Election 2020 Vote My Mail

Mailing It In?

3 out of 4 eligible American voters may cast their ballot for president by mail on November 3rd.

What’s Changed &
Why It Matters

Origins & Evolution

The concept of voting “in absentia” dates back to the Civil War – as a way for military members to cast ballots.
By the late 1800s, states began allowing non-military voters to use absentee mail-in ballots with a valid excuse (ex: sick). States started allowing absentee voting without an excuse in the 1980s.
Today “voting by mail” refers to both absentee voting and “universal vote-by-mail.”

Mail-In Voting

Every state allows registered voters to apply for absentee mail-in ballots; 16 require a specific excuse (ex: caregiver, vacation scheduled).
34 states & DC allow any voter to apply for “no-excuse absentee” mail-in ballot.
5 states (Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington) have “universal vote-by-mail” meaning they conduct all elections by mail and automatically send everyone a mail-in ballot.

“No-Excuse Absentee”

The specific laws governing who can vote absentee (and how) vary by state.
Ballots are sent to registered voters’ official addresses per state records.
Voters apply for mail-in ballots during a specified time period, & must have their ballots postmarked by a given deadline.
Some states require election officials to check voters’ signatures. Others require mail-in ballots to be notarized.

What’s Changed

In response to COVID-19, 4 states (CA, NJ, NV, VT) & DC are mandating mail-in ballots be sent to all registered voters. All three have had absentee voting on the books for decades.
While California and Vermont have consistently voted Democrat, Nevada may be viewed as a swing state – making both parties concerned about safe, secure, reliable voting.

“Non-Traditional” Voting

“Traditional” voting has been on the decline as more states expand voting options in order to provide flexibility.
In 2016, about a quarter of presidential election votes were cast via mail (both absentee and universal vote-by-mail).
From 2008 to 2016, the share of voters who voted by mail in the presidential elections grew by about 4%.

And then there’s early voting… 39 states & DC allow voters to vote in person on designated days anywhere from 4 to 45 days before Election Day. Early voting has also soared recently, more than doubling from 2004 to 2016 to about 24M. HOW WILL YOU VOTE IN NOVEMBER?