Politics & Government

How to Register to Vote in Watertown

In honor of National Voter Registration Day, we have all the information you need to register to vote in the 2012 presidential election and other federal and state races.

In 2008, 6 million Americans didn’t vote in the elections because they either did not know how to register or because they missed the voter registration deadline. Don't let that happen to you, if you haven't yet registered to vote, get it off your to-do list now.

Today is National Voter Registration Day, and thousands of local, state and national organizations have mobilized to make sure people don’t miss the chance to cast their vote in this year’s elections.

How to Register

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Watertown residents who want to vote in the 2012 presidential election and other federal and state races have three weeks left until the Massachusetts voter registration deadline.

The registration deadline is Wednesday, Oct 17. The Watertown Town Clerk's Office, located on the ground floor of Town Hall, 149 Main St., Watertown, is open from 8:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. on the voter registration deadline day for in-person registrations. 

Find out what's happening in Watertownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Residents can also download a mail-in voter registration form on the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website. Once that form is filled out and signed, it must be mailed to the Watertown Town Clerk's Office, Town Hall
149 Main St., Watertown, MA 02472 and postmarked by Wednesday, Oct. 17 for you to be eligible to vote.

You may also register to vote at a number of state agencies, including the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Transitional Assistance.

Absentee Voting

Massachusetts also allows voters to vote by absentee ballot, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website, if they:

  • Will be absent from their city or town on Election Day, and/or
  • Have a physical disability that prevents them from voting at the polling
    place, and/or
  • Cannot vote at the polls due to religious beliefs.

Absentee ballot applications can be downloaded from the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website or picked up at the Watertown Town Clerk's office. The deadline to apply for absentee ballots is noon the day before the election, Monday, Nov. 5, although it is recommended to submit the application as soon as possible.

If you are voting from outside the United States, your completed absentee ballot can be received up until 10 days after the election, but must be postmarked on or before Election Day.

For more information, visit the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website, visit the Watertown Town Clerk's website or contact the Watertown Town Clerk's Office at 617-972-6486.


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