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Springfield

Thousands of Springfield residents request ballots ahead of early voting in the state primary

SPRINGFIELD — Early voting is still a relatively new method of exercising the right to vote in Massachusetts. The first election in which residents could choose to cast their ballots early instead of on Election Day was in 2016. A 2014 state law made early voting a mandatory option for all municipalities, be it in person or voting by mail. The state does not differentiate between absentee and vote-by-mail ballots.