Early voting to open this week, what to know ahead of elections

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Ballot season kicks off this week with the opening of early voting just days away.

First things first, the deadline to register to vote, regardless of where you live, is coming up quickly, Saturday, October 28th is the last day to check in with your election office to make sure you can vote come November 7th.

Once you are registered, early, in-person voting begins Wednesday in Springfield and a few other communities. If you would like to vote by mail in your upcoming local election, the deadline to request that ballot from your election office is October 31st.

Even if you are registered to vote, though, if you haven’t participated in a while, you may be inactive. You can still vote, but there are steps you can take ahead of time to save time at the polling place.

“It really gums up the process administratively on election day so if you are unsure, I encourage you to please call the Springfield Election Office and check your status over the phone, we can update you over the phone or by email. You don’t even have to come into the office physically,” said Gladys Oyola-Lopez, Springfield City Clerk.

She added that early voting has become more and more of a popular option since it was introduced in 2020 and has since been made a permanent option. Glady’s also said they are looking for poll workers to staff the upcoming election and early voting days. The best candidates are anyone who has a full day dedicated to monitoring polling.