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Ballotpedia's 2022 Election Help Desk: Processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots
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Absentee/mail-in voting is voting that does not happen in person on Election Day but instead occurs another way (generally by mail). All states allow for some form of absentee/mail-in balloting. 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] For more information on the absentee/mail-in voting, click here. If you have a question you'd like to see answered, contact our team.
Frequently asked questions related to processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots include:
- 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?
- Do absentee/mail-in ballots take longer to count than in-person ballots?
- How do states verify absentee/mail-in ballots?
- What is ballot curing?
- 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?
- Can I track my mail-in/absentee ballot?
Click here to return to the Help Desk to explore additional questions related to the 2022 election.
As always, if you need to know what is on your ballot in November 2022, click here to use our sample ballot lookup tool.
How does absentee/mail-in voting work?
The absentee/mail-in voting process encompasses several stages. The "life cycle" of an absentee/mail-in ballot can be divided into three stages: obtaining a ballot, returning a ballot, and processing/counting the ballot. Click here to learn more.
What happens if I vote by mail and want to change my ballot at a later date?
Voters can submit their ballots four to six weeks in advance in some cases. What if a candidate drops out, or a voter otherwise changes his or her mind on a particular topic? Is he or she able to change the vote on the submitted ballot? In some cases, voters may be able to cancel their submitted ballots.
What happens if someone votes by mail and then tries to vote in person?
Voters who have already voted through an absentee/mail-in ballot may also try to go to the polls on election day to vote in-person or confirm that their ballot has been received and counted. What would likely happen in this case? Can a voter cast a second ballot in-person after already voting by mail? Click here to find out.
Do absentee/mail-in ballots take longer to count than in-person ballots?
Before election officials can count an absentee/mail-in ballot, they must receive and process that ballot to confirm the voter's identity and eligibility to vote. Several factors determine how quickly election officials are able to process, count, and report votes from absentee/mail-in ballots. Click here to learn more about how this affects the time it takes to report absentee/mail-in ballots.
How do states verify absentee/mail-in ballots?
All states establish mechanisms for verifying the validity of absentee/mail-in ballots. These mechanisms include signature matching, which is a process wherein an election official checks the signature included on absentee/mail-in ballot return paperwork with a signature on file, and witness/notary requirements. States also enforce ballot collection laws to regular who can return a voter's ballot on the voter's behalf. Click here to learn more about each of these verification measures.
What is ballot curing?
- See also: Ballot curing rules by state, 2022
All states require voters to provide valid signatures on their absentee/mail-in ballot return documents. In the event of a missing signature or a discrepancy in signature matching, some states require officials to notify voters and allow voters to correct signature errors through a process called ballot curing. Ballot curing is a two-part process that involves notification and correction. States that do not have a ballot curing process do not count ballots with missing or mismatched signatures.
Are results reported on election night coming from in-person or absentee/mail-in votes?
Will election results reported on election night include absentee votes? Click here to find out.
Do states report how many mail-in/absentee ballots are outstanding on election night?
Not all states will complete the counting of absentee votes on election night. Voters and journalists may be interested in data on outstanding absentee ballots for its potential to shed light on when we are likely to know the outcome of elections.
Can I track my mail-in/absentee ballot?
Many states allow voters to track the status of the mail-in or absentee ballot. Click here to learn how to track your mail-in/absentee ballot.
See also
Footnotes
