Our nation’s next General Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026, just six weeks from today, and your vote matters.
Dear Students of Northern Essex Community College:
As a runner, I’ve learned that staying healthy means exercising regularly. As citizens, there’s another kind of exercise that’s just as important: exercising our right to vote.
Voting is one of the most powerful ways each of us can shape our communities, our state, and our country. Whether it’s your first election or your fiftieth, your voice matters.
The freedoms we enjoy today were built through the efforts and sacrifices of generations who believed in democracy and worked to expand it.
Voting honors that legacy, and ensures that our government, which is of the people, by the people, and for the people, will endure.
Here in Massachusetts, we have a remarkable democratic tradition, from Faneuil Hall, the “Cradle of Liberty,” home of our nation’s first town hall meeting, to the Old South Meeting House and the earliest acts of the American Revolution, to the Massachusetts Constitution, the oldest democratic constitution in the world, to generations of civic leadership.
Our Democracy has always depended on people showing up and participating.
At Northern Essex Community College, we encourage you to stay active, stay informed, and stay engaged.
And whether you run, walk, bike, swim, or simply take the next step to the polls:
Exercise your body.
Exercise your mind.
And most importantly, exercise your right to vote.
Here is how:
Step 1: Register to Vote
In order to be eligible to vote in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, you must be at least 18 years old and a citizen of the United States.
In Massachusetts, you can use the Online Voter Registration System to check your voter registration status and register to vote online. The deadline to register to vote, update your registration, or change your party in Massachusetts is ten days before the date of the election (October 24 for the upcoming November 3 General Election)
In New Hampshire, you may register to vote at your town or city clerk’s office or, if you are unable to do so, may request a voter registration form by mail. Visit the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Register to Votesite for more information. In New Hampshire, you can register to vote any time, including at your polling location on election day.
Step 2: Make a Voting Plan
Decide now how you are going to cast your vote.
In Massachusetts, you can vote in person on election day, you can vote early in person, or you can vote early by mail.
- If you plan to vote in person on election day, Tuesday, November 3, you can find your local polling place here.
- If you plan to vote early in person, here is a list of Early Voting Dates and Locations near you.
- If you plan to vote by mail, applications were sent to state residents on September 19, so you may have already received yours. If not, you can complete an online application here. By state law, the deadline to return your ballot is 5:00 p.m. on October 27 (five business days before Election Day), so the Secretary of State’s office recommends requesting your ballot by October 13 (at least three weeks before Election Day) and mailing it back by October 20 (seven days before Election Day).
In New Hampshire, you can vote in person on election day, or you can vote early by mail with an absentee ballot. New Hampshire does not offer early in-person voting.
- If you plan to vote in person on election day, you can find your local polling place here.
- If you plan to vote using an absentee ballot, note that New Hampshire has special requirements for approving your absentee ballot application that may take extra time. You can click here to download an application and learn more about the process.
Step 3: Research Your Ballot
Who are the candidates and what are the specific issues in your voter district? Before you cast your vote, research the people running for office and be sure you understand each issue you are voting on.
Here are a couple of nonpartisan web sites that present helpful information without making endorsements. Learn all you can, and make your own decision:
Ballotpedia: Compare candidates and issues and look at sample ballots that are specific to your zip code.
League of Women Voters of Massachusetts: Provides information on how to vote, compares candidates and issues.
Step 4: Vote!
This year, whatever your party, whatever your interests, whatever issues compel you the most, whatever candidate you favor, do your part, speak your mind, express your freedom of speech.
After you’ve taken the first few steps above, be sure to take the most important one: Cast your ballot and vote.
Because your vote matters.
NOTE: Northern Essex Community College is a proud member of Campus Compact, a national organization encouraging student civic engagement, and of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, which supports nonpartisan student democratic engagement.
