How to Register to Vote in Townsend

The right to vote is the foundation of our democratic system. On election day all voters, regardless of status, background or official position, share equally in the decision-making process. The quality of the outcome of an election, whether it be for the selection of government officials or decisions on issues of general public interest, is related directly to the quality of voter participation.
 

Voter registration in Townsend has never been easier than it is today. You may visit the Town Clerk Office in Townsend Town Hall and complete a voter registration form in person. Or, you may obtain a mail-in voter registration form from the Town Clerk Office or on-line at www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/. Mail-in forms also may be obtained by calling the State Elections Division at (800) 462-VOTE. In addition, the state registries of motor vehicles, social service agencies and military recruitment offices provide voter registration forms. 

When you register to vote you may choose to register in a state political party, select a political designation (become affiliated with a political organization which has not received party status in Massachusetts) or choose no political affiliation and become "unenrolled" (commonly referred to as "independent"). If you choose to register with a political party or select a political designation, you only will be able to receive the ballot of the selected party in a primary election. Your registration status also affects your ability to run for office in a partisan election.
 

Any person who is a Massachusetts resident, a United States citizen and will be eighteen years old as of the next election, is eligible to register to vote. You do not need a drivers license or any other form of identification to register. However, when you sign the registration form, you must attest, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that you are legally eligible to register and that the information you provide is accurate and truthful. The penalty for fraudulent registration increased recently to a fine of ten thousand dollars or imprisonment for up to five years, or both.
 

You will remain on the list of voters so long as you vote regularly and complete and return the annual census. If you move within town or to another city or town, you must re-register.
 

Be aware that there are voter registration deadlines. You must register to vote at least twenty days before any Town or State election or the Presidential Primary, and at least ten days before a Special Town Meeting.