# 20                                                                                                                                                                            December 16, 2009
Massachusetts Military and Overseas Voters, Submit Your Ballot for the January 19, 2010 Special Election!
Massachusetts will hold a special election on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 to fill the currently vacant U.S. Senate seat caused by the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. The candidates for this election are:

SCOTT P. BROWN, 70 Hayden Woods, Wrentham, Republican 

                 
MARTHA COAKLEY, 46 Coolidge Rd., Medford, Democratic                   
JOSEPH L. KENNEDY, 20 Hyde Park St., Dedham, Liberty 

          
Massachusetts will begin mailing ballots on December 16, 2009. If you are only now requesting a ballot for the special election, there is a good chance you will not receive it in time to be voted and returned by the mailed absentee ballot receipt deadline.  Even if you have already requested an absentee ballot, based on local mail delivery, you still may not receive the ballot in time to vote and return it in time to be counted. But you have an easy alternative:  use the FWAB!
Use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB)
You do not need to register to vote in Massachusetts. However, to vote in this special election, you must still request a ballot. Massachusetts allows you to use the FWAB as a simultaneous ballot request and ballot; even if you have not applied yet for a State absentee ballot.
Get started by going to www.fvap.gov and follow the instructions for using the FWAB in Massachusetts. The FWAB is also available from your Voting Assistance Officer. Vote the FWAB by using the candidate list above or, you may write in another candidate of your choosing, or simply write-in a political party designation and the candidate running under that party’s designation will receive your vote.
Email or Fax Your Voted FWAB
If you are emailing or faxing the voted FWAB, you must waive the right to secrecy of the ballot. You must sign and date a statement on the electronic transmission sheet available at www.fvap.gov/resources/media/coversheet.pdf  indicating, “I understand that by faxing or emailing my voted ballot I am voluntarily waiving my right to a secret ballot.”
       
To return your FWAB by email, email the voted FWAB along with your signed voter affirmation and signed electronic transmission sheet as a scanned attachment directly to your town or city clerk.
To return your FWAB by fax, fax the voted FWAB along with your signed voter affirmation and signed electronic transmission sheet directly to your town or city clerk. 
Email address and fax numbers can be found at www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleclk/clkidx.htm. If an email address or fax number is not available for your town or city, use the DoD Electronic Transmission Service:
·       Email the FWAB along with your signed voter affirmation and signed electronic transmission sheet as a scanned attachment to ets@fvap.ncr.gov. It will be forwarded to the local election office you indicate.
OR
·       Fax the FWAB along with your signed voter affirmation, and signed electronic transmission sheet to: (703)-693-5527, DSN 223-5527, or toll-free (from the U.S., Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands to 1-800-368-8683). International toll-free fax numbers can be found at www.fvap.gov/contact/tollfreefax.html. It will be forwarded to the local election office you indicate.
Mail Your Voted FWAB
Do not wait! We recommend you mail your voted FWAB or regular State ballot to your town or city by:
·       December 22, 2009 for voters in Iraq, Afghanistan, on ships at sea, and other overseas locations without access to the military postal system
·       December 29, 2009 for voters in other overseas military installations
·       January 12, 2010 for stateside Uniformed Service members and their families
Deadlines for the Voted Ballot
If you are emailing or faxing the FWAB, it must be received by your town or city clerk by 8 pm January 19, 2010.
       
If you are mailing the ballot or FWAB from outside the United States, it must be received by your town or city clerk by 5 pm January 29, 2010, but must be postmarked by January 19, 2010.
If you are mailing the ballot or FWAB from within the United States, it must be received by your town or city clerk by 8pm, January 19, 2010.
If you receive the regular State ballot after submitting the FWAB, vote and return it immediately. If both ballots are received by the deadline, only the regular State absentee ballot will be counted.
Additional Information
For more information, go to the Massachusetts election website at: www.sec.state.ma.us  or visit FVAP at: www.fvap.gov.
We want your feedback. If this document was helpful to you or if you ran into problems or have questions, please contact FVAP at 1-800-438-8683, DSN (312) 425-1584, or at vote@fvap.ncr.gov.  Toll-free phone numbers from 67 countries are listed at: www.fvap.gov/contact/tollfreephone.html. With your feedback, we can make this even more helpful for the next election.

Sec. of the Commonwealth- Voting Information

Massachusetts Voters, Submit Your Ballot Request NOW for the December 8, 2009 Special Primary!
On Tuesday, December 8, 2009, Massachusetts will hold a special primary election followed by the special State election on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 to fill the vacancy left as a result of the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. A list of candidates will be available by November 13, 2009 at: www.sec.state.ma.us.
Request Your Ballot
Massachusetts waives registration. Request a ballot for this election by completing and submitting a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) if you have not done so already in calendar year 2009. If you are eligible to vote in this election, and requested and received a ballot for last year’s presidential election, you will automatically receive an absentee ballot, and need not take any further action unless your mailing address has changed.
The online version of the FPCA and Massachusetts’ instructions on how to fill out and submit the form are available at: www.fvap.gov.
Recommended Mailing Dates for Your Ballot Request
Although the ballot request deadline is noon on Monday, December 7, 2009, this date does not take into account mail delivery times required to receive and return your ballot by Election Day. You should mail your FPCA by the following dates to account for mail delivery times:
•
From Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom Locations/Deployed Navy Vessels: October 9, 2009
•
From Overseas Military Installations: October 24, 2009
•
From Other Overseas Locations: October 9, 2009 (or earlier, depending on foreign mail service)
•
From Within the United States: November 20, 2009
To save transit time, send your signed FPCA directly to your local election office via fax or as an email attachment. Fax numbers and email addresses can be found at: www.sec.state.ma.us. You must also submit the original FPCA by mail if you fax or email the form.
Receive and Return Your Ballot
Local election officials mail ballots beginning November 13, 2009. You may not receive your blank ballot by fax or email.
Recommended Mailing Dates for Your Voted Ballot
Although the deadline for your voted ballot to be received by your local election official is 8 pm on December 8, 2009, you should mail your ballot by the following dates to account for mail delivery times:
•
From Operation Enduring/Iraqi Freedom Locations/Deployed Navy Vessels: November 9, 2009
•
From Overseas Military Installations: November 23, 2009
•
From Other Overseas Locations: November 9, 2009 (or earlier, depending on foreign mail service)
•
From Within the United States: December 2, 2009