The pandemic has election officials scrambling to find safe solutions to ensure voter participation, and voters scrambling to ensure they can safely cast a ballot. We believe remote online voting is the real long-term solution to problems like this. Until that happens, vast numbers of voters will rely on absentee ballots, also known as vote by mail (VBM), to reduce the risk of virus exposure.

But VBM ballots are rejected at much higher rates than those cast in person. In New York state in the 2018 midterm elections, more than 34,000 absentee ballots — 14% of the state’s total number of absentee ballots — were rejected. Most of those were excluded for arriving late to election offices.

An analysis by National Public Radio (NPR) of this year’s US primaries to-date found that at least 65,000 absentee or mail-in ballots have been rejected because they arrived past deadlines. Among them, 5% of VBM ballots in the Virginia primary were voided for arriving late.

With the USPS struggling financially and operationally and embroiled in political issues, voters would do well to return their absentee ballots as early as possible. Ballot drop boxes, where they are available, are a good option to ensure your ballot is received. For those who are using USPS, mail your ballot as early as possible. The chart below lists every state’s deadline for receiving ballots.

If you have questions, contact your local elections office for clarification.

5 “all mail” states Completed ballot returned to state
Colorado Received on Election Day
Hawaii Received on Election Day
Oregon Received on Election Day
Utah Postmarked 1 day before Election Day and received up to 6 days after Election Day
Washington Postmarked by Election Day and received up to 5 days after Election Day
29 “no excuse/no fault” mail states Completed ballot returned to state
Alaska Postmarked by Election Day and received up to 10 days after Election Day
Arizona Received by 7pm on Election Day
California Postmarked by Election Day and received within 3 days of Election Day
District of Columbia Received on Election Day
Florida Received by 7pm on Election Day
Georgia Received on Election Day
Idaho Received on Election Day
Illinois Postmarked by Election Day and received up to 14 days after Election Day
Iowa Postmarked one day before Election Day and received up to 6 days after Election Day
Kansas Received on Election Day
Maine Received on Election Day
Maryland Postmarked up to Election Day and received by 10am up to 10 days after Election Day
Michigan Received on Election Day
Minnesota Received on Election Day
Montana Received on Election Day
Nebraska Received on Election Day
Nevada Received on Election Day
New Jersey Received on Election Day
New Mexico Received on Election Day
North Carolina Postmarked by Election Day and received up to 3 days after Election Day
North Dakota Postmarked 1 day before Election Day and received up to 5 days after Election Day
Ohio Postmarked 1 day before Election Day and received up to 10 days after Election Day
Oklahoma Received on Election Day
Pennsylvania Received by 8pm on Election Day
South Dakota Received on Election Day
Vermont Received on Election Day
Virginia Received on Election Day
Wisconsin Received on Election Day
Wyoming Received on Election Day
16 “excuse required” mail states Completed ballot returned to state
Alabama Postmarked 1 day before Election Day, received by noon on Election Day
Arkansas Received on Election Day
Connecticut Received on Election Day
Delaware Received by Election Day
Indiana Received by noon on Election Day
Kentucky Received on Election Day
Louisiana 1 day before Election Day
Massachusetts Received on Election Day
Mississippi 1 day before Election Day
Missouri Received on Election Day
New Hampshire Received on Election Day
New York Postmarked 1 day before Election Day and received up to 7 days after Election Day
South Carolina Received on Election Day
Tennessee Received on Election Day
Texas Postmarked by Election Day and received by the day after Election Day
West Virginia Postmarked by Election Day and received up to 6 days after Election Day

Related Posts

Vote-by-Mail Deadlines for All 50 States
Tagged on: