No Vote By Mail Option For 2021 Arlington Town Election

ARLINGTON, MA — The state legislature has not authorized the same vote-by-mail rules that communities used in 2020, meaning Arlington and many neighboring towns will hold a traditional election at the polls. Arlington's town election is Saturday, April 10.

Polling locations will adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols, and absentee ballots will be mailed to anyone who requests them. Coronavirus-related precautions are currently not a valid reason to vote absentee in elections held after March 31.

This can change if new legislation, which state lawmakers are discussing, is passed. Secretary of State William Galvin said Tuesday he will file legislation this month to make mail-in voting and expanded early voting permanent.

How to Request an Absentee Ballot

Residents who wish to vote by absentee ballot can submit the absentee form or any written note that includes a request for an absentee ballot for the April election. All requests (forms, letters or handwritten notes) should include the voter’s full name and address and must be signed. Emailed applications may be signed using a mouse, finger, or stylus. Typed signatures are not acceptable on any form.

Absentee applications may be downloaded and returned via mail, email, or placed in the Town Hall Drop box in the Academy Street parking lot. To email a form, residents may attach a picture or scan of the signed form and send to townclerk@town.arlington.ma.us. Around March 1, the ballot drop boxes will be returned to their usual locations (ACMi Studio on Park St, Fox Library on Mass Ave, and in front of Town Hall) and can be used to return both applications/requests and ballots when they are mailed.

Residents only need to provide an address for the absentee ballot if you are requesting the ballot be sent to a different address than the registration address. It is advisable to include contact information in case the clerk's office needs to clarify the details of a request. The Post Office will not forward ballots, so provide a direct address where the voter receives mail.

The legal deadline to request an absentee ballot is noon the day before the election; however, that law does not take into account the time needed to mail the ballot, so it is strongly suggested that requests be received by the clerk several days before the election. A request received on April 6 would be mailed on April 7 and would have to be completed by the voter and returned to a drop box on or before Election Day.

Ballots will be delivered in mid-March and plans are being made for a one-day effort, including volunteers from the community, to prepare all the ballots for mailing. This allows the maximum time for ballots to reach people who are out of town. All ballots must be received by the clerk before the polls close on April 10 – postmarks are not sufficient.

Visit the Elections page for more information about the April 10 Election.