Hot News
Voting Early–By Mail or In Person

Voting Early–By Mail or In Person

26 September, 2024
CitizenshipElections
378

Election Day is coming up and voters have different options to cast their vote. Many states allow registered voters to cast their votes up to a month early, either with a ballot that has been mailed to voters’ homes or in-person at a specified early voting site. For the General Election on November 5, 2024, early voting has already started in six states. By October 9, another nine states will open their early voting polls. 

Absentee/Mail-In Ballots 

Some registered voters may not be able to vote in-person on Election Day or earlier. Military personnel, for example, may be out of the country. Other voters might not be able to take time off from work. College students may be living temporarily in another state. People who are ill or have disabilities may be unable to get to the polls. Other registered voters simply do not want to vote in-person, preferring to cast their ballots at home instead.  

Registered voters have the option to fill out an application for an absentee ballot to be mailed to their home. Some states require a reason for requesting an absentee ballot: illness, travel, or imprisonment, for example. But most states now allow “no-excuse” requests, meaning that voters are not required to list a reason to request an absentee ballot. Once election officials verify the applications, they send out blank ballots. Voters can then mail the completed ballots back to election officials or drop off their ballots at designated sites. 

For the General Election on November 5, several states have already begun mailing absentee ballots to registered voters who requested them. Eight states, however, mail absentee ballots to all registered voters in their state (no application is required).  

A chart showing when states mail absentee ballots to registered voters. The states that send out ballots 45 days before the election are: Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin. The states that send absentee ballots 45 days before the election: Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, Wyoming. The states that send out absentee ballots 30-45 days before the election: Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, South Carolina, Vermont. The states that send absentee ballots less than 30 days before the election: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Washington. The states that have no specified start date to send absentee ballots: Nevada. These states mail absentee ballots to all registered voters in the state: Vermont, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, Washington

Early In-Person Voting 

Early in-person voting is available in 47 states. Many early voters want to avoid long lines on Election Day but enjoy performing their civic duty in-person. Others vote early in-person because they may have to work or be out of town on Election Day. Still other early voters prefer to hand-deliver their absentee ballot instead of depending on the postal service to deliver a mail-in vote.  

Early in-person voting/drop-off may start as soon as 46 days before Election Day in some states—and usually ends a few days before Election Day. Several states, such as Alabama and New Hampshire, do not have early in-person voting. Other states, such as South Dakota and Mississippi, set aside early dates for people who want to drop-off their absentee ballots in-person. Oregon does not have in-person voting or drop-off because all of its ballots are mail-in. 

A chart showing Early In-Person Voting and In-Person Absentee Drop off deadlines. The states with a deadline 40-46 days before the General Election: Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia. The states with a deadline 25-30 days before the General Election: Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Wyoming. The states with a deadline 15-21 days before the General Election: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington. The states with a deadline 9-14 days before the General Election: Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin. The states with a deadline 3-5 days before the General Election: Kentucky, Oklahoma. The states with in-person absentee ballot drop off only: Mississippi, South Dakota, Virginia, Montana, Wyoming.
Dig Deeper Key in “early voting [state]” or go to https://www.vote.org/early-voting-calendar/ and then select your state or territory to find out your state’s deadlines and requirements for voting early.
ecadmin