To ensure that mail-in ballots are received in time to be counted, Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin is now urging voters to take advantage of secure ballot drop boxes, instead of putting their ballots in the mail.

With Election Day just one week away, Galvin is warning voters that ballots mailed after today may not reach a voter’s local election office by Election Day. While state law allows for ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive until November 6, voters are encouraged to use dedicated ballot drop box in their community to guarantee that the ballot will be delivered timely.

"Within one week of Election Day, we always warn voters not to take the risk of mailing their ballot, if they are able to use a drop box instead,” Galvin said today. “If you still have your mail-in ballot, you can bring it to a drop box or your local election office until 8 p.m. on Election Day."

Nearly every city and town in Massachusetts has at least one dedicated ballot drop box for voters in that community to use. Drop box locations can be found at www.VoteInMA.com. Voters should only use a drop box in the city or town in which they are registered to vote.

Those who are unable to go to a drop box or their local election office themselves may ask a family member to return the ballot on their behalf. Those who must use the mail to return their ballot are urged to mail it as soon as possible, and to bring it into the post office to be postmarked.

"If your ballot is received within three days of Election Day, it can still be counted, as long it was postmarked by Election Day,” Galvin said. “Postmarks may not be applied until a day or two after the ballot was put in the mailbox. If you can, it is best to bring your ballot into the post office, to have it postmarked at the counter."