Around New England

Some Dead People’s Votes Will Count In Massachusetts This November, Secretary Of The Commonwealth’s Office Says

October 7, 2020

If you vote early and die, your vote still counts in Massachusetts.

This state of affairs represents a change in policy because of a temporary state law passed by the state Legislature to expand absentee-ballot voting during the coronavirus emergency, according to CBS Boston. In the past, if someone voted early and died before the election and election officials knew about it, they would not count the vote.

“To be clear, these are people who are alive and competent when they voted, but they may have died unexpectedly after they voted,” Galvin said, according to CBS Boston. “In past times, if the local officials knew they were dead – had died – even though they had legally voted when they cast the ballot, they would have discarded the ballot, not counted it.”