Do absentee/mail-in ballots take longer to count than in-person ballots? (2020)

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This article covers subjects specific to the 2020 general election. It has not been updated to reflect subsequent developments.
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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 voting.

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. For in-person ballots, election officials commonly confirm the voter's identity and eligibility to vote at the polling place. This is why it often takes election officials longer to count and report the results from absentee/mail-in ballots than it does for in-person ballots.

Several factors determine how quickly election officials are able to process, count, and report votes from absentee/mail-in ballots. For example, some states allow election officials to receive postmarked absentee/mail-in ballots after Election Day. Others allow officials to begin processing and counting those ballots before Election Day. In some jurisdictions, officials process and verify the signatures on those ballots by hand while others use machines. All of these factors vary by state and affect how long it might take to establish a full count of valid absentee/mail-in ballots.

This article provides an overview of the different ways states receive and process absentee/mail-in ballots. You will find:

• An explanation of the different types of absentee/mail-in ballot return deadlines.
• Definitions for the processing and counting of absentee/mail-in ballots.
• How states might conduct a signature verification process.
• A description of the cure process used in some states.
• Articles and resources for additional information.

Absentee/mail-in ballot return deadlines

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting return deadlines, 2020

One reason why it might take an election official longer to count an absentee/mail-in ballot is that certain states do not require an absentee/mail-in ballot to arrive on Election Day. Every state sets its own absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline. There are two types of return deadlines: received and postmarked.

Received deadlines mean election officials must receive the absentee/mail-in ballot by a certain date. If the absentee/mail-in ballot arrives after the received deadline, it is rejected.

Postmarked deadlines mean the postal service must receive the absentee/mail-in ballot by a certain date. Once the postal service receives the ballot, they will postmark the envelope with the date they received it before delivering it. In states using postmarked deadlines, if an absentee/mail-in ballot is postmarked by the return deadline, it will count towards the vote total even if it arrives after the election up to a specified number of days.

Click here to view the absentee/mail-in return deadlines for the 2020 elections.

Processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots

See also: When states can begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots, 2020

Upon receiving absentee/mail-in ballots, election officials must process the ballots before counting them States determine when election officials can begin processing and counting those ballots.

Processing generally entails verifying voter signatures and physically preparing ballots for tabulation. States might allow election officials to begin processing absentee/mail-in ballots before the election, but not to begin counting them.

Counting entails the actual tabulation of votes. States might also allow election officials to begin counting absentee/mail-in ballots before the election.

In other states, processing and/or counting absentee/mail-in ballots cannot begin until on or after Election Day. In still others, local election officials decide when to begin processing and/or counting absentee/mail-in ballots.

Click here to view processing and counting dates for the 2020 elections.

Signature verification process

See also: Processing absentee/mail-in ballots, 2020

When a voter votes in-person, election officials commonly determine his or her eligibility at the polling place. When a voter submits an absentee/mail-in ballot, election officials must verify a signature in order to determine the voter's identity and eligibility to vote. The process of verifying signatures takes longer and is one reason why election officials might report absentee/mail-in ballot totals votes later than in-person votes.

The exact signature requirements vary by state, but every state requires a voter to provide his or her signature when submitting an absentee/mail-in ballot in some way. In addition to the voter's signature, states might also require signatures from either a witness or notary. Typically, these additional signature requirements are accompanied by an oath attesting that the witness or notary confirms he or she watched the voter finalize the ballot.

Election officials use a variety of methods to verify the signatures accompanying an absentee/mail-in ballot. Officials often match the voter's signature against the signature on the voter's registration form or, in some states, other official documents like a driver's license. This process might be automated (using software or a machine to match signatures) or manual (election officials match each signature by hand) with the exact method varying between jurisdictions. The following excerpt from the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project's "Behind the Scenes of Mail Voting" provides a brief overview of the verification process:

“	For the majority of counties and states, the signature review process is a tiered process, meaning the first determination that a ballot signature is a mismatch is not the final decision. In the first tier of review, signatures are typically compared by either a staff member or an automated system. In many counties, ballots are first run through a ballot processing machine that scans and captures the signature digitally. ... If the initial human reviewer determines the signatures match, that is often sufficient to satisfy the signature verification requirement, and the ballot will be opened and counted. If the initial human reviewer determines there is a mismatch, the ballot typically goes to the next level of human review. Other counties rely on automated systems and software to compare the newly scanned signature with one or more signatures on file for the voter in the first tier of review. ... In many counties using automated comparison systems for signature matching, an automated determination of a match is sufficient to verify the signature and will qualify the ballot to be opened and counted. In contrast, an automated determination that the signature does not match is typically insufficient to reject the ballot. Such a ballot goes to a staff member for human evaluation of the signature and to determine whether there is a mismatch. If the second level human reviewer agrees the signature is a mismatch, then, depending on the county, the ballot is either rejected or goes to a third tier of review by a supervisor in the elections office (e.g. the registrar, assistant registrar, or other senior staff member). In some states and counties, the supervisor has the power to make a final decision. ... In other jurisdictions, the final decision is made by a canvassing board.	”
—Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project, "Behind the Scenes of Mail Voting," Oct. 7, 2020

Once election officials verify the voter's signature and determine his or her identity and eligibility, officials can count the ballot.

Click here to learn more about processing absentee/mail-in ballots for the 2020 elections.

Cure process

In some states, errors like a missing or mismatched signature result in an absentee/mail-in ballot's immediate rejection. Other states use a cure process, which is a method by which voters can attempt to correct such errors.

States with a cure process often require election officials to notify voters if they encounter an error while processing his or her absentee/mail-in ballot.

According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "A daily system for 'curing' involves sending out a letter and blank affidavit describing the reason the voter's ballot has been rejected and how they can 'cure' or remedy the situation. This often requires the voter to mail back the signed affidavit along with a copy of some form of valid identification. Some states use both a letter and an email to ensure the voter knows to take additional steps to ensure his or her ballot is counted."

If a voter participates in the cure process and delivers the required materials to election officials, those officials then begin to re-process the absentee/mail-in ballot with the additional information. If election officials can then verify the identity and eligibility of the voter, they can count his or her ballot.

Next question: How and when are election results finalized?

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• Processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots
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See also

• Absentee/mail-in voting, 2020
• Absentee/mail-in voting return deadlines, 2020
• When states can begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots, 2020
• Processing absentee/mail-in ballots, 2020
• Counting absentee/mail-in ballots, 2020

Additional reading

Related articles

• The New York Times, "How Quickly Will Your Absentee Vote Be Counted? A State-by-State Timeline," Oct. 13, 2020
• Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project, "Behind the Scenes of Mail Voting," Oct. 7, 2020
• The Associated Press, "Delays in verifying mail-in ballots will slow election tally," Oct. 4, 2020

• WLOS, "How long will it take to count absentee ballots?" Sept. 10, 2020
• Bipartisan Policy Center, "Voting By Mail Count," Aug. 11, 2020
• Fortune, "Why it takes so long to count mail-in ballots," June 27, 2020
• The Associated Press, "Mail-in voting could turn Election Day into Election Week," May 27, 2020

U.S. Election Assistance Commission guidances
The Election Assistance Commission and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency created a working group to provide guidance to election officials on a variety of topics pertaining to COVID-19 and elections. Click here for the full list of documents. Those documents pertaining to the receipt, processing, and counting of absentee/mail-in ballots are included below:

• "Preparing for Increased Mail or Absentee Ballots During COVID-19
• "Inbound Ballot Process"
• "Signature Verification and Cure Process"