Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk Newsletter

This article covers subjects specific to the 2020 general election. It has not been updated to reflect subsequent developments.
Click here for more information about our 2020 election coverage.


Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk
Use the buttons below to see Help Desk hubs for other years. 2022 »
Disputed results Presidential election lawsuits and recounts Post-election lawsuits
Frequently asked questions General questions Presidential election Processing/counting mail ballots Results and certification Disputing results • Officeholder transitions
Absentee/mail-in voting analysis Mail-in voting by state, 2016-2018 Mail-in rejection by state, 2016-2018 Uncalled races, 2018 When can states begin counting? Processing, counting, and challenging ballots
Voting in 2020 Absentee/mail-in voting • Early voting • Voter ID Poll opening and closing times Recount laws by state Recount margin requirements by state U.S. Supreme Court actions
Elections by state

The 2020 election took place against a backdrop of uncertainty. Our readers had questions about what to expect in elections at all levels of government, from the casting of ballots to the certification of final results. Ballotpedia's Election Help Desk newsletter was designed to answer those questions. See below for links to each edition of the newsletter, which was published from October 6, 2020, through December 10, 2020.

Voting information by state

Click a state on the map below to read information about voting procedures in that state.

Click your state

Footnotes

v • e Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk

General information	General election questions: Who runs elections in the United States? • Why do states have different election rules? • What methods do states use to prevent election fraud? • Do you have to vote for everything on your ballot? • What happens if you mark outside the lines or use the wrong pen/pencil? • What is a spoiled ballot? • What is a write-in candidate? • How can I check the status of my ballot? • Can I take a ballot selfie?

Disputed results	Disputed results: Presidential election lawsuits and recounts • Post-election lawsuits

Presidential election	Presidential election help desk: Who is the president if election results are unknown by January 20, 2021? • What happens if there is a tie in the Electoral College? • What happens if a presidential nominee becomes incapacitated before the election? • What happens if the winning presidential candidate becomes incapacitated before taking office? • What are faithless electors in the Electoral College? • What are the steps and deadlines for electing the President of the United States? • What happens if a presidential candidate declares victory in the 2020 election before results are final? • Can presidential candidates win the election if they have already conceded? • Can members of Congress object to Electoral College results?

Absentee and mail voting	Absentee/mail-in voting: Eligibility • Request deadlines • Request requirements • Return deadlines • Signature and witness requirements • Life cycle of an absentee/mail-in ballot • Processing, counting, and challenging ballots • When can states begin processing and counting ballots • What happens if I vote by mail and want to change my ballot at a later date? • What happens if someone votes by mail and then tries to vote in person? • How do states protect and verify absentee/mail-in ballots? • How do election workers match signatures? • Do absentee/mail-in ballots take longer to count than in-person ballots? • Are results reported on election night coming from in-person or absentee/mail-in votes? • Do states report how many mail-in/absentee ballots are outstanding on election night? • What happens if someone votes by mail-in ballot or absentee ballot and subsequently passes away before Election Day? Analysis, 2016-2018 • Counted ballots, 2016-2018 • Rejected ballots, 2016-2018 • Uncalled races, 2018

Election results certification	Results and certification help desk: Election results certification dates, 2020 • How and when are election results finalized? • What happens if candidates declare victory in the 2020 election before results are final? • Can candidates win an election if they have already conceded? • How do major media outlets declare winners?

Disputing election results	Disputing results help desk: What are poll watchers? • What does it mean to challenge a voter's eligibility, and who can do it? • How will election recounts work? • How close does an election have to be to trigger an automatic recount? • Can a candidate or voter request a recount? • Who pays for recounts and election challenges? • Who can file election-related lawsuits? • What is a redo election? • What are the reasons to call a redo election? • Who can call a redo election? • Can a redo be held for a presidential election? • What kinds of issues can election-related lawsuits address? Recount laws by state • Recount margin requirements by state

Transition	Officeholder transitions help desk: Who is the president if election results are unknown by January 20, 2021? • Who serves in Congress if election results are unknown by January 2021? • Who serves in a state or local government if election results are unknown?

Other	Election Day resource guide • Articles about potential scenarios in the 2020 election • U.S. Supreme Court actions affecting the November 3, 2020, general election

Voting in 2020	Voting in 2020: Voter ID requirements • State election websites • Early voting dates • Voter registration requirements • Voter registration deadlines • Same-day registration • States that require employers to grant employees time off to vote • Election results certification dates • Recount laws by state • Poll opening and closing times

Ballotpedia's 2020 Election Help Desk Newsletter

Contents

Archive

Voting information by state

See also

Footnotes

Information about voting

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