VOTE............ The Status of Voting in Your State. September 2020

 

The Status of Voting in Your State September 8, 2020   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