Registration FAQ

Yes, if you will be 18 or older by the time of the election (and are a US citizen, and not a convicted felon, etc.).

For Massachusetts, at this link. For other states, this website should be able to help you find the right place.

October 18th is the deadline to register to vote for the November 7th, 2017 election.

One method is to use TurboVote, which will print the voter registration forms with your information and mail them to you. All you have to do is sign them, apply the stamps provided by TurboVote, and then mail them in. If you want to do the process on your own, if you have a Massachusetts driver’s license or state ID card, you can register to vote online. Otherwise, you will need to fill out and mail this voter registration form to your local election official, which can be found on this website by searching for the city you live in. For Cambridge, the address is

ELECTION COMMISSION
51 INMAN ST, FIRST FLOOR
CAMBRIDGE, MA 02139

See this website for more information.

If you want to register to vote outside of Massachusetts, the process may be slightly different (if you use TurboVote, it will take care of all of those details).

Yes, but not in the same election. If you are registered somewhere else when you register in Massachusetts, you must provide your prior voting address on your registration form so that the Massachusetts election officials can tell your home state election officials to take you off the voter rolls. However, if you remain eligible to register to vote in your home state, you can change your registration back for future elections.

You can still use Turbovote to register to vote outside of Massachusetts. You will need to list a home address in another state (for example, a parent’s address). Your voter registration will be sent to this address, so someone will have to receive your mail there.

Yes. There are many MIT students registered at their dorm/FSILG addresses.

It is not illegal in Massachusetts to be registered in two different states at the same time. However, if you list an out-of-state address as your previous address on your voter registration form, Massachusetts will send a letter to your prior state’s election commissioner to unregister you from that state. If you wish to reregister in that state again after this election, you may do so as well.

The only clear-cut consequence for Massachusetts residency is driving: if you register to vote in Massachusetts and drive on Massachusetts roads, you are supposed to register your vehicle in Massachusetts and get a Massachusetts driver’s license within 30 days.

Beyond that, the consequences are unclearly and likely minimal, because what constitutes “legal residency” varies based on location and context. Many varieties of legal residency either do not depend on voter registration or include voter registration as only one in a number of factors in a subjective determination. For instance, for personal income tax purposes, Massachusetts residency for students is primarily determined bywhether or not you live in a dorm or university-restricted apartment, not voter registration. Additionally, students in Massachusetts are eligible to be called for Massachusetts jury duty whether or not they register to vote.

For financial aid purposes, there are unlikely to be any repercussions, but if you have a scholarship which depends on your residency (such as a scholarship for students from a certain state or region), you should check with that scholarship’s administrator to be sure.