Massachusetts Voter Registration Deadline is Oct. 17

Norton residents who want to vote in the 2012 presidential election and other federal and state races have five weeks left until the Massachusetts voter registration deadline.

The registration deadline is Wednesday, Oct 17. The Norton Town Clerks Office, located on the first floor of Town Hall, 70 E. Main St., will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on this day. Town Hall is open for regular hours Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Thursdays 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. 

Residents can also download a mail-in voter registration form on the town website. Once that form is filled out and signed, it must be mailed to the Town Clerk's Office (address above) and postmarked by Wednesday, Oct. 17 for you to be eligible to vote.

Massachusetts also allows voters to vote by absentee ballot, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website, if they:

• Will be absent from their city or town on Election Day, and/or
• Have a physical disability that prevents them from voting at the polling
  place, and/or
• Cannot vote at the polls due to religious beliefs.

 town website or can be picked up at the Norton Town Clerk's office. Registered voters must fill out an application and a ballot will be mailed to them once the ballots are available, which is scheduled to be around Oct. 17. Once ballots are available, registered voters can complete an application and vote in the office of the Town Clerk if they prefer. The deadline to apply for absentee ballots is noon the day before the election, Monday, Nov. 5, although it is recommended to submit the application as soon as possible.

If you are voting from outside the United States, your completed absentee ballot can be received up until 10 days after the election, but must be postmarked on or before Election Day.

For more information, visit the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website, visit the town website or call 508-285-0230.