Elections

2024 State & Federal Elections

The State Election will be held November 5th, 2024.

The last day to register to vote for the State Election is Saturday, October 26th, 2024.  There will be in person voter registration available in the Town Clerk’s Office, 40 Main Street, that day from 9am-11am and 3-5pm.  You can also register to vote at : www.sec.state.ma.us/OVR/

Here are the three options for casting your vote:

  1.  Vote in person, on election day, November 5th from 7am-8pm in the John James Memorial Hall.
  2.  Vote early in person, in the John James Memorial Hall, on:

Saturday, October 19th         9am-1pm

Monday, October 21st          9am-1pm

Saturday, October 26th         9am-1pm

Monday, October 28th          9am-1pm

  1.  Vote by mail.  Every registered voter should have received a prepaid post card from the Secretary of the State’s office, asking if you’d like to vote by mail.  If you’d prefer to vote in person, just discard the post card.  No action needed.  If you do want to vote by mail, I must receive your application by Tuesday, October 29th at 5pm in order to have your ballot mailed to you.

If you didn’t receive the vote by mail post card, you can apply via the State’s online portal.

Vote by Mail ballots that are returned in person or via the drop box must be received by the Town Clerk’s Office by close of the polls on election day in order to be counted.  If the ballot is returned by domestic mail, it can be received up until 5pm on November 8th 2024 (must be postmarked by Election Day).

The State Primary was held September 3, 2024. The results can be found on the Goshen Elections Result Page.

The Presidential Primary was held March 5, 2024. The results can be found on the Goshen Elections Result Page.

2024 Local Elections

Goshen’s Annual Town Election was held on June 1, 2024.   The results can be found at the Goshen Elections Result Page.

2023 Local Elections

Goshen’s Annual Town Election was held on June 3, 2023.  The results can be found at the Goshen Elections Result Page.

Polling Location

On Election Day, everyone votes at John James Memorial Hall, 42 Main St.  Please enter on the parking lot side of the building, via the ramp entrance.  Parking is available in the town hall lot as well as diagonally across the road in the town parking lot.  Polling hours are 7:00 am – 8:00 pm for federal and state elections.  Polling hours for town elections vary.  Please check back for the most current info or contact the town clerk: 413-268-8236 x107, clerk@goshen-ma.us.

Are you registered to vote?

You can see if you are registered to vote by going to the Secretary of State’s website: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

If you have not registered to vote, you may do so at the Town Clerk’s Office or online:  Online Voter Registration System.  You can only be a registered voter in one place and should register at the address you consider to be your primary residence.

The deadline to register to vote in any election is ten(10) days prior to the date of the election.

Voting by Mail

Massachusetts voters now have the option to vote early by mail in all elections, with no excuse required.  To request your Vote by Mail ballot, submit a signed application to your local election office:  Massachusetts Vote By Mail Application.  Any mail-in ballot must be requested in writing at least 5 business days before Election Day.  Apply as early as possible, especially if your ballot will need to be mailed out of town.  The U.S. Postal Service recommends allowing up to 7 days for mail delivery.  To ensure you receive your ballot with enough time to mail it back, you should apply 2-3 weeks before Election Day.

Voting in Person

You can still vote in person if you’ve applied to vote by mail.  You can vote at an early voting location (if applicable) or your polling place on Election Day.  You can’t vote in person if your ballot has been accepted by your local election office.  You can’t take your ballot back or vote again.

 Absentee Ballot  Requests
In addition to no-excuse early voting by mail, Massachusetts has absentee voting for those who qualify.  While early Vote by Mail ballots are more common, there are special circumstances where you need to apply for an absentee ballot instead.  To qualify for an absentee ballot, you must:
  • Be away from your city/town on Election Day; or
  • Have a disability that keeps you from voting at your polling place; or
  • Have a religious belief that prevents you from voting at your polling place on Election Day
Absentee voters use the same ballots as early voters (Massachusetts Absentee Ballot Application) and have the same deadlines for returning their ballots.  Most voters who qualify for an absentee ballot can choose instead to apply for an early Vote by Mail ballot.  There are some times that an absentee ballot application is needed.  You should fill out an absentee ballot application if:
  • You are a U.S. citizen residing overseas; or
  • You are on active military duty; or
  • You are currently incarcerated for a reason other than a felony conviction; or
  • You are requesting an emergency absentee ballot due to hospitalization.

Emergency Absentee Ballots

If you have been admitted to a healthcare facility within 1 week of the election, you may use the absentee ballot application to designate someone of your choice to deliver a ballot to you.  The person you designate to deliver your ballot will need to bring the signed application to your local election office, pick up your absentee ballot, bring it to you, and return it for you by the close of polls on Election Day.  Emergency ballots may be requested up until the close of polls.

Military & Overseas Voters

If you are a U.S citizen residing out of the country or on active military duty, you may use the Federal Post Card Application or the Massachusetts Absentee Ballot Application to request your ballot.  More information is available at the Secretary of State website:  Military and Overseas Voters.
What Does “U” or “Unenrolled” Mean?

When registering to vote, you have the option of choosing “unenrolled” under party enrollment or designation.  This is commonly referred to as “independent” and means you are not enrolled in a party but are a registered voter.  You will still be allowed to vote in a party primary if you are listed as unenrolled and will just have to notify the poll worker of which party’s ballot you would like to use.  You will not need to change back to “unenrolled” after choosing a party ballot at a primary.  Unenrolled does not mean that you are not registered to vote.

Have You Moved?

You must update your voter registration every time you move, even within the same town.  If you have moved, you can update your registration by visiting  Online Voter Registration System.

For more information, you can also visit the Massachusetts Elections Division website https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/elections-and-voting.htm.

If you have questions about elections or voter eligibility, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office:  413-268-8236 x107, clerk@goshen-ma.us.

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