Boston Election Department Issues Reminders Ahead Of Preliminary Municipal Election

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The Boston Election Department is reminding voters that Preliminary Municipal Election Day is Tuesday, September 9, 2025. This election will determine the field of candidates whose names will appear on the official ballot for the General Municipal Election on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

Voters will determine the top two candidates for the office of Mayor, the top two candidates for each District City Councilor race (where applicable), and the top eight candidates for At-Large City Councilor. There will be no preliminary municipal election for District City Council in Districts 3, 6, 8, and 9.

Voter Registration

The voter registration deadline for the September 9 Preliminary Municipal Election is tomorrow, Saturday, August 30.

Voters may register:
In-Person Early Voting

In-person early voting will run from Saturday, August 30 through Friday, September 5, except on Monday, September 1 (Labor Day). Voters may vote at any Early Voting location throughout the city. Any registered Boston voter can vote at any early voting location. You don't need an excuse or reason to vote early.

Boston City Hall will serve as the primary early voting site, with voting on:
  • Tuesday, September 2, and Thursday, September 4, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Wednesday, September 3, and Friday, September 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Voters are encouraged to enter City Hall using the North side entrance on Congress Street (across from Haymarket T-Station).

Additional early voting locations are available in neighborhoods throughout the city on the following dates:
  • Saturday, August 30, and Sunday, August 31, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Tuesday, September 2, and Thursday, September 4, from 12 to 8 p.m.

View a full list of early voting locations

All early voting sites are equipped with electronic poll books for voter check-in. Early voting locations are well-staffed with poll workers and interpreters. All sites are fully accessible to voters with disabilities.

Vote-By-Mail Application

The vote-by-mail application deadline is Tuesday, September 2, at 5 p.m. Voters may apply for a vote by mail ballot through the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website, by visiting the Election Department in room 241 at City Hall, or by mailing an application.

Learn how to vote by mail

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Absentee Voting

Absentee voting is available to voters who are unable to vote in person on Election Day due to being absent from the City during voting hours, a physical disability and can't get to the voting location, and religious beliefs.
  • The in-person absentee voting deadline is Monday, September 8, at 12 p.m.
  • All applications for mail-in ballots must reach the Election Department by 5 p.m. on September 2.

Absentee voting information

Ballot Return

Voters who planned to return their ballots by U.S. Mail and have not mailed their ballots within one week of Election Day are encouraged to return their ballots through other means, to ensure they will be counted. Ballot packages must be received by the Boston Election Department no later than 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
  • Voters may return their ballots until 8 p.m. on Election Day to any of the 22 drop boxes across the City or in person at the Election Department in City Hall.
  • Ballots cannot be returned to a polling location on Election Day.

Voters can track their ballot through the state's website. If there is no movement indicated in the "Track My Ballot" system, voters should plan to vote in person on Election Day at their assigned precinct. Check your polling location and status.

Accessible Voting

The Accessible Electronic Voting System allows voters who are unable to independently read, write, hold, or physically manipulate or mark ballots to submit their ballot via a secure electronic delivery system. Voters who qualify for an Accessible Electronic Ballot may apply online. The deadline to apply for an accessible ballot is Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at 5 p.m. To get access to the electronic ballot, you will need to provide your email address.

Voting On Election Day

Polling locations open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. A list of polling locations can be found online. As a reminder, voters should check their registration status via the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website. Printed ballots will be available in English and Spanish, English and Chinese, and English and Vietnamese. Language interpreters will also be available upon request. All voting locations are wheelchair accessible and are equipped with an AutoMark Voter Assist Terminal for voters with disabilities to assist with marking the ballot independently.

Poll Pads Electronic Check-in

The Boston Election Department is expanding the use of Poll Pads electronic check-in devices across all 275 precincts for voter check-in on Election Day. This upgrade will speed up the check-in process and enhance communication with the Election Department.

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While Poll Pads are new to Election Day, they have been used successfully during Early Voting since 2016. The voting process for voters remains the same: you will check in with a poll worker, receive a paper ballot, mark your vote, and cast it as usual.

Central Tabulation

On Monday, September 1, 2025, the City of Boston will begin removing Preliminary Municipal Election mail-in and in-person early voted ballots for all 275 precincts from their envelopes and depositing these ballots into a tabulator in Boston City Hall located at One City Hall Square, Room 801, Boston, MA 02201.

Only ballots received prior to Friday, September 5, 2025, will be removed and deposited in Room 801.

Advance Processing Schedule

Ballot removal and processing will occur daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., beginning on Monday, September 1, through Tuesday, September 9, 2025, with processing beginning at 7 a.m. on September 9 (if necessary) and continuing until all ballots have been processed.
  • All ballots advance processed by 5 p.m. on Friday, September 5, 2025, will be centrally tabulated.
  • All other ballots received by 2 p.m. on Election Day (Tuesday, September 9, 2025) will be delivered to their respective precinct for processing.
  • Ballots received after 2 p.m. on Election Day will be processed after the close of polls at 8 p.m., once the voter lists from each precinct have been received by the Elections Department.

Unofficial Results

After polls close at 8 p.m., the Election Department will receive and upload unofficial results of ballots counted at polling places as they are returned from each precinct. Poll workers need time to tally election results and transport materials from polling places to City Hall. Uploading of election results may not begin until after 10 p.m.

The initial results reported on the website on election night will include:
  • Ballots cast in person on Election Day
  • Early voting and mail-in ballots, including those from precincts being centrally tabulated at the City Hall central tabulation facility.

The unofficial results uploaded to Boston.gov on election night will NOT include mail and absentee ballots that arrive on time on Election Day, but are too late to be sent to polling locations to be counted. These ballots will be processed after the close of polls at 8 p.m., once the voter lists from each precinct have been received by the Elections Department.

Media Guidelines

Where To Stand

Members of the press must remain behind the guardrail. While many polling places are not equipped with a physical guardrail, the area within the "guardrail" encompasses the check-in table, the voting booths, and the ballot box. Only poll workers and voters should be within this area.

Interacting With Voters and Poll Workers

Members of the press, like all other observers in the polling place, may not interact with voters while they are in the polling place. Further, observers who have questions about where they should stand and what they are allowed to do while observing should ask to speak to the warden. The warden may provide members of the press with information regarding their rights as observers.

Photography

Photography of the voting process in the polling place is permitted, though marked ballots may not be photographed. Photographers are allowed inside the polling place to photograph the area from outside the guardrail. The warden may instruct the photographer not to take photos of any marked ballots.

Video and Audio Recording

As with photography of the polling place, video recording of the polling place is allowed. Audio recording of the polling place is not permitted under state law. Anyone recording in the polling place must have the ability to record without capturing audio and should be instructed to do so by the warden. Those who are using electronic equipment may not use the electricity in the polling place to power their equipment.

Exit Polling

Exit polling and interviews of voters are permitted outside the polling place, within 150 feet or more of the entrance to the polling place, but only those voters who are leaving the polling place should be stopped. Voter access to the polling place should not be impeded in any way.

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