09/29/2026
The More You Know - Ballot questions answered part 7
Question: When will I receive my vote-by-mail ballot I requested?
Answer: Hopefully everyone will receive them by the end of next week, Oct. 9th. The State Elections Division prints the ballots for all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. This is no small feat since every Town's ballot is different. They are all now printed and have begun being shipped.
Once we receive them, a series of 5 separate labels much be attached to each ballot package, then sealed, run through the postage machine and delivered to the Post Office. With over 3,400 ballots requested so far, that means over 17,000 labels manually applied to each one, then hand sealed and run through the postage machine, which equates to a lot of man hours. Please be patient and know that we will get them out just as quickly as possible. This is our main focus. Also, don't be concerned if a friend or neighbor receives theirs before you do, they are being delivered to the post office as each tray is completed, so there may be a difference of a few days depending on which tray you are in.
Be sure to go on www.mass.gov and put "track my ballot" in the search bar. This website will give you updates on where your ballot is. If the site says "pending" for your ballot, this means it has not yet been mailed to you. If there is a date, that is the date we delivered them to the Post Office. If it has been a week after the date we mailed them and you still don't have it, PLEASE CALL THE TOWN CLERK so we can spoil that ballot and mail you another one. Don't wait weeks to let us know you never received it.
Once you receive your ballot, please return it just as quickly as you can. There are lots of checks and balances that need to happen once we receive your ballot back, and when ballots are returned the weekend before the election, it really slows down processing. The earlier you can return, the better for us and we appreciate it. Please USE THE DROP BOX AT TOWN HALL WHEN POSSIBLE. This will ensure your ballot is received quickly and not lost in the mail system.
Your assignment, if you choose to accept, while waiting for your ballot, is to go over the questions in the "Red Book" that each voter received in the mail. In the back of the book is a voter checklist. Go ahead and fill in your answers so when the ballot comes, you are ready to go. A sample ballot can be found on the Town Clerk's webpage at https://www.belchertown.org/289/Town-Clerk so you can also see the candidates races. Be sure to fill in your ballot by filling in the oval completely. If you place an X or a check-mark in the oval, the tabulator cannot read it and your ballot will need to be hand counted at the end of the night on election day, slowing down getting results.
IMPORTANT: For the first time, Belchertown will be working with a 2-PAGE BALLOT. Not a 2-sided ballot, but actual 2 separate pages. It is very important that you return both pages in your return envelope. If you forget to return a page and we receive your ballot envelope, there is no way to add the second page.
Please share this post so we can reach more voters. We appreciate your help and as always, feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns at 413-323-0281 or [email protected].
