Voter Registration and Jury Duty

Voter Registration

As a part of the Higher Education Amendment, Hampshire College must provide you with the opportunity to register to vote. By virtue of being a student living at and attending a Massachusetts college, you are entitled to become a Massachusetts registered voter.

To request a mail-in voter registration form (choose one):

1. Visit online to request a mail-in voter registration form be sent to you.
2. Pick up a Massachusetts registration form at any post office or at the town clerk's office at Amherst City Hall, 4 Boltwood Avenue.

The Massachusetts form can only be used to register to vote in Massachusetts. You will not be registered to vote until you return the completed voter registration form to your local city or town hall. The local clerk will thereafter provide you with acknowledgment of your voter registration; if you do not receive an acknowledgment of your voter registration within a reasonable time, please check with your local clerk for more information.

About the Forms

If you are registering to vote as an Amherst resident and you live on campus, your physical address is 893 West Street. Your mailing address is your campus box number.

Should you decide to register to vote in Amherst and you are currently registered elsewhere, you will be removed from the voter list in that city or town.

Students from other states who wish to vote in a state other than Massachusetts should use a form supplied directly by the state in which they wish to register or by completing the National Mail Voter Registration Form.

Notification of Jury Duty Law

According to the Office of Jury Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Every U.S. Citizen 17 years of age or older who is a Massachusetts resident or an inhabitant for more than 50% of the time is eligible to serve as a juror. If you are a resident of another state but a student at a Massachusetts college, you are an inhabitant for more than 50% of the year and, therefore, eligible to serve as a juror in Massachusetts." There are no student exemptions from jury duty.

Students should carefully read all materials they receive with their summons to service, which contain helpful information about confirming, postponing, rescheduling, or relocating service, and address many of the most frequently asked questions. Jury duty is an important legal obligation, and those who fail to respond are subject to criminal prosecution. Students who miss class in order to fulfill their jury service requirement should notify each of their instructors of the summons and make arrangements to complete any missed work.

If you have any questions about jury duty, including confirming, postponing, rescheduling, or limiting your service, contact the Office of Jury Commissioner (1.800.THE.JURY/1.800.843.5879). Further information can be found on the Massachusetts Office of Jury Commissioner website.