Absentee Voting

Requirements

Voters who are unable to vote on election day because of physical disability, religious beliefs or travel may vote by absentee ballot. State law limits the availability of absentee ballots to those three listed circumstances only. Absentee ballots are not available for mere convenience, or because of ordinary commuting-related difficulties 

If you will be absent from Dover for an extended period of time, you may submit a single application for all elections occurring within the year the application is accepted.

Obtaining an Application for an Absentee Ballot

Print the Absentee Ballot Application (PDF), fill it out, and mail to the:

Town Clerk’s Office
P.O. Box 250
Dover, MA 02030

or drop off in person at Town Clerk’s Office, or in the Treasurer’s Box in the semi circle driveway.

In addition, applications for absentee ballots may be obtained online at the Office of the Secretary of State.

Submitting Application

Applications may be submitted in person or by mail. The application may be submitted by the voter, or a family member, including:

  • Adopted child
  • Adopting parent
  • Aunt
  • Brother
  • Daughter
  • Father
  • Grandchild
  • Grandparent
  • In-laws
  • Mother
  • Nephew
  • Niece
  • Person residing in the same household
  • Sister
  • Son
  • A spouse
  • Stepchild
  • Stepparent
  • Uncle

Perjury

All applications must be signed under the pains and penalties of perjury by the voter, or a family member, before a ballot will be made available. State law requires that we must have a signature of the applicant on file with the request.

Primary Party Selection

In a primary election, a voter who is not registered in a political party must specify the ballot of the party of choice in the application. You will not become registered in a political party because of your participation in a state primary.

Returning the Application for an Absentee Ballot

Applications for absentee ballots must be applied for from the Town Clerk before noon the day before an election. (A voter who is admitted to a health care facility after noon of the fifth day before an election may apply for a ballot up until the close of the polls and may request to have the ballot delivered.) Absentee ballots generally are available three weeks before an election.

If the voter submits the application in person, he may obtain the ballot and vote over-the-counter. The voter should first check with the office to see if the ballots are available. If the ballot is not available, it will be sent to the voter by mail. 

When the application is submitted in person by a family member, the ballot must be sent by mail to the voter. In all other cases, the ballot is sent by mail. 

Keeping Absentee Voters from Voting Twice

A list of all voters who obtained absentee ballots is sent to the poll locations to prevent an absentee voter from voting a second time.