Massachusetts

Registered voters do not need to provide an ID when they vote, except for some first-time voters.

Massachusetts ID Requirements for Voting In Person

Registered voters in Massachusetts generally do not need to show ID to vote in person.

BUT: you may be asked to show ID when you check-in at your polling place for any of the following reasons:

  • You are voting for the first time in Massachusetts in a federal election. A federal election is when you vote for the President, your Congressional Representative, or your Senator. (See the rules for first-time voters here)
  • You are an inactive vote.
  • You are casting a provisional or challenged ballot.
  • The poll worker has a reasonable suspicion that leads them to request ID.

If you are required to cast a provisional ballot because of a lack of ID as a first-time voter in Massachusetts, your provisional ballot will be counted if you return with identification to the polling place or the office of your local election official by the close of polls on Election Day.

Acceptable ID must include your name and the address at which you are registered to vote.

Examples of acceptable ID include:

  • driver’s license,
  • state-issued ID card
  • recent utility bill
  • rent receipt
  • lease
  • copy of a voter registration affidavit
  • any printed ID which contains your name and address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Offices are open by appointment only.

Some services are available online.

There are authorized third parties that may provide driver’s licenses and state IDs services, for which they charge a fee. Click here for more information.

Probably. If you need to show ID to complete your voter registration, you can likely show your ID (including images of bank statements showing your full name and address) on an electronic device according to the head clerk of the Massachusetts Elections Department overseeing Boston; however, he was unable to provide a legal citation. If it is your first time voting in a federal election in Massachusetts, please see the federal ID requirements for first-time voters.

Massachusetts ID Requirements for Voting By Mail

You do not need a copy of your ID to vote by mail in Massachusetts.

BUT: If it is your first time voting in a federal election in Massachusetts, please see the federal ID requirements for first-time voters. A federal election is when you vote for the President, your Congressional Representative or your Senators.

The signature on your mail-in ballot must match your signature on file with the state.

Frequently Asked Questions

If an affidavit signature is absent or your mail-in ballot is rejected for other reasons, you will be notified.

If the Clerk determines there is sufficient time prior to Election Day, you will be sent a new absentee ballot that you can submit.