Voter ID in Massachusetts... sort of
John Scalzi wants to make sure you're registered to vote. In reference to Massachusetts specifically, it's worth repeating something I said in the comments there.
Massachusetts doesn't have a voter ID law like the ones that are a focus of contention in several swing states. However, the state does put you on an "inactive voter" list if you forget to turn in your annual town census, even if you voted in the last election. If you're on this list, then when you show up to vote, you'll be asked for some form of ID with your current address on it. If you provide ID, you'll have to sign a document saying you really live where you say you live, and then you can vote normally.
This happened to me when I voted in the state primary on September 6th. (Incidentally, this is one of the benefits of voting in primaries, even if you don't have a strong preference for one candidate over another: you can check the system to see if it's working before voting in the general election.) One of the poll workers muttered darkly that some people who'd sent in the census seemed to have gotten on the inactive roll anyway, though I don't know if she had any evidence for that.
At the time, I wasn't told precisely what kind of ID qualified, so I just looked it up. By state law, the ID does not have to be a photo ID; it just has to be something associating you with your address, which could be a lease, a utility bill or a pay stub. So this is nowhere near as onerous as the various state laws requiring people to get a special type of ID that many people don't have.
The plot thickens, however: various groups have been sending poll-watchers to elections to, as they say, make absolutely sure the law gets enforced. There have been reports of these people specifically demanding to see photo IDs, even though they are not required by the law, and doing other obnoxious things. (None of this was going on in my town; Worcester seems to have been a focus of this activity.)
There are also complaints about the inactive-voter list on the grounds that huge numbers of people seem to end up on it every year.
In any event, whether you sent in your town census form or not, I'd recommend going to your polling place with something on you that establishes residency, just in case.
Massachusetts doesn't have a voter ID law like the ones that are a focus of contention in several swing states. However, the state does put you on an "inactive voter" list if you forget to turn in your annual town census, even if you voted in the last election. If you're on this list, then when you show up to vote, you'll be asked for some form of ID with your current address on it. If you provide ID, you'll have to sign a document saying you really live where you say you live, and then you can vote normally.
This happened to me when I voted in the state primary on September 6th. (Incidentally, this is one of the benefits of voting in primaries, even if you don't have a strong preference for one candidate over another: you can check the system to see if it's working before voting in the general election.) One of the poll workers muttered darkly that some people who'd sent in the census seemed to have gotten on the inactive roll anyway, though I don't know if she had any evidence for that.
At the time, I wasn't told precisely what kind of ID qualified, so I just looked it up. By state law, the ID does not have to be a photo ID; it just has to be something associating you with your address, which could be a lease, a utility bill or a pay stub. So this is nowhere near as onerous as the various state laws requiring people to get a special type of ID that many people don't have.
The plot thickens, however: various groups have been sending poll-watchers to elections to, as they say, make absolutely sure the law gets enforced. There have been reports of these people specifically demanding to see photo IDs, even though they are not required by the law, and doing other obnoxious things. (None of this was going on in my town; Worcester seems to have been a focus of this activity.)
There are also complaints about the inactive-voter list on the grounds that huge numbers of people seem to end up on it every year.
In any event, whether you sent in your town census form or not, I'd recommend going to your polling place with something on you that establishes residency, just in case.