Gov. Charlie Baker signed a COVID-era election reform bill into law, the first batch of no-excuse mail-in ballots is on its way out to voters.
Secretary of State William Galvin announced Tuesday that voting has officially started for the Sept. 1 state primary that is four weeks away, now that local elections officials have started sending ballots to voters who already completed applications requesting them.
Any registered voter who still wants to receive a mail-in ballot must send an application — which were mailed to all voters and can also be downloaded — to their local election office by Aug. 26.
Ballots must reach the clerk’s offices by 8 p.m. on Sept. 1 to count.
As part of the reform law aimed at ensuring maximum access to elections despite COVID risks, Massachusetts will offer early voting before a primary for the first time ever, from Aug. 22 to Aug. 28.
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