News and analysis from the beltway and beyond. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dozens have states have made it easier to vote early or by mail. Some of the states that hold all-mail elections, like Washington and Oregon, don't have early voting and election day in the traditional sense we sometimes think of, but rather a three-week "voting period" where voters receive their ballots and can return them anytime by Election Day, or receive assistance filling out a ballot. By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Business Insider

For the November election, nine states and the District of Columbia and many Montana counties will send all or most active registered voters a ballot through the mail that the voter can return to their election office by mail, in person, or to a secure dropbox. Please note: Your state's rules and voting dates may change in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Most states offer some form of in-person early voting, which many voters are expected to use to avoid Election Day crowds during the ongoing coronavirus health crisis. If you plan to cast a ballot early, be sure to double-check with your local elections office if early voting will be held at a polling place or at your county's election office, and verify the hours during which you can vote, since they may vary from normal Election Day voting hours. 2020 Early voting calendar Early voting takes place in person before Election Day. Election 2020: When early voting and mail voting for president begins in every state Twenty-nine states begin mailing absentee ballots to voters in September and an … Account active Many states have extended early voting as well as vote by mail due to the pandemic.
Dawn Jorgenson, Digital Content Editor, Graham Media Group. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. as well as other partner offers and accept our, Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories, will send all or most active registered voters a ballot through the mail, both the higher rejection rate for mail ballots over in-person votes, recent operations changes that the United States Postal Service has made, sparking fears that voters' ballots may not arrive back at their election offices in time, to cast their ballots early at their local election offices, added nearly a week of additional early voting, came to a bipartisan agreement to hold three weeks of early voting, be sure to double-check with your local elections office, if you live in one of the 34 states that require a photo or non-photo ID to vote. Early voting starts on October 24, and runs until November 1, 2020. . Additionally, make sure to bring the necessary identification to the polls if you live in one of the 34 states that require a photo or non-photo ID to vote, prepare to wait in a longer line than you may be used to, and take necessary precautions like wearing a mask and frequently washing your hands to protect yourself and others. South Carolina does not generally offer in-person early voting or no-excuse absentee voting. Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Dan Grebler. However, for many, mail-in ballots are their best bet, especially for those who are at high risk of complications with contracting COVID-19, or for those who are still trying to do their best to stay home, stay safe and stick to social distancing the best they can.

* Not all states offer in-person early voting. See when early voting begins and ends in your state here. With the year that 2020 has been, the presidential election has kind of snuck up on us. Most states give voters the option to cast their ballot early before Election Day, either by voting at a regular polling place, just as one would do on election day, or by casting a paper ballot early at their local elections office, which is sometimes referred to as "in-person absentee" voting. since. She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in electronic media.

Sign up for Insider Politics. In fact, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll, the 2020 election is the first in which 60% of voters plan to vote in advance of Election Day — the largest in history. But both the higher rejection rate for mail ballots over in-person votes and recent operations changes that the United States Postal Service has made in response to their current financial woes are sparking fears that voters' ballots may not arrive back at their election offices in time or be rejected for other issues.
Sometimes circumstances make it hard or impossible for you to vote on Election Day. And in Kentucky, which didn't hold no-excuse early voting before the pandemic, the state's Democratic governor and Republican Secretary of State came to a bipartisan agreement to hold three weeks of early voting from October 13 through November 2. As more people are interested in voting by mail, only about 30% say they are “very confident” their mail-in vote will be counted accurately, according to the poll. Following is a timetable when other states kick off in-person voting: Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, North Dakota, Colorado. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Dawn is a Digital Content Editor who has been with Graham Media Group since April 2013.