Our organization does not organize elections and cannot provide legal advice. If you are a voter seeking assistance, please contact your local election official. You can find the website and contact information for your local election official using this us vote foundation database.
This table is part of the ncsl polling away report.
After a voter has requested an absentee/mail ballot and that request has been verified, election officials will mail ballots. Generally, states begin mailing/absentee ballots during one of four different time periods, as noted below (note that some states do not specify start dates for mail ballot mailings) ).
As absentee ballot requests pour in, election officials continue to mail ballots in the run-up to an election, either during a designated period or through Election Day.
- ten states begin mailing ballots to voters more than 45 days before the election: arkansas, delaware, kentucky, minnesota, north carolina, pennsylvania, south dakota, tennessee, west virginia, and wisconsin .
- eleven states begin mailing ballots to voters 45 days before the election: alabama, idaho, indiana, louisiana, michigan, new jersey, oklahoma, rhode island, texas, virginia and wyoming.
- fourteen states begin mailing ballots to voters 30-45 days before the election: connecticut, florida, illinois, maine, maryland, massachusetts, mississippi, missouri, nebraska, new hampshire, new york , north dakota, south carolina, and vermont.
- fourteen states begin mailing ballots to voters less than 30 days before an election: alaska, arizona, california, colorado, georgia, hawaii , iowa, kansas, montana, new mexico, ohio, oregon, utah, and washington .
Please note that in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington, all voters receive mail-in ballots.
The table below shows when election officials can start mailing out vote-by-mail or absentee ballots in each state.
alaska
website sos
arizona
a.r.s. § 16-542
arkansas
a.c.a. § 7-5-407
california
west’s ann.cal.elec.code § 4101
red
c.r.s.a. § 1-7.5-107
connecticut
c.g.s.a. § 9-140
delaware
15 delc. § 5504
florida
f.s.a. western § 101.62
georgia
ga. ann. code, § 21-2-384
hawaii
hrs § 11-102
idaho
i.c. § 34-1003
illinois
10 ilcs 5/19-4
iowa
i.c.a. § 53.8
kansas
k.s.a. 25-433
kentucky
krs § 117.085
Louisiana
lsa-r.s. 18:1308.2
main
21-a m.r.s.a. § 752
massachusetts
m.g.l.a. 54 § 25b
michigan
m.c.l.a. 168,714
minnesota
website sos
mississippi
Miss. ann code § 23-15-629
Missouri
v.a.m.s. 115,302
mountain
mca 13-13-205
nebraska
neb.rev.st. § 32-808
snowfall
n.r.s. ab 321, § 3
new jersey
n.j.s.a. 19:62-2
new mexico
n. meter. yes a. 1978, § 1-6-5
north carolina
n.c.g.s.a. § 163-227.10
north dakota
ndcc, 16.1-07-04
ohio
r.c. § 3509.01, 3503.19
oklahoma
26 okl.st.ann. § 14-118
oregon
o.r.s. § 254.470
pennsylvania
25 p.d. § 3146.2a
Puerto Rico
16 l.p.r.a. § article 9.36.-
rhode island
general laws of 1956, § 17-20-10.2
south carolina
website sos
south dakota
website sos
Tennessee
t. c. a. § 2-6-202
texas
v.t.c.a., electoral code § 86.004
utah
u.c.a. 1953 § 20a-3a-202
vermont
17 vsa § 2537a
virgin islands
18 c.i.c. §664
virginia
website sos
washington
west rcwa 29a.40.070
west virginia
w. Virginia. code, § 3-3-5(e)(1)
wisconsin
w.s.a. 7.15
wyoming
w.s.1977 § 22-9-107