There are just 90 days remaining until Election Day on Tuesday, November 5.
However, if Americans participate in the elections as they did in the past two cycles, a significant number will have already voted before the actual election date.
Eligible voters can begin early voting as soon as September 6, with several battleground states dispatching ballots to some voters as early as this month.
This means the upcoming months will serve more as the start of “election season” rather than merely a countdown to Election Day.
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Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris (Getty Images)
For some time, states have permitted at least certain Americans, such as military personnel or those with health concerns, to vote early.
In several states, nearly every voter is able to cast their ballot via mail.
The eligibility for voting by mail was broadened in 2020 due to the risks associated with in-person voting during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Fox News Voter Analysis from that year, 71% of voters had cast their ballots prior to Election Day, with 30% voting in person before the election and 41% voting by mail.
Early voting continued to be favored during the midterms, with 57% of voters casting their ballots before the election day.
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A voter fills out a ballot in Lake Orion, Michigan. (Nic Antaya/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Election officials emphasize that early voting is both safe and secure. Post-election recounts, investigations, and lawsuits that followed the 2020 election did not uncover any evidence of widespread fraud or corruption.
The distinction between “early in-person” and “mail” or “absentee” voting.
There are multiple methods to vote prior to Election Day.
The first is early in-person voting, in which voters cast a standard ballot at a voting center before Election Day.
The second method is voting by mail, which varies in process and eligibility depending on the state.
Eight states primarily utilize mail-in voting, including California, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah, where registered voters receive ballots and return them by mail.
Most states permit any registered voter to request a mail-in ballot, which can be returned by mail, at a drop box, or at a designated office or facility.
In 14 states, voters are required to provide a reason to vote by mail, such as health issues, age, work commitments, or if they are outside their home county on Election Day.
States have different schedules for processing and counting ballots, with some only starting to count on election night, which can delay results.
Voting commences on September 6 in North Carolina, followed by early voting in seven additional battleground states that month
This list of early voting dates is for reference only. For detailed and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please visit Vote.gov and your respective state’s elections website.
The first voters to receive absentee ballots will be in North Carolina, with ballots being mailed out for eligible voters starting September 6.
Another seven battleground states will begin early voting that same month, including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Nevada.
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Early voters cast their ballots in Ferndale, Michigan. (Nic Antaya/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Important Deadlines in September
In-person early voting mentioned in bold.
September 6
- North Carolina – Absentee ballots dispatched to voters
September 16
- Pennsylvania – Mail-in ballots sent to voters
September 17
- Georgia – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas voters
September 19
- Wisconsin – Absentee ballots sent out
September 20
- Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, Wyoming – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas voters
- Minnesota, South Dakota – In-person absentee voting starts
- Virginia – In-person early voting starts
- Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia – Absentee ballots sent out
September 21
- Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington – Absentee ballots sent to military & overseas voters
- Indiana, New Mexico – Absentee ballots dispatched
- Maryland, New Jersey – Mail-in ballots sent
September 23
- Mississippi – In-person absentee voting begins & absentee ballots sent
- Oregon, Vermont – Absentee ballots sent
September 26
- Illinois – In-person early voting begins
- Michigan – Absentee ballots sent
- Florida, Nevada – Mail-in ballots sent out
- North Dakota – Absentee & mail-in ballots sent
September 30
- Nebraska – Mail-in ballots dispatched
October Deadlines
October 4
- Connecticut – Absentee ballots dispatched
October 6
- Michigan – In-person early voting starts
- Maine – In-person absentee voting starts & mail ballots sent
- California – In-person absentee voting starts & mail ballots sent
- Montana – In-person absentee voting starts
- Nebraska – In-person early voting starts
- Georgia – Absentee ballots sent
- Massachusetts – Mail-in ballots sent
October 8
- California – Ballot drop-off locations open
- New Mexico, Ohio – In-person absentee voting starts
- Indiana – In-person early voting starts
- Wyoming – In-person absentee voting starts & absentee ballots sent
October 9
- Arizona – In-person early voting starts & mail ballots dispatched
October 11
- Colorado – Mail-in ballots sent
- Arkansas, Alaska – Absentee ballots sent
October 15
- Georgia – In-person early voting starts
- Utah – Mail-in ballots sent
October 16
- Rhode Island, Kansas, Tennessee – In-person early voting starts
- Iowa – In-person absentee voting starts
- Oregon, Nevada – Mail-in ballots sent
October 17
- North Carolina – In-person early voting starts
October 18
- Washington, Louisiana – In-person early voting starts
- Hawaii – Mail-in ballots sent
October 19
- Nevada, Massachusetts – In-person early voting starts
- Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas – In-person early voting starts
- Colorado – Ballot drop-off locations open
October 22
- Hawaii, Utah – In-person early voting starts
- Missouri, Wisconsin – In-person absentee voting starts
October 23
- West Virginia – In-person early voting starts
October 24
- Maryland – In-person early voting starts
October 25
- Delaware – In-person early voting starts
October 26
- Michigan, Florida, New Jersey, New York – In-person early voting starts
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October 30
- Oklahoma – In-person early voting starts
October 31
- Kentucky – In-person absentee voting starts
