Welcome to Ballot Without Borders for Essex County, Massachusetts. Local election information, voting resources, and community updates for Essex County will be added here after they are checked against official local and Massachusetts election sources.
Massachusetts results are reported by town, so county results are not shown here.
Voting in Massachusetts: Rules for Essex County Voters
Voting rules are set by each state. This is a summary of Massachusetts rules for Essex County voters, checked Nov. 4, 2026, from Vote.gov (U.S. government), the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and Ballotpedia. Rules and dates can change, so confirm with Massachusetts’s official election website or your local election office before each election.
Registering to vote
- Online: by 10 days before Election Day.
- By mail: must be postmarked 10 days before Election Day.
- In person: by 10 days before Election Day.
- Register or check your registration (Massachusetts on Vote.gov)
Primary elections
Massachusetts has semi-closed primaries: voters registered with a party vote in that party’s primary, and unaffiliated voters may choose one party’s primary.
Voter ID
Massachusetts does not require most voters to show an ID document to vote in person; election workers confirm identity in other ways, such as checking a signature or personal information. First-time voters who registered by mail may need to show ID under federal law.
Early voting
Starts: Seventeen days before election for state biennial elections; 10 days before election for presidential or state primaries. Ends: Two business days before an election. Locations and hours are set locally.
Voting by mail
Any Massachusetts voter can request an absentee/mail ballot. No excuse is needed.
Essex County election office
Elections in Essex County are run by city and town clerks. Local election offices listed for Essex County:
- Amesbury City Clerk — (978) 388-8100 — clerk@amesburyma.gov
- Andover Town Clerk — (978) 623-8230 — townclerk@andoverma.us
- Beverly City Clerk — (978) 605-2325 — lkent@beverlyma.gov
- Boxford Town Clerk — (978) 887-0710 — rphelan@town.boxford.ma.us
- Danvers Town Clerk — (978) 777-0001 — townclerk@danversma.gov
- Essex Town Clerk — (978) 768-7111 — townclerk@ESSEXMA.ORG
- Georgetown Town Clerk — (978) 352-5711 — townclerk@georgetownma.gov
- Gloucester City Clerk — (978) 281-9720 — elections@gloucester-ma.gov
- Groveland Town Clerk — (978) 556-7221 — townclerk@grovelandma.com
- Hamilton Town Clerk — (978) 468-5570 — townclerk@hamiltonma.gov
- Haverhill City Clerk — (978) 374-2312 — cityclerk@cityofhaverhill.com
- Ipswich Town Clerk — (978) 356-6677 — andreap@ipswichma.gov
- Lawrence Elections Division — (978) 620-3290 — ElectionDivision@cityoflawrence.com
- Lynn City Clerk — (781) 586-6805 — sbullock@lynnma.gov
- Lynnfield Town Clerk — (781) 334-9400 — sjarosz@town.lynnfield.ma.us
- Manchester-by-the-Sea Town Clerk — (978) 526-2040 — townclerk@manchester.ma.us
- Marblehead Town Clerk — (781) 631-0528 — clerk@marbleheadma.gov
- Merrimac Town Clerk — (978) 346-8013 — townclerk@townofmerrimac.com
- Methuen City Clerk — (978) 983-8515 — cityclerk@ci.methuen.ma.us
- Middleton Town Clerk — (978) 774-6927 — townclerk@middletonma.gov
- Nahant Town Clerk — (781) 581-0018 — ddunfee@nahant.org
- Newbury Town Clerk — (978) 465-0862 — townclerk@townofnewbury.org
- Newburyport City Clerk — (978) 465-4407 — vote@cityofnewburyport.com
- North Andover Town Clerk — (978) 688-9501 — vote@northandoverma.gov
- Peabody City Clerk — (978) 538-5756 — CityClerk@peabody-ma.gov
- Rockport Town Clerk — (978) 546-6894 — townclerk@rockportma.gov
- Rowley Town Clerk — (978) 948-2081 — townclerk@townofrowley.org
- Salem City Clerk — (978) 745-9595 — elections@salem.com
- Salisbury Town Clerk — (978) 462-7591 — townclerk@salisburyma.gov
- Saugus Town Clerk — (781) 231-4104 — eschena@saugus-ma.gov
- Swampscott Town Clerk — (781) 596-4167 — jlaliberte@swampscottma.gov
- Topsfield Town Clerk — (978) 887-1505 — clerk@topsfield-ma.gov
- Wenham Town Clerk — (978) 468-5520 — townclerk@wenhamma.gov
- West Newbury Town Clerk — (978) 363-1100 — townclerk@wnewbury.org
You can also look up your local election office on Massachusetts’s official election website.
Contact information from the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s local election office directory (FVAP.gov, U.S. Department of Defense), checked Nov. 4, 2026. Some listed emails are for military and overseas voters; call the office if you’re not sure who to contact.
Sources: Vote.gov (registration deadlines); NCSL voter ID (updated Sept. 3, 2026), early voting (updated Aug. 11, 2026) and absentee voting (updated July 17, 2026); Ballotpedia primary types (as of Aug. 2026).