October 13, 2026 Submitted by League of Women Voters of Hingham
During this busy election season, the League of Women Voters was grateful to have Hingham’s Town Clerk, Carol Falvey, take time to answer our questions regarding voting and your ballot for the Tuesday, November 3, State and Town election.
Carol reminded us that there is a Voter Checklist in the back of your Election Redbook that you can fill in and bring to the polls to save time. You can also find voting resources and answers to questions the League posed to your candidates on VOTE411.
1. I forgot to change my address. Can I still vote at my polling place on Election Day?
For state elections, you can vote from your prior address for up to six months if you have not updated your registration with your new address.
2. How do I find my polling place and precinct?
Go to the Precincts & Voting Locations page on the Town of Hingham website. Precincts are also listed in the 2026 Street Listing, or you can call the Town Clerk’s Office at (781) 741-1410.
3. What is the voting process when I arrive at my polling place?
Each precinct is marked at Hingham High School (Precincts 1–4) and Hingham Middle School (Precincts 5–7) with a number from 1 through 7. Linden Ponds residents vote at Precinct 7A at Linden Ponds. Voting hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Walk to the check-in table for your precinct and give your name to the poll worker. They will confirm your name and address and issue you a ballot and a receipt, which you will take to a private voting booth.
When finished, hand your receipt to the poll worker at the end of your checkout line and slowly feed your ballot into the tabulator machine. Follow the signage to exit the polling place.
Note: The November 3 election will have two ballots and two receipts.
4. What is a provisional ballot?
If a voter is not listed on the voter list but believes they are registered, a provisional ballot is accepted. The last day to register to vote for the November 3 election is Saturday, October 24, 2026.
5. What happens to a provisional ballot, and when is it counted?
The voter is provided with a ballot like everyone else, but instead of being deposited into the tabulator at the end of the checkout line, it is placed in a sealed envelope and held by the Warden.
The Warden delivers these ballots to the Town Clerk at the end of Election Day. After the election, a determination is made as to whether the voter is registered. If the voter is registered, the ballot is hand-counted and added to the results. The voter is notified of the outcome in either case.
6. If I need assistance voting because I have a disability, can someone assist me at the polling place or help me with my mailed ballot?
Yes. A voter can bring any trusted person into the voting booth to assist, even a minor child. Alternatively, two election workers from different political parties can accompany the voter to the booth and provide assistance.
If you have a vision impairment, a mobility or dexterity disability, or another disability that makes it difficult to mark a paper ballot, an AutoMARK ballot-marking machine is provided at all voting locations.
7. What happens to my ballot if I fill in a circle where there is no candidate listed?
This is considered a write-in vote, also known as a blank write-in, and is counted with other write-in votes.
8. If I fill in a write-in candidate’s name, how is my vote counted?
All write-in candidates are tallied by hand after voting has ended. In the September 1 primary, many people took advantage of this process to support two Republican candidates who had announced write-in campaigns.
However, the write-in option is sometimes abused in an effort to be funny or to name an unserious candidate. Hand-tallying takes a lot of time at the end of a very long day as staff log the names of Disney characters or sports legends. Please use the option for its intended purpose.
9. What happens to my ballot if I fill in only one candidate or a few and leave the others blank?
The positions or questions that are left blank are counted as blank votes.
10. When does a vote-by-mail ballot have to be returned to be counted?
For the November 3 election, the state ballot must be received in the Town Clerk’s drop box by 8 p.m. on November 3, or postmarked by November 3 and received by the Clerk’s Office by Friday, November 6, at 5 p.m.
All town ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3.
Note: Vote-by-mail ballots cannot be received at the polls.
11. How can I find out whether the Town Clerk has received my vote-by-mail ballot?
When ballots are returned to the Town Clerk’s Office, they are logged into the Massachusetts Voter Registration Information System (VRIS).
You can check the status of your ballot on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website using Track My Ballot.
If I do not see that my ballot has been received, should I vote in person?
You can vote in person if the records do not show that your ballot was received by the day you go to vote.
When is it counted?
All ballots are tallied on Election Night after 8 p.m.
What happens if I forget that I voted by mail and try to vote on Election Day?
If you vote by mail and the ballot has been received by the Town Clerk’s Office, it will be logged into VRIS, and you will not be given an additional ballot.
12. How are early voting ballots processed and counted?
Depending on when the Clerk’s Office receives early ballots, some are processed during the advance processing and removal period. This process typically occurs during the week before the election. The Clerk’s Office posts these dates in its office and on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s website.
Early vote-by-mail ballots that arrive closer to Election Day are bundled by precinct and delivered to the polling locations for processing on Election Day.
No preliminary results are available until after 8 p.m. on November 3.
