Absentee/mail-in ballot return deadlines, 2025
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All states allow for some form of absentee/mail-in voting. Some states require voters to provide a valid excuse to vote absentee/by mail, while others allow any eligible voter to cast an absentee/mail-in ballot.[1][2]
This article lists absentee/mail-in ballot return deadlines for statewide primaries and general elections in 2025. For additional information about absentee/mail-in voting, click here. Eight states and the District of Columbia use what is commonly referred to as all-mail voting. In these states, voting is conducted primarily, although not necessarily exclusively, by mail, and no request is required.
Primary election deadlines
The table below displays absentee/mail-in ballot return deadlines for statewide primary elections in 2025. Statewide primary elections are administered by each state according to state law. They allow political parties that meet certain state qualifications to determine which candidates will represent them in the general election.
| State | Election date | In-person return deadline | Mail return deadline | Mail return deadline type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | June 17, 2025 | June 17, 2025 | June 17, 2025 | Received | Source |
| Georgia | July 15, 2025 | July 15, 2025 | July 15, 2025 | Received | Source |
| Louisiana | March 29, 2025 | March 28, 2025 | March 28, 2025 | Received | Source |
| New Jersey | June 10, 2025 | June 10, 2025 | June 10, 2025 | Postmarked | Source |
| Ohio | May 6, 2025 | May 6, 2025 | May 5, 2025 | Postmarked | Source |
| Pennsylvania | May 20, 2025 | May 20, 2025 | May 20, 2025 | Received | Source |
| Virginia | June 17, 2025 | June 17, 2025 | June 17, 2025 | Postmarked | Source |
| Wisconsin | Feb. 18, 2025 | Feb. 18, 2025 | Feb. 18, 2025 | Received | Source |
General election deadlines
The table below displays absentee/mail-in ballot return deadlines for statewide general elections in 2025.
| State | Election date | In-person return deadline | Mail return deadline | Mail return deadline type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | April 1, 2025 | April 1, 2025 | April 1, 2025 | Received | Source |
| State | Election date | In-person return deadline | Mail return deadline | Mail return deadline type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Postmarked | Source |
| Colorado | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Received | Source |
| Georgia | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Received | Source |
| Maine | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Received | Source |
| New Jersey | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Postmarked | Source |
| New York | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Postmarked | Source |
| Pennsylvania | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Received | Source |
| Texas | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Postmarked | Source |
| Virginia | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Postmarked | Source |
| Washington | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Nov. 4, 2025 | Postmarked | Source |
Absentee/mail-in voting procedures by state
- See also: Absentee/mail-in voting
The table below summarizes existing statutory absentee/mail-in voting procedures in the states.
| Absentee/mail-in voting procedures by state | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | Absentee/mail-in voting type | Description |
| Alabama | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| Alaska | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Arizona | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Arkansas | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| California | Automatic mail-in voting | Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default. |
| Colorado | Automatic mail-in voting | Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default. |
| Connecticut | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| Delaware | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| Florida | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Georgia | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Hawaii | Automatic mail-in voting | Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default. |
| Idaho | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Illinois | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Indiana | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| Iowa | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Kansas | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Kentucky | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| Louisiana | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| Maine | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Maryland | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Massachusetts | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Michigan | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Minnesota | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Mississippi | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| Missouri | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| Montana | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Nebraska | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Nevada | Automatic mail-in voting | Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default. |
| New Hampshire | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| New Jersey | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| New Mexico | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| New York | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| North Carolina | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| North Dakota | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Ohio | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Oklahoma | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Oregon | Automatic mail-in voting | Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default. |
| Pennsylvania | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Rhode Island | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| South Carolina | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| South Dakota | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Tennessee | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| Texas | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| Utah | Automatic mail-in voting | Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default. |
| Vermont | Automatic mail-in voting (general elections only) | Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default. |
| Virginia | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Washington | Automatic mail-in voting | Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default. |
| West Virginia | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | Excuse required. |
| Wisconsin | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
| Wyoming | Request-required absentee/mail-in voting | No excuse required. |
Local elected officials
Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool. |
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Absentee and Early Voting," July 30, 2023
- ↑ We use the term "absentee/mail-in voting" to describe systems in which requests or applications are required. We use the term "all-mail voting" to denote systems where the ballots themselves are sent automatically to all voters. We use the hyphenate term for absentee voting because some states use “mail voting” (or a similar alternative) to describe what has traditionally been called "absentee voting."
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