Reported by us | South Coast

Early voting enters its last week: hours in 10 South Coast towns and Tuesday's mail ballot deadline

Most towns stop early voting Friday, Oct. 30, and two stop Thursday. Applications for a mail ballot must reach the clerk by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

By the SC360 Town Hall Desk | Published Oct. 25, 2026 | Last verified Oct. 25, 2026, 10:02 a.m. ET

SOUTH COAST Voters in 10 South Coast towns have one more week to cast a ballot early in person for the Nov. 3 state election. Most of those towns hold their last early voting session Friday, Oct. 30, while Dighton and Wareham end Thursday, Oct. 29. Anyone who wants a ballot mailed home has less time: the application has to reach the local clerk by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27.

State law sets the in-person early voting window for a state election from the 17th day through the fourth day before Election Day, which this year runs from Saturday, Oct. 17, to Friday, Oct. 30. Each town sets its own hours and place within that window. No appointment or reason is needed, and every registered voter can take part.

Hours and places, Monday, Oct. 26, through Friday, Oct. 30

• Acushnet, Parting Ways Building, 130 Main St.: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 8 to 11:30 a.m.
• Dighton, Town Hall, lower level: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday is the last day.
• Fall River, the Atrium at One Government Center: weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with spaces reserved for early voters outside the Sullivan Drive entrance.
• Freetown, Police Department Community Room, 15 Memorial Drive, East Freetown: Monday through Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. to noon.
• Marion: early voting runs during the town's regular business hours, which are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday. The Town Clerk's Office takes questions at 508-748-3515.
• Mattapoisett, Town Hall, 16 Main St.: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Rochester, Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.
• Somerset, Town Office Building, first floor hearing room, 140 Wood St.: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Swansea, Town Clerk's Office, Town Hall, 81 Main St.: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Wareham, Town Hall, 54 Marion Road: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday is the last day.

Voting by mail: the deadlines

A mail ballot application counts only if the town clerk or registrars receive it before 5 p.m. on the fifth business day before the election, which is Tuesday, Oct. 27, under state law. It is a receipt deadline, not a postmark deadline, so a mailed application needs time to arrive. Applications can also be filed online through the Secretary of the Commonwealth or dropped off with the clerk.

A completed mail ballot can go back by mail, into the town's secured drop box, to the clerk's office or to an early voting site during its hours. Ballots delivered by hand or left in a drop box must arrive before the polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. A ballot sent by mail inside the United States counts if it is postmarked by Nov. 3 and reaches the clerk by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, the law says. Fall River and Freetown both tell voters that a mail ballot cannot be dropped off at a polling place on Election Day.

Voters who asked for a mail ballot can still vote in person, Fall River's election office notes, as long as the mail ballot has not already been turned in. The ballot envelope must be signed, or the ballot is rejected.

Absentee ballots and Election Day

Absentee voting remains for voters who will be away on Election Day, have a disability that keeps them from the polls, or have a religious belief that prevents it. In Acushnet, absentee ballot applications are due by noon Monday, Nov. 2, and Dighton sets the same day and time as the last chance to vote absentee in person at the clerk's office.

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. in Acushnet, Dighton, Fall River, Rochester, Somerset, Swansea and Wareham. Polling places include Acushnet Elementary School, 800 Middle Road; Dighton Elementary School; the Council on Aging, 67 Dexter Lane, in Rochester; Somerset Berkley Regional High School, 625 County St.; and Joseph Case High School, 70 School St., in Swansea. Wareham votes at Town Hall for Precincts 1 and 6, Redman Hall, 745 Main St., for Precincts 4 and 5, and Ethel E. Hammond School, 13 Highland Ave., for Precincts 2 and 3. Fall River voters cast ballots at their own precincts.

Questions

Town clerks answer questions about schedules and ballots: Fall River Elections Department, 508-324-2630; Wareham Town Clerk, 508-291-3140; Freetown Town Clerk, 508-644-2201, ext. 2; Marion Town Clerk, 508-748-3515.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

Every fact comes from each town's own posted election notice and from Chapter 54, Section 25B of the General Laws, all listed below. We read them on Oct. 25, 2026. The Dighton and Wareham schedules are posted as images, and we read them directly. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar: Oct. 26 is a Monday, Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 are Tuesdays, Oct. 29 is a Thursday, and Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 are Fridays. Not heard: no one was contacted.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (11)

1. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 54, Section 25B: Early votingEarly voting window (17th through fourth day), mail application deadline (5 p.m., fifth business day), return deadlines (close of polls; mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day accepted until 5 p.m. the third day after). Read Oct. 25, 2026.
2. Acushnet Town Clerk: November 3rd State Election Information, Schedule and DeadlinesPosted Sept. 29, 2026. Parting Ways Building schedule, absentee deadline, Election Day site. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
3. Dighton: 2026 Election notice (image on News Flash "State Election, Important Dates")Posted Oct. 15, 2026. Town Hall lower level schedule through Oct. 29, absentee deadline, Dighton Elementary School. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
4. Fall River Elections: Early Voting (By Mail and In-Person)Atrium schedule, application and return deadlines, drop box, in-person rule. Also the Elections Department home page for parking and phone. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
5. Freetown Board of Registrars: Public notice, final voter registration, early voting, mail and absentee ballotsLinked from News Flash posted Sept. 18, 2026. Police Department Community Room schedule, receipt deadline, return deadlines. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
6. Marion: In Person Early VotingPosted Oct. 17, 2026. Regular business hours Oct. 26 to 30; town hours and clerk phone from the same page. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
7. Mattapoisett: Early Voting for State ElectionPosted Oct. 7, 2026. Town Hall, 16 Main St., schedule. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
8. Rochester: State Election for Rochester November 3, 2026Posted Oct. 5, 2026. Town Hall schedule and Election Day site. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
9. Somerset: State Election November 3, 2026 (News Flash)Posted Sept. 16, 2026. Town Office Building schedule and Election Day site. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
10. Swansea Town Clerk: 2026 State ElectionTown Hall schedule, mail deadlines, Election Day site. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
11. Wareham: State Election flyer (image on News Flash "Mass State Election 2026 Information")Posted Sept. 22, 2026. Town Hall schedule through Oct. 29, mail deadline, polling places, clerk phone. Read Oct. 25, 2026.

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