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All-mail voting
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Eight states – California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington – conduct what is commonly referred to as an all-mail election, or universal mail-in voting.[1] In these states, voting is conducted primarily by mail, and all eligible voters receive a ballot by default. See the sections below for additional information.[2]
- BackgroundBackground and context on all-mail voting
- States with all-mail voting
- Support and oppositionArguments in support and opposition of all-mail voting
- All-mail voting legislationAll-mail voting legislation
Note: Starting in 2029, Utah will require voters to request an absentee/mail-in ballot. Click here for more information.
Background
Terminology
Every state provides for some method whereby voters can cast ballots without visiting a physical polling place. The terms absentee voting, voting by mail, or voting from home are sometimes used to describe these methods, which can be divided into two categories: automatic mail-in ballot systems and request-required mail-in ballot systems.
Automatic mail-in ballot systems
Automatic mail-in ballot systems mandate that all eligible voters receive a ballot by default. These are sometimes referred to as all-mail voting systems.
Access to mail-in voting is not restricted to voters meeting certain eligibility criteria and officials automatically transmit mail-in ballots to all eligible voters. Voters may return these ballots by mail or by using designated deposit sites. Limited in-person voting is generally available, although the number of polling sites and terms of accessibility vary from state to state. One state, Nevada, allows voters to opt out of all-mail voting.[3]
Request-required mail-in ballot systems
- See also: Absentee/mail-in voting
Request-required mail-in ballot systems require that eligible voters initiate the process for receiving and casting mail-in ballots. These have traditionally been described as absentee voting systems. There are two types of request-required mail-in ballot systems.
- No excuse required: Any voter may request a mail-in ballot. Generally, a voter must first submit an application in order to receive a ballot. The voter may then return the completed ballot by mail or by using a designated deposit site. In-person voting is dominant.
- Automatic mail-in ballot applications: In one state, Massachusetts, officials automatically transmit mail-in ballot applications to all eligible voters. A voter must complete and submit the application to receive a ballot. The voter then returns the completed ballot by mail or by using designated deposit sites.
- Excuse required: A voter must meet eligibility criteria in order to qualify for a mail-in ballot, such as having an illness or disability or being absent from their polling place on Election Day. Generally, a voter must first submit an application in order to receive a ballot. The voter may then return the completed ballot by mail or by using a designated deposit site. In-person voting is dominant.
Click here to see whether your state requires an excuse for absentee/mail-in voting.
In 2020, 37 states modified their absentee/mail-in voting procedures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Five states that did not normally mail ballots to each registered voter temporarily changed their policies to do so: California, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, and Vermont. California, Nevada, and Vermont later made these changes permanent, though Vermont did so only for general elections. For more information on changes to absentee/mail-in voting procedures during the pandemic, click here.
States with automatic mail-in ballot systems
The map and table below detail those states that have implemented automatic mail-in ballot systems.
| State | Year adopted | Where can ballots be returned? | In-person voting? |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2021[4] | By mail or by returning it to a polling place, county elections office, or designated drop box.[5] | Yes, at designated voter centers.[6] |
| Colorado | 2013[7] | By mail or by returning it to a designated drop box or drop-off location.[8] | Yes, at designated voter service and polling centers.[9] |
| Hawaii | 2019[10] | By mail or by returning it to a designated drop box.[11] | Yes, at designated voter service centers.[11] |
| Nevada | 2021[12] | By mail or by returning it to a designated drop-box or drop site.[13][14] | Yes, at designated polling locations.[15] Voters can opt out of automatically receiving a ballot.[3] |
| Oregon | 1998[16] | By mail or by returning it to a designated drop box or drop site.[17] | Yes, at locations determined by the county clerk.[18] |
| Utah | 2019[19] | By mail or by returning it at a designated drop box or vote center. Starting in 2029, Utah will require voters to request an absentee/mail-in ballot. Click here for more information.[20] | Yes, at designated vote centers.[21] |
| Vermont | 2022[22] | By mail or by returning it to a designated drop site.[23][24] Vermont only uses all-mail voting for general elections.[25] | Yes. For general elections, voters can return their mail ballot and indicate they wish to vote in-person on Election Day or bring their mail ballot to a polling location.[24] |
| Washington | 2011[26] | By mail or by returning it to a designated drop box.[27] | Yes, at designated voting centers.[27] |
| Washington, D.C. | 2022[28] | By mail or by returning it to a designated drop box.[29][30] | Yes, at designated voting centers.[31] |
Support and opposition
Support
All-mail voting makes it more convenient for voters to cast a ballot and increases turnout
In a statement in favor of legislation to provide for all-mail voting nationally, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D) argued that all-mail voting is more accessible than voting at the polls, saying, "Taking off work to vote in person – often waiting in long lines for hours – isn’t an option for so many voters."[32] Barbara Smith Warner, executive director of the National Vote at Home Institute, said that all-mail voting increases voter turnout and participation, as voters "get to kind of look at your ballot, talk with your family, look up questions you might have online."[33]
Davis County Clerk Brian McKenzie said he expects most voters in his jurisdiction to continue voting by mail after Utah ends all-mail voting in 2029, arguing, “What we hear from our voters is they absolutely love vote-by-mail. They love the benefits of vote-by-mail. They love the convenience of vote-by-mail."
Opposition
All-mail voting decreases confidence in election security and is overly expensive
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) argued that eliminating Utah's vote-by-mail system would increase confidence in election security, as it would speed up the reporting of election results. "Lots of people wrongly believe that we have mass fraud in our elections, and it’s just not true, but we need to restore trust to them as well," Cox said.[34] Ben Edtl, chief petitioner for a ballot measure seeking to repeal Oregon's all-mail voting system, said that "[i]f half of the citizens in a state don’t believe their elections are legit, then you’ve got a problem."[35]
Arguing in favor of changing Nevada's all-mail voting system, Gov. Joe Lombardo (R), said, "Sending ballots to more than 1.9 million registered voters is inefficient and unnecessary," arguing that it costs the state too much money and should not have been permanently implemented after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.[36]
All-mail voting legislation
The table below lists bills related to all-mail voting introduced during (or carried over to) each state's regular legislative session this year. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by state and then by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Policy Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
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See also
- Absentee/mail-in voting
- Arguments for and against no-excuse absentee/mail-in voting
- Absentee/mail-in ballot vote fraud
- Timelines related to absentee/mail-in ballot processing and counting
- Factors affecting the speed of ballot counting and delivery of unofficial election results
- Cure period for absentee and mail-in ballots
- Changes to vote-by-mail and absentee voting procedures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
Footnotes
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