Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 950 CMR - OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH › Title 950 CMR 47.00 - Early Voting Procedures › Section 47.14 - Processing Early Voting Ballots at Polls

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1)
Deliver Early Voting Ballots
. The early voting ballots
			 shall be delivered to the polls during the day, not later than one hour after
			 the polls close.
(2)
Warden Shall Process Early Voting Ballots
. The warden,
			 or an election officer designated by the warden, may process early voting
			 ballots whenever there is free time, from the time the polls open in the
			 morning and throughout the day.
(3)
Early Voting Ballots to be Processed
. Only the local
			 election official shall determine whether to reject an early voting ballot as
			 defective. The election officers at the polls may only reject early voting
			 ballots as defective if, when opening the ballot envelope, more than one ballot
			 is contained therein as set forth in 950 CMR 47.15(6). If the ballot is
			 transmitted to the polls, election officers shall process it unless the
			 person's name has been marked on the voting list as having voted in person, or
			 the name is not on the voting list. Election officers shall verify that the
			 name of the person who signed the affidavit on the early voting ballot envelope
			 is on the voting list. Election officers must inform the local election
			 official if the name does not appear on the voting list.
(4)
Mark the Voting
			 List
. The letters EV shall have already been written in front of
			 the early voter's name and in the area used for marking a check on the voting
			 list. A mark shall be made beside or through the name of the voter to indicate
			 that the early voting ballot vote has been cast. An election officer shall
			 announce the name and address of each early voter. This same process shall
			 occur at the check-out table.
If early voting ballots are processed at the polls but after
				the close of polls, it is not required to announce the name and address of each
				early voter at the check-out table.
(5)
Open Ballot
			 Envelope
. Election officers shall open the ballot envelope
			 carefully so as not to deface, mark or tear the ballot or the ballot envelope.
			 Election officers shall place the ballot envelopes in the proper
			 container.
(6)
One
			 Ballot Per Envelope
. The ballot envelope must not contain more
			 than one ballot. If more than one ballot is in the envelope, neither ballot
			 shall be counted and those ballots shall be placed in the ballot envelope which
			 shall be marked "Rejected as Defective" and placed in the proper
			 container.
(7)
Challenging of Early Voting Ballots
. In the polling
			 place, if an early voting ballot is challenged when opened at the polls, the
			 name and address of the early voter shall be written on the ballot by the
			 warden in accordance with the provisions set forth in 950 CMR 47.16. The
			 challenger's name and address shall be recorded and the event shall be noted in
			 the local election official's Election Record, and the letters CV shall be
			 placed on the voting list next to the name of the challenged voter. After this,
			 the ballot shall be deposited in the ballot box.
(8)
Remove Ballot and Place in
			 Ballot Box
. The early voting ballot shall be removed from its
			 envelope without examining it and in a manner that will ensure the privacy of
			 the ballot and shall be fed through the vote tabulator, where voting systems
			 are used, or wound into the ballot box where ballots are hand-counted. The
			 envelope shall be kept separate.
(9)
Retention
. Early
			 voting ballot envelopes shall be retained and returned to the local election
			 official.