Methods of Voting
In the United States, voters can participate in elections through several different methods, each designed to make casting a ballot as accessible as possible.
In-Person Voting
Election Day Voting
The traditional and most popular method, voters go to their assigned polling place to cast a ballot in-person. Voters check in, receive their ballot, and mark their choices privately before submitting it. All votes cast that day are then collected and counted according to state procedures, with official results confirmed later by election authorities.
Early In-Person Voting
Offered by almost every state, voters can cast their ballots at designated early voting sites days or even weeks before Election Day to avoid long lines or scheduling conflicts. 47 states and the District of Columbia offer early in-person voting with the exceptions being Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire. Even states that have all-mail elections offer some form of early voting.
States use a variety of terms to describe early in‑person voting, such as:
Early voting/advance voting operates much like voting on Election Day. A ballot is issued, voted and inserted into a tabulator/collection box. No additional processing is required.
In‑person absentee voting is a bit different. Voters go to a polling location to request, fill out, and sign an absentee ballot affidavit. In some states, there is an additional process that takes place to ensure the voter is eligible and that the voter hasn't already voted (either by mail or in-person).
States differ widely in how they handle early in‑person voting:
- When early voting ends: In most places, early voting wraps up a few days prior to Election Day itself.
- Weekend voting availability: Among states that permit early in‑person voting (not counting those that primarily vote by mail), 25 require at least some weekend hours. Another 11 states either leave weekend hours up to local officials or do not set specific hours in state law, meaning some communities may choose to offer weekend voting. In states that mostly vote by mail, Colorado, Hawaii, and Nevada also mandate some weekend in‑person voting opportunities.
- Saturday voting: Twenty‑seven states provide Saturday voting, including the three mostly‑mail states (Colorado, Hawaii, and Nevada). Five additional states (California, Kansas, Massachusetts, North Dakota, and Vermont) let local election officials decide whether to open polling places on Saturdays.
- Sunday voting: Thirteen states (Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia) offer voting on Sundays. Eight others (California, Georgia, Kansas, Massachusetts, North Carolina, North Dakota, Vermont, and Utah) give local officials the option to include Sunday hours.
Absentee Voting
Absentee Voting (Vote-By-Mail)
An option in all states, eligible voters receive a ballot at home or current location, fill it out, and return it by mail or drop it off at an authorized location.
States that require voters to request a mail ballot
Most states use a request‑required absentee system, where voters must apply for a mail ballot. 14 states require a qualified excuse, and 28 states are "no‑excuse" states where any voter may request one.
For the 14 states that require an excuse before an absentee ballot can be mailed, here is a breakdown of the acceptable excuses:
| State | Acceptable Excuses for Absentee Voting |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; work shift is during all voting hours; student living outside of country; elections worker or poll worker; incarcerated (but still qualified to vote) |
| Arkansas | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; religious belief or practice |
| Connecticut | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; elections worker or poll worker; religious belief or practice |
| Delaware | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; work shift is during all voting hours; religious belief or practice |
| Indiana | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; persons over a certain age; work shift is during all voting hours; elections worker or poll worker; religious belief or practice; address confidentiality program participant |
| Kentucky | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; persons over a certain age; student living outside of country; address confidentiality program participant; incarcerated (but still qualified to vote) |
| Louisiana | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; persons over a certain age; student living outside of country; elections worker or poll worker; address confidentiality program participant; incarcerated (but still qualified to vote); jurors |
| Mississippi | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; persons over a certain age |
| Missouri | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; elections worker or poll worker; religious belief or practice; address confidentiality program participant; incarcerated (but still qualified to vote) |
| New Hampshire | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; work shift is during all voting hours; religious belief or practice |
| South Carolina | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; persons over a certain age; work shift is during all voting hours; incarcerated (but still qualified to vote) |
| Tennessee | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; persons over a certain age; work shift is during all voting hours; student living outside of country; elections worker or poll worker; religious belief or practice; jurors |
| Texas | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; persons over a certain age; address confidentiality program participant; incarcerated (but still qualified to vote) |
| West Virginia | Out of country on election day; illness or disability; persons over a certain age; work shift is during all voting hours; student living outside of country; address confidentiality program participant; incarcerated (but still qualified to vote) |
| Source: NCSL's Table 2: Excuses to Vote Absentee - last updated August 2025 | |
All-Mail Voting
The new norm for several states with mail-only elections, registered voters will automatically be mailed a ballot.
States that automatically mail ballots to all voters
Eight states (plus D.C.) conduct all elections by mail, meaning every registered voter receives a ballot without needing to request one:
| State | Year Implemented |
|---|---|
| California | 2022 |
| Colorado | 2014 |
| District of Columbia | 2023 |
| Hawaii | 2020 |
| Nevada | 2022 |
| Oregon | 2000 |
| Utah | 2019 (The first year all counties opted for mostly mail elections) |
| Vermont | 2022 (General elections only) |
| Washington | 2012 |
| Source: NCSL's Table 18: States With Mostly Mail Elections - last updated April 2026 | |
States that allow some counties to run all‑mail elections
These states let certain counties choose to conduct elections entirely by mail:
- Nebraska (counties under 10,000 residents)
- North Dakota (any county may choose)
States that allow only certain small or special elections to be mail‑only
Many states allow mail‑only voting only for specific types of elections, such as small local contests or special elections. Examples include:
- Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming
- Idaho, Minnesota, New Jersey (small jurisdictions only)