What Is Early Voting In-Person and Vote-by-Mail

Early Voting In-Person allows voters to vote ahead of Election Day in-person in the weeks before an election.  There are two types of early voting.

1. A voter casts their ballot early in-person at a public building like the county election office or at designated voting centers using the regular voting method like a voting machine.
2. A voter votes early in-person at their county election board or town hall using an absentee ballot.

Vote-by-Mail, generally known as Absentee Voting, allows voters to use an “absentee” ballot and return it by mail. State laws vary on whether a voter needs an excuse to use an absentee ballot, and also whether a voter can sign up to permanently receive mail-in ballots or if they must reapply for each election.

Where Is Early Voting Used?

Early Voting In-Person – More than 30 states currently allow early in-person voting, with only three states and DC requiring an excuse to do so.

Mail-In Voting – The majority of states allow “no excuse” mail voting.  A voter does not need an excuse to use an absentee ballot.

Mail Only Voting – Oregon only allows voters to use a mail-in ballot.  Most of Washington’s counties have enacted vote-by-mail laws similar to Oregon’s.

For state by state list – visit the  Early Voting Information Center.

Background: Why Tuesday

Voting on a Tuesday workday has challenged voters almost since the start of this tradition in the 1840’s.  Tuesday voting was originally set after the harvest to convenience a rural, farm-oriented population.

150 years later workday voting creates multiple issues for voters working two jobs, adults balancing children and older parents, an ever more mobile population and many commuting to and working far from their voting precinct.  Census surveys suggest it remains a top challenge to voters.  States have begun to experiment with a variety of expanded early in-person and mail voting options.

More on Why Tuesday: History – Election Day-Wikipedia

Benefits of Early Voting Options

• Early voting helps more voters participate, particularly in lower profile elections.
• Voters with long commutes, significant travel, multiple family commitments or without easy access to their assigned poll location have a longer time period in which to cast their ballots than they would with conventional Tuesday elections.
• The use of early voting has risen with every election. Voters like the option.
• Voters have adequate time to read and contemplate complicated ballot issues in their homes instead of in a voting booth.
• It saves money for election administrators.
• It is, for now, a likely more viable option than making all elections holidays (though once every four years would be nice!), weekend voting used in other countries or voting online.

Challenges of Early Voting and Issues To Be Addressed

Early voting, especially absentee or vote-by-mail,  is not without notable challenges and problems.

• Mail is subject to errors and lost ballots.  Mail delivery failure is the greatest-cited problem both in applying for an absentee ballot by mail and in receiving and returning the ballot by mail. 
• Election administrators don’t always process or count mail-in votes properly.  It adds a layer of confusion for voters and election administrators that, particularly for voters, is aggravated by procedures being different in the 50 states.   
• Researchers have noted a bias found in mail-in voting towards upper-income, regular voters.  This may be attributed to the greater use of mail, more stable addresses and experience in voting of higher-income and older voters.   Vote-by-mail appears to be less used by lower-income and younger voters who change addresses more frequently and/or do not use regular mail as often as others.  These groups are more likely to prefer in-person early voting options.
• When mail is the only option, the secret ballot is, to a degree, compromised.  It is both a plus and a minus when voters convene to discuss their ballots as they fill them out, given the opportunity for undue influence in certain settings.

Other Alternatives: Weekends or Holidays?

Would it be better to vote on a weekend?

Many countries vote on Sunday.  Some U.S. jurisdictions use Saturdays.  In the U.S. weekend voting may conflict with weekend traditions from religious observance, sports, using weekends to travel or that for many people weekends are workdays.

What about Election Day as a holiday?

Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico and other places.  A problem for the United States is how many elections are held every year.   All elections can be important and decisive from primaries, generals, local contests, etc.  Most countries don’t vote as often as we do.  Still, a popular option remains the idea of a “Democracy Day” holiday, at least every two or four years on November Election Day.