The voting
process for the presidential election, now just 56 days away, has
begun!
Last Friday,
North Carolina became the first state to mail out absentee ballots, two
months prior to Election Day.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 20 states
have temporarily or permanently changed their early vote or absentee
voting rules in the interest of public safety.
|
Currently, 38
states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting in
some form and all states allow for some form of absentee or mail-in balloting. However, some still require voters to provide a valid
excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day -- even during the
pandemic.
In addition to
the traditional absentee voting, four-fifths of the states provide early voting in which a
qualified voters may cast their ballots in person at a polling
place prior to an election.

|

|
North Carolina has logged more
than 643,000 absentee ballot requests, compared to 39,000 at this
time in 2016
|

|
According to a
recent NBC/Survey
Monkey survey, 52% of all Voters plan to vote
early, including 33% by mail and 19% early in person. When broken
down by party, however, 54% of Republicans say they plan to vote in
person and 39% early by mail or in person. By contrast, only 22% of
Democrats say they plan to vote in person, with 71% planning to vote
early by mail or in person.
For our
followers, the status of the early voting options in each state. As
always, DemList
will keep you informed on all updates and developments!
State-by-State Early Voting Laws
State/Governor
Republican
Democrat
|
Early Vote Begins
(Days before election)
|
Early Vote Ends
|
Alabama
|
No Early Vote
|
N/A
|
Alaska
|
15 Days
|
Election Day
|
Arizona
|
26 Days
|
Friday before election
|
Arkansas
|
15 Days
|
5:00pm, Day before election
|
California
|
29 Days
|
Day before election
|
Colorado
|
All Mail Voting, 15 Days
|
Election Day
|
Connecticut
|
No Early Vote
|
N/A
|
Delaware
|
No Early Vote (absentee only)
|
N/A
|
District of Columbia (Mayor)
|
7 Days, but in-person absentee voting available 15 Days
before
|
Saturday before election for early voting, Day before
election for in-person absentee
|
Florida
|
10 Days, but may be offered 11 to 15 days before an
election that contains state and federal races
|
3 Days before election, but may end 2 Days before an
election that contains state and federal races
|
Georgia
|
Fourth Monday before election
|
Friday immediately prior to an election
|
Hawaii
|
All Mail Voting, 10 Working
Days
|
Saturday before election
|
Idaho
|
Third Monday before election (in-person absentee)
|
5:00pm, Friday before election
|
Illinois
|
40 Days for temporary polling locations and 15 Days for
permanent locations
|
End of the Day, Day before election day
|
Indiana
|
28 Days (in-person absentee)
|
Noon, Day before election
|
Iowa
|
29 Days (in-person absentee)
|
5:00pm, Day before election
|
Kansas
|
20 Days or Tuesday before election (Varies by County)
|
Noon, Day before election
|
Kentucky
|
22 Day
|
Day before election
|
Louisiana
|
14 Days
|
7 Days before election
|
Maine
|
30-45 Days (in-person absentee as soon a ballots are
ready)
|
Three Business Days before election, unless voter has an
acceptable excuse
|
Maryland
|
Second Thursday before election
|
Thursday before election
|
Massachusetts
|
11 Days
|
Second Business Day before election
|
Michigan
|
40 Days (in-person absentee)
|
Day before election
|
Minnesota
|
46 Days (in-person absentee)
|
5:00pm, Day before election
|
Mississippi
|
No Early Vote
|
N/A
|
Missouri
|
No Early Vote
|
N/A
|
At present,
nine states and Washington, DC automatically send ballots to voters and
ten states automatically send voters an absentee ballot application.
Five states -
Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington - conduct "all-mail
elections," which are conducted primarily by mail.
Governor
Republican
Democrat
|
Early Vote Begins
(Days before election)
|
Early Vote Ends
|
Montana
|
30 Days (in-person absentee)
|
Day before election
|
Nebraska
|
30 Days
|
Election Day
|
Nevada
|
Third Saturday before election
|
Friday before election
|
New Hampshire
|
No Early Vote
|
|
New Jersey
|
45 Days (in-person absentee)
|
3:00pm, Day before election
|
New Mexico
|
Third Saturday before election
|
Saturday before election
|
New York
|
10 Days
|
Second Day before election
|
North Carolina
|
Third Thursday before election
|
3:00pm, last Saturday before election
|
North Dakota
|
15 Days
|
Day before election
|
Ohio
|
28 Days (in-person absentee)
|
2:00pm, Monday before election
|
Oklahoma
|
5 Days (in-person absentee)
|
2:00pm, Saturday before election
|
Oregon
|
All Mail Voting, Up to 18 Days
|
Election Day
|
Pennsylvania
|
50 Days
|
Tuesday before election
|
Rhode Island
|
20 Days
|
Day before election
|
South Carolina
|
36 Days (in-person absentee)
|
N/A
|
South Dakota
|
45 Days (in-person absentee)
|
5:00pm, Day before election
|
Tennessee
|
20 Days
|
Five Days before election
|
Texas
|
17 Days
|
Four Days before election
|
Utah
|
All Mail Voting, 14 Days
|
Friday before election (may vary by county)
|
Vermont
|
45 Days (in-person absentee)
|
5:00pm, Day before election
|
Virginia
|
45 Days
|
5:00pm, Saturday before election
|
Washington
|
All Mail Voting, 18 Days
|
Election Day
|
West Virginia
|
13 Days
|
Three Day before election
|
Wisconsin
|
14 Days (in-person absentee)
|
Sunday before election
|
Wyoming
|
46 Days (in-person absentee)
|
Day before election
|
Information is
drawn from numerous resources, which vary greatly. Let us know if
changes or corrections!
National Request Your Ballot Day is Thursday, September 10th!
Check your
registration: VoteAmerica.com and Vote.org
Source: National Council of State Legislatures,
Ballotpedia, CNET, NPR, Official SOS/State Election Sites
|
No comments:
Post a Comment