How To Vote By Mail In The Sept. 1 State Primary Election

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — All North Andover voters will have the opportunity to cast their ballots by mail in the fall's two elections, if they want to avoid election day crowds amid the coronavirus epidemic.

Voting by mail this year will not require a reason — an expected second surge of COVID-19 is reason enough, lawmakers determined. But it will require a vote-by-mail application being returned to your local elections office.

How to apply to vote by mail:

Applications were out by Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin's office that can be used for the Sept. 1 state primary, Nov. 3 election or both. All postcard applications, which went to registered voters who had not already applied for absentee ballots, were due to go out by Tuesday.

To vote by mail in the state primary election, residents must return their applications to the North Andover Town Clerk's Office, 120 Main Street, North Andover MA 01845 is 5 p.m. Wednesday, August 26th. The deadline is Oct. 28 for the general election.

You can also download the absentee ballot application here.

To vote in person, either early or on election day, you do not need to return the application.

How to register to vote:

To check your voter status, click here.

The voter registration for 2020 elections is 10 days before the election. For the state primary, voters must register by Aug. 22.

Residents with an MA driver's license or a state ID can register online at www.registertovotema.gov.

Residents can also download the registration form here, fill it out and mail it to the Town Clerk's Office, 120 Main Street, North Andover MA 01845, or drop it in the business mailbox in front of Town Hall.

Residents who do not have access to a computer or printer can call the Town Clerk's Office at (978) 688-9501 and ask them to mail a voter registration form.

How to vote by mail:

The Town Clerk's office will begin mailing out ballots when they are available. Ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on election day.

Who's running?

Sample ballots can be viewed here.

The following races are contested. Incumbents are in bold.

All precincts

Democratic Primary, U.S. Senate

• Ed Markey
• Joe Kennedy, III

Democratic Primary, U.S. House Sixth District

• Seth Moulton
• Jamie Belsito
• Angus McQuilken

Republican Primary, U.S. Senate

• Shiva Ayyadurai
• Kevin O'Connor

Precincts six to eight

Republican Primary, Massachusetts House 18th District

• Jeffrey Peter DuFour
• Shishan Wang

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.