Despite President Donald Trump voting by mail during elections in 2017, 2018 and 2020, POTUS has spent the past week threatening to sue states that will allow mail-in voting for this upcoming Presidential Election–falsely claiming it will lead to widespread election fraud.
While Trump has even suggested the November election should be postponed, Boston is going forward with sending residents ‘vote by mail’ applications.
At a press conference last week, Mayor Martin Walsh said that registered voters in East Boston and the rest of the city should expect to get a mail-in ballot application in the mail this week, if they haven’t received one already.
“This year, everyone can vote by a mail-in ballot,” said Walsh. “In the past, Massachusetts residents had to show that they had a disability, that their religion prevented them from voting in-person, or that they would be out of town on election day. This year, Massachusetts passed legislation that waives these requirements, and anyone who requests a mail-in ballot will get one. This will help make sure everyone can exercise their right to vote during COVID-19.”
The Mayor said that it’s important for residents to note that they are getting an application in the mail, and they must fill it out and send it back to the Elections Department to get a mail-in ballot. As of last week the City had received 4,000 applications for mail-in ballots.
“Voters can choose which election they’d like a ballot for — the Primary Election on September 1st; the General Election on November 7th; or both,” said Walsh. “Independent voters who want to vote in the primary must check a party box. They should then sign the form, and drop it in the mail. No postage is needed.”
Applications to request a mail-in ballot must be received by Wednesday, August 26 for the State Primaries, and October 28 for the General Election.
“Voters who would rather go to their polling place in-person can still do so,” said Walsh. “The City of Boston Elections Department is adding COVID-19 protocols on social distancing, sanitizing procedures, and the proper use of PPE in their training for poll workers.”
In addition, the City will hold Early Voting again this year. Early voting for the Primaries will happen August 22nd through August 28th; and for the General Election, it will run October 17th through October 30th.
To learn more about mail-in ballots and the upcoming elections, visit Boston.gov/elections.