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Mail-in voting is one of the major modern conveniences afforded to US voters, but with Election Day just a week away, it might be too late in some states to request a mail ballot if you haven’t already.
Mail-in ballots — known sometimes as “absentee ballots” — are an increasingly common method of voting, with the COVID-19 pandemic pushing way more people than ever before to consider the option. Voting by mail had been steadily increasing for years, but according to the Election Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it leapt from around 23 million in the 2018 midterms to 43 million during the 2020 presidential race and then dipped to about 32 million in 2022 midterms.
So with millions of US citizens already casting their ballots during early voting periods, read on for a breakdown of which states will still allow you to request a mail ballot. For more about voting, see if there’s still time to register in your state and if early voting has started there as well.
Where is it too late to request a ballot?
Not surprisingly, with a week left until Election Day — Nov. 5, 2024 — the deadline for requesting a mail ballot has passed in a handful of states. The following list contains the states where, as of Tuesday, Oct. 29, all deadlines for requesting mail ballots have passed, according to Vote.org:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Florida
- Georgia
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Texas
One important thing to note about Rhode Island: while Vote.org notes that its deadlines for requesting mail ballots passed three weeks prior to Election Day, the state does allow residents to request an “emergency ballot.” This can be done at a local election office, but only if they find that they will be unable to make it to the polls on Election Day.
Which states still let you request a ballot?
With a week to go until the general election, a surprisingly large number of states still have options available for requesting mail-in ballots, according to Vote.org. Be warned, though, as with such a short window of time left, the deadlines for these remaining options will be gone very soon.
Alabama: Can be requested in person by Oct. 31. Mail-in voting here is, however, limited to people with eligible excuses for not voting on Election Day.
Arkansas: Can be requested in person by Nov. 1.
Connecticut: Both mail and in-person requests can be made if received by the day before Election Day.
Delaware: Online and mail requests can be made if they’re received by Nov. 1; in-person requests must be made by 12 p.m. the day before Election Day.
Idaho: In-person requests can be made until 5 p.m. on Nov. 1.
Illinois: Online and mail requests must be received by Oct. 31; in-person requests can be made until the day before Election Day.
Iowa: In-person requests can be made until the day before Election Day.
Louisiana: In-person, mail and online requests must be made by 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 1.
Maine: In-person, mail and online requests must be received by Nov. 2.
Maryland: In-person requests can be made as late as Election Day itself.
Michigan: Online and mail requests must be made by 5 p.m. on Nov. 1, but at this stage, the state strongly recommends in-person requests only. In-person requests can be made by 4 p.m. the day before Election Day.
Minnesota: In-person, mail and online requests can be made any time prior to Election Day.
Mississippi: There are no set deadlines for mail-in and in person requests, but the state strongly recommends no later than Oct. 29 for mail. Mail-in voting here, however, is limited to people with eligible excuses for not voting on Election Day.
Missouri: Requests can be made in person until 5 p.m. the day before Election Day.
Montana: In-person and mail requests can be made until noon the day before Election Day.
New Hampshire: This state has no specific deadline for in-person and mail requests, though only people with an eligible excuse can receive an absentee ballot.
New Jersey: In person requests can be made by 3 p.m. the day before Election Day.
New York: In-person requests can be made until the day before Election Day.
North Dakota: This state has no specific deadline for in-person or mail requests, but the latter must be postmarked by the day before Election Day.
South Carolina: Mail requests can be made until 5 p.m. on Nov. 1.
South Dakota: In-person and mail requests can be made until the day before Election Day.
Virginia: In-person requests can be made until Nov. 2.
West Virginia: In-person and mail requests must be received by Oct. 30.
Wisconsin: Mail and online requests must be received by 5 p.m. on Oct. 31; in-person requests can be made until Nov. 3.
Wyoming: In-person and mail requests must be received by the day before Election Day.What about all-mail voting states?
Certain states — California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington — as well as the District of Columbia, have transitioned their elections to an all-mail system. This means that all registered voters are sent ballots in the mail by a certain time, which they can choose to fill out and return or choose to ignore and vote in person. As such, deadlines for requesting ballots in these states are usually not necessary.
If at this stage in the election season you find that you haven’t received a ballot, perhaps because of a change in address, it would be best to call your local elections office to see what options are available to you.
For more about mail voting, find out how to track your ballot once it’s sent.
