Voter Registration, Upcoming Elections, How to Vote
Voter Registration
Online voter registration is available for residents with a valid Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles identification. If you do not have an ID, you may fill out a mail-in voter registration form:
Residents may register at the Town Clerk’s Office or Registrar's Office. Please call in advance to make an appointment. Special voter registration hours are provided before any election or Town Meeting. Residents may 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 18, 2024
- State Primary - September 3, 2024 (Tuesday after Labor Day)
- State Election - November 5, 2024
Specimen Ballot for the Annual Town Election
A sample ballot for the May 18, 2024 Annual Town Election will appear here in early May.
Election Calendar for the Annual Town Election
Please review this election calendar which was approved by the Select Board in January 2024 for important dates related to the Annual Town Election.
How to Vote
Three or four easy options, depending on the election!
You may vote in person on Election Day, by mail, or by absentee ballot. There will also be in-person early voting for the State Primary and State Election. The Board of Registrars has voted unanimously to not hold in-person early voting for the Annual Town Election.
Vote In Person on Election Day
Available to all registered Hanover voters for all 2024 Elections.
Polls are open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm for the Annual Town Election on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at Hanover High School, 287 Cedar Street. For information regarding how to vote when you arrive at the polls, please read the following press release: Manner of Voting Press Release.
The polls will also be open at Hanover High School, 287 Cedar Street, from 7:00 am - 8:00 pm on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, for the State Primary, and from 7:00 am - 8:00 pm on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, for the State Election.
Vote by Mail
This option is available to all registered Hanover voters. Applications must be received in the Town Clerk's Office by 5:00 pm on the fifth business day before each election.
The legislature voted in June of 2022 to allow Vote by Mail for all registered voters without an excuse for most elections going forward. View and download the Vote by Mail Application. Postcard applications will also be mailed to all registered voters 45 days prior to every regular State Primary, State Election, and Presidential Primary. However, please note that postcard applications will NOT be mailed for a local election. If you need a printed application, they are available outside the Town Clerk's Office.
Residents of the same household may instead fill out the Vote by Mail Roster Application. This single-page application may be submitted instead of individual separate applications for people residing in the same household. Signatures of every voter requesting a ballot are still required, but they can all be on the same page.
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.
The deadline to apply for a ballot by mail for the May 18, 2024, Annual Town Election is 5:00 pm on Monday, May 13, 2024. Your application must be received in the Town Clerk's Office by that date and time.
Early Voting
In-Person Early Voting is not available for the Annual Town Election.
Please check back for specific times and dates for in-person early voting options for August and October/November 2024.
Absentee Ballots
Available only to some registered Hanover voters.
A registered voter may obtain an Absentee Ballot Application online or at the Town Clerk's Office if they have a legal excuse as outlined below. Upon receipt of the completed application, a ballot will be issued to the registered voter if she/he appears in person by appointment; otherwise, it will be mailed if received by 5:00 p.m. on the 5th business day before the election. Please make an appointment by calling ahead to ensure staff availability. Registered voters may only apply for an absentee ballot only if the voter:
- Will be absent from Hanover during polling hours;
- Has a physical disability or
- Has a religious belief that prevents the voter from coming to the polls on Election Day.
Important Information
- All absentee ballots must be applied for by noon on the day before an election if the voter is appearing in person. At that time, the Town Clerk's office closes to the public to prepare for the election.
- All absentee ballots that are requested to be mailed must be applied for five business days prior to an election.
- All absentee ballots requested for a family member must be mailed to the voter. They may not be hand-carried to the voter, but they may be hand-carried back to the Town Clerk’s office by a family member.
- No witnesses are needed unless the voter is assisted. If assisted, the person doing the assisting signs the bottom of the ballot and gives the reason why. The voter returns the ballot by mail or in-person to the Town Clerk.
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.
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.