About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 [1] (Updated September 13, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/goveqpw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing the IefJisI9tive debate since 1914 Updated September 13, 2024 Early Voting and Mail Voting: Overview & Issues for Congress Although voting in person at a polling place on Election Day is the most widespread voting practice, states and localities also offer some or all eligible voters opportunities to vote without going to the polls on Election Day. Sending voters ballots by mail (mail voting) and designating a pre- Election Day period when they can receive and cast a ballot in person (early voting) are two common options (see Figure 1). Some states and localities also use mail voting as their primary voting method, automatically mailing ballots to all registered voters and offering limited in-person voting options (all-mail elections). Policy Overview Alternative voting methods might differ from in-person voting at a polling place on Election Day in any of the following ways: when voters receive or cast a ballot, where they receive or cast it, and how they receive or cast it. The defining differences between in-person Election Day voting and early and mail voting are when voters receive and cast ballots and how they receive them, respectively. Early and mail voting might also differ from in-person Election Day voting in other ways in practice. For example, voters who receive ballots by mail typically return them by mail or in a drop box rather than casting them in person. All states are required by federal law to allow certain military and overseas voters to use mail voting in federal elections. Some states and localities also make early and/or mail voting available to all other eligible voters (no-excuse early or mail voting), while others offer them only to those with an approved excuse for not voting in person on Election Day. Approved excuses vary by state or locality but commonly include circumstances like being out of the area on Election Day or having a long-term illness or disability. Mai Vot ng The mail in mail voting refers to the method by which election officials deliver ballots to voters, although voters who receive their ballots by mail often choose to return them by mail as well. Depending on the state or locality, voters might also have the option of depositing their mail ballots in a drop box, having them submitted by a third party, or returning them at the polls or an election office. Some states and localities provide prepaid return envelopes with mail ballots, while others do not. Deadlines for requesting and returning mail ballots also vary. For example, some states require mail ballots to be returned by the close of polls on Election Day, while others will accept them if they are postmarked by that date. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), as of December 2023, all states and the District of Columbia (DC) allowed at least some voters to receive their ballots by mail and 36 states and DC offered some form of no-excuse mail voting. Eight of those states and DC allowed all-mail elections for all elections (California, Colorado, DC, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) or all general elections (Vermont) as of January 2024, and a number of the others gave counties the option of holding all-mail elections or permitted all-mail elections for certain types of elections or jurisdictions. Figure I. Reported Methods of Voting, 2002-2022 ----M----i--- V-n --Ea-yVo-n t3 90 40 20 2032 2004 2006 20 20 2VN2 20[4 20 N18~ 20201 2C22 -- hacton Diy /nflng - 1M Ci Voting L-Ealy Voting Source: CRS, using data from the Voting and Registration Supplement to the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. Notes: Respondents were asked whether they voted in person or by mail and, if the former, whether on or before Election Day. Some respondents who received their ballots by mail and returned them in person may have reported voting in person. Early Voting States that offer early voting designate days prior to Election Day when voters can receive and cast a ballot in person. Exactly where voters can vote early varies by state and locality, but early voting is usually available at select locations like vote centers or local election offices. Forty-seven states and DC offered early voting for all eligible voters as of August 2024, according to NCSL. The length of the early voting period varied by state-ranging from 3 days to 46-and many states offered early voting only on certain days of the week. States that allowed voters to register to vote on Election Day may or may not have also allowed same-day registration during early voting; one state, North Carolina, offered same-day registration during early voting but not on Election Day. Considerations for Policymakers Proponents of providing voters with options for when, where, and how they receive or cast their ballots often present such measures as ways to improve voter participation-particularly for people who work during regular polling hours, will be out of town on Election Day, or have long-term illnesses or mobility issues. Alternative

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most