Voter Registration in Massachusetts

To vote in Massachusetts, one must register with the local election official in the city or town of your primary residence.

Voter registration forms are available at the Town Clerk’s office. A downloadable Voter Registration form is available at the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s web site. Please note that there is no online voter registration in Massachusetts. The Voter Registration form may be printed, completed and returned to your local election official. Please return this form to the Groton Town Clerk. 

Voter registration needs to be completed only once, as long as you maintain the same address. If you move (even within the same town), change your name or wish to change party affiliation, a new voter registration is required.  It’s important to note that each election and town meeting has a voter registration deadline of 20 days before the event.


The Secretary of the Commonwealth's website is an excellent resource for voting information:

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele

If you have any specific questions, please contact the Groton Town Clerk’s office at 978-448-1100 or townclerk@townofgroton.org.

Absentee Voting in Massachusetts

Massachusetts allows voters to vote by absentee ballot if they:

• will be absent from your city or town on election day, and/or
• have a physical disability that prevents your voting at the polling place, and/or
• cannot vote at the polls due to religious beliefs.

The process for absentee voting is:

• Apply for an absentee ballot. Absentee ballot applications are available at the Town Clerk’s office and are also downloadable at the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howabs.htm
• Complete the form and forward it to the Town Clerk’s office.
• An Absentee Ballot will be mailed to you at the address you indicate.
• Return the absentee ballot by election day.

Alternatively, you may compete the application and vote in person at the Clerk's Office before election day.  The last day and hour to request an absentee ballot is noon on the day before the election.

The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website is an excellent resource for voting information:

        http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele

If you have any specific questions, please contact the Groton Town Clerk’s office at 978-448-1100 or townclerk@townofgroton.org.

Permanent Absentee Voters

If you qualify to submit for an permanent absentee ballot application, please remember that you must reapply each year.  Please contact the Town Clerk’s office for assistance.

Election Rules

The Groton Town Clerk would like to remind the public (especially those who campaign), of Groton's policy regarding signage at the polls and the 150 foot rule. Precincts 2 and 3 are housed at the Groton-Dunstable Regional Middle School North School District located at 346 Main Street. Precinct 1 is housed at the Senior Center located at 163 West Main Street in West Groton. All candidates and supporters must abide by the sign policy adopted by the Board of Selectmen. There are no unattended signs allowed at the polling locations. Attended signs however, are allowed at the polling location outside the 150 foot radius. "Attended" constitutes a person is holding or standing immediately adjacent to a sign.

As an additional reminder, candidates and their workers must abide by MGL 54:65, more commonly known as the 150 foot rule. At the polling sites on Election Day, we will have signs marking the radius of 150 foot from the entrances to the polling places. All candidates and campaign workers must remain outside the 150 foot mark if they are campaigning in any way. No stickers, signs, badges, or other campaign paraphernalia will be allowed beyond this point. There is no oral campaigning within this 150 foot area.

If you have any questions regarding election day procedures, please feel free to contact the Clerk’s office at 978-448-1100.

The polling locations for Precincts 2 and 3 has been changed, effective with the April 30, 2013 elections. These precincts formerly voted at the Middle School, but will now vote at the Prescott School building, 145 Main St.  Precinct 1 will continue to vote at the Groton Senior Center at 163 West Main St.

If you have a question about your voting precinct, please contact the Town Clerk at 978-448-1100 or townclerk@townofgroton.org.

Click here to view the precinct map.

Click here for street precinct assignments.

Town Elections

Click here to view the final list of candidates for the town of Groton.

Click here to view a Sample Ballot for the 2013 Annual Town Election


Schedule

The Annual Town Election will be held Tuesday April 30.

The Groton Board of Selectmen have voted to combine the Town Election with the Special State Primary, and hold both on Tuesday April 30, 2013 to help facilitate voter participation.

The voter registration deadline for the Town Election and the Special State Primary is April 10.

Special State Election: Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The voter registration deadline for the Special State Election is June 5.

For more information: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleidx.htm

Sample ballot
Special State Election Sample Ballot

The 2013  Spring Annual Town Meeting  will be held beginning Monday, April 22.  The follow-on dates for the town meeting will be Tuesday, April 23 and , if needed, Monday, April 29. At this town meeting, the Town can be expected to discuss and vote on the Town Budget, and other issues before the Town.

The voter registration deadline for new voters for this Town Meeting  is April 2.

You can find more information on Groton's Town Meeting here.