Voter Registration, Upcoming Elections, How to Vote
Voter Registration
The last day to register to vote for the May 16th Annual Town Election is April 24, 2026. If you have a valid Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles identification, you can register to vote online.
If you don't have an ID, you may fill out a mail-in voter registration form.
You can also register at the Town Clerk’s Office or the Registrar's Office. Please call in advance to make an appointment. Special voter registration hours are also provided before any election or Town Meeting.
You can also register to vote at any Registry of Motor Vehicles office.
In Hanover, a voter must meet the following qualifications to register to vote:
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Must be a Hanover resident
- Must be at least 16 years old and understand that they must be 18 years old to be eligible to vote
- Not under guardianship, which prohibits registering to vote
- Not temporarily or permanently disqualified by law from voting because of corrupt practices in respect to elections
- Not currently incarcerated for a felony conviction
Upcoming Elections in Hanover
Annual Town Election, May 16, 2026
How to Vote
Two to four easy options, depending on the election.
In every election, you may vote in person on Election Day or, if you qualify, by absentee ballot. There will also be a no-excuse Vote by Mail for the Annual Town Election, but there will not be In-Person Early Voting for the Annual Town Election.
Vote In Person on Election Day
Available to all registered Hanover voters for all 2026 Elections.
- Polls will be open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm for the May 16, 2026, Annual Town Election
- Voting is held in the gym at Hanover High School, 287 Cedar Street.
- For information on how to vote when you get to the polls, please read the Manner of Voting Press Release.
Vote by Mail
This option is available to all registered Hanover voters in advance of the Annual Town Election on May 16, 2026.
Applications must be received in the Town Clerk's Office by 5:00 pm on the fifth business day before each election. For the upcoming election, this means by 5:00 pm on Monday, May 11, 2026.
Once your application is received and your voter registration is confirmed, a ballot will be mailed to you via USPS. The Postal Service recommends allowing 7 days for a ballot to get from one side of Hanover to the other.
No witnesses are needed unless the voter is assisted. If assisted, the person doing the helping signs the bottom of the ballot envelope and gives the reason why.
After you've filled out your mail-in ballot, it must be received by the Town Clerk's Office no later than the close of polls. For the upcoming election, that's 6:00 pm on May 16, 2026. If the office is closed, please use the ballot drop box in front of Town Hall to return your ballot.
Additional Information
- The legislature voted in June of 2022 to allow Vote by Mail for all registered voters without an excuse for most elections going forward.
- Postcard applications will automatically be mailed to all registered voters 45 days prior to every regular State Primary, State Election, and Presidential Primary.
- Postcard applications will NOT be mailed for a local election. If you need a printed application, they're available outside the Town Clerk's Office.
You may also use the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Vote by Mail Application Online Portal to apply for a ballot by mail. This portal is also the gateway to request the use of the Accessible Vote by Mail System as an accommodation due to a disability that prevents the voter from marking a paper ballot.
Vote at an In-Person Early Voting Session
In-Person Early Voting (IPEV) will NOT be held for the Annual Town Election on May 16, 2026.
This decision was a unanimous vote of the Board of Registrars. This was due to the low turnout and high cost, and the lack of state reimbursement for IPEV for a local election.
The next time there will be In-Person Early Voting will be in advance of the September 2026 State Primary and the November 2026 State Election, as is required by law and reimbursed by the state.
Vote Via an Absentee Ballot
Available only to some registered Hanover voters.
If you are registered to vote, you can get an Absentee Ballot Application online or at the Town Clerk's Office. If you want to vote in person, please call ahead to make an appointment so that we may ensure that someone is here when you want to vote.
You must have a legal excuse:
- Will be absent from Hanover during polling hours
- Have a physical disability
- Have a religious belief that prevents you from coming to the polls on Election Day
Applications to vote absentee by mail must be received in the Town Clerk's Office by 5:00 pm on the fifth business day before an election. For the upcoming election in May, that means by 5:00 pm on Monday, May 11, 2026. If you are mailing back your absentee ballot for this year’s Town Election, it must be received by 6:00 pm on May 16, 2026.
Applications to vote absentee in person must be applied for by noon on the day before an election. You must make an appointment by calling ahead to ensure staff availability. For the upcoming election in May, that means by 12:00 noon on Friday, May 15, 2026. At 12:00 noon, the Town Clerk's office will close to the public to prepare for the election.
No witnesses are needed unless the voter is assisted. If assisted, the person doing the assisting signs the bottom of the ballot envelope and gives the reason why.
Absentee Ballot for a Family Member
A family member may request an absentee ballot for another family member. This family member must be a spouse or person residing in the same household, in-laws, father, mother, sister or brother of the whole or half-blood, son, daughter, adopting parent or adopted child, stepparent or stepchild, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, grandparent or grandchild.
All absentee ballots requested for a family member must be mailed to the voter. They may not be hand-carried to the voter, but a voted ballot may be hand-carried back to the Town Clerk’s Office by a family member.
Absentee Ballot for a Permanently Disabled Voter
Permanently disabled voters may obtain a note from their physician, which should then be mailed to the Town Clerk/Board of Registrars to permanently request an absentee ballot application.
An application for an absentee ballot will be automatically mailed to the disabled voter at least twenty-eight (28) days before each election. If the permanently disabled voter completes the application and requests all ballots for that calendar year be mailed to him/her, the application will not need to be mailed for each subsequent election that calendar year; a ballot will be mailed automatically.
Please note that a new absentee ballot application must be completed each calendar year.
Absentee Ballot for Uniformed and Overseas Citizens
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) states that any military Service member, eligible family member, or overseas citizen may be eligible to vote absentee.
The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) encourages Service members, their eligible family members, and overseas citizens to submit a new Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) every January to ensure they can participate in upcoming Federal elections. The FPCA (SF-76) allows you to apply to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and/or update your contact information with your local election office, the Hanover Town Clerk's Office.
Hard copies of the form are also available at embassies, consulates, and military bases worldwide.