By MAUREEN DOHERTY

NORTH READING — Permanent changes made to the state’s election laws earlier this year by the Legislature give voters an additional 10 days to register to voter prior to an election. Whereas the deadline used to be 20 days in advance of an election, it has been reduced to 10 days.

This means voters have until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27 to register to vote or change their party affiliation.

Since Early Voting has also been enshrined in these legislative changes, starting with the Tuesday, Sept. 6 state primary, Town Clerk Sue Duplin is running the first Early Voting session on that same date, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the North Reading Town Hall gymnasium, 235 North St.

Residents of the town who are U.S. citizens and 18 or older can register in-person up to 5 p.m. on Aug. 27 and still be eligible to vote in the primary or they can register online using the application process on the Secretary of State’s website. (Those who are at least 16 years old can also pre-register to vote prior to their 18th birthday but won’t be eligible to vote until they turn 18.)

Subsequent early voting session dates and times will be held on the following dates:

• 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Mon., Aug. 29 and Wed., Aug. 31;

• 8 a.m.-8 p.m. on Tue., Aug. 30 and Thu., Sept. 1; and,

• 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Fri., Sept. 2.

Mail-in voting application deadline

Mail-in ballot applications must be received by 5 p.m. on the fifth business day prior to each Election Day. This year, those dates are Monday, Aug. 29 for the state primary and Monday, Nov. 1 for the state election.

While there is an official application on the Town Clerk’s page on the town website (www.northreadingma.gov), a registered voter need only submit a signed letter requesting their mail-in ballot to have it mailed to them. Unenrolled voters must specify whether they want a Democratic or Republican ballot for the primary as only one or the other will be mailed.

On Election Day for the state primary, which is Tuesday, September 6, the town’s centralized polling location will return to the parish hall at St. Theresa Church, 51 Winter St. All four precincts will vote here. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The ballot drop off box for mail-in ballots, located outside Town Hall, is always locked at 8 p.m. on Election Day, in sync with the same time the polls close. If a voter does not sign the envelope for the mail-in ballot, it cannot be accepted.

Questions about the election process may be referred to the Town Clerk’s office by calling (978) 357-5230 or emailing: Susan Duplin at: sduplin@northreadingma.gov.