In 2022, voters cast 36,683,450 absentee/mail-in ballots in the general election. Of that total, 549,824—or 1.5%—were rejected, roughly equal to the 1.4% rejection rate in 2018, the most previous midterm election, and up from the 1.0% and 0.8% rejection rates in the 2016 and 2020 presidential election cycles, respectively.^[1]

Between the midterm election cycles in 2018 and 2022, the absentee/mail-in ballot rejection rate increased in 17 states and decreased in 31 and Washington, D.C. Comparisons could not be calculated for Alabama and Mississippi due to incomplete data in 2022.

The most commonly cited reason for rejection in 2022 was categorized as "other reason given," accounting for 32.7% of all rejections. A non-matching signature and missed deadline accounted for 26.9% and 23.1% of rejections, respectively. "Other" was also the most commonly cited reason in 2018 (34.9%), while a non-matching signature was the most common reason in 2016 (27.5%) and 2020 (32.8%).

Turnout and absentee/mail-in data on this page come from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's (EAC) annual "Election Administration and Voting Survey" unless otherwise noted. Percentages were calculated by Ballotpedia.

The EAC gathers this information from election officials nationwide using a survey those officials must complete and return for compilation. Click here to learn more about what the EAC does and how it compiles this information. You can also click here to view the 2022 report, with survey methodology information located on page 227.

On this page you will find:

An analysis of rejected absentee/mail-in ballots in 2022
A comparison of rejection rates since between previous election cycles
State-specific information
Reasons why an absentee/mail-in ballot might be rejected
An explanation of absentee/mail-in voting
Links to EAC reports since 2016

Analysis of rejected absentee/mail-in ballots in 2022

Overall, the nationwide rate of rejected absentee/mail-in ballots was higher in 2022 (1.5%) than in 2020 (0.8%), 2018 (1.4%), and 2016 (1.0%). To learn more about the reasons for these rejections, click here.

The five states with the highest rates of rejected absentee/mail-in ballots were:

1. Delaware — 13.2%

2. Arkansas — 6.8%

3. Texas — 3.4%

4. Kentucky — 3.3%

5. South Carolina — 3.2%

The five states with the lowest rates of rejected absentee/mail-in ballots were:

1. Idaho — ~0.0%^[2]

2. Vermont — 0.1%

3. Iowa — 0.2%

4. Ohio — 0.3%

5. South Dakota — 0.4%

The map below shows each state colored based on absentee/mail-in ballots rejected as a percentage of all such ballots returned to election officials in 2022.

Click [show] on the table below to view absentee/mail-in ballot rejection data from the EAC's 2022 report. Hover over each column heading for more information about its contents.

Absentee/mail-in voting data, 2022^[3]
State	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
State	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
Nationwide	61,460,139	36,683,450	59.7%	35,718,700	97.4%	549,824	1.5%	-
Alabama	28,646	24,676	86.1%	24,286	98.4%	-	-	-
Alaska	50,824	41,453	81.6%	40,887	98.6%	566	1.4%	23
Arizona	3,272,421	2,099,724	64.2%	2,090,789	99.6%	8,935	0.4%	42
Arkansas	20,325	16,934	83.3%	15,372	90.8%	1,144	6.8%	2
California	22,491,229	9,986,701	44.4%	9,743,427	97.6%	243,274	2.4%	7
Colorado	3,890,522	2,431,292	62.5%	2,406,246	99.0%	25,046	1.0%	30
Connecticut	204,840	152,803	74.6%	150,284	98.4%	2,519	1.6%	17
Delaware	30,725	21,923	71.4%	19,027	86.8%	2,896	13.2%	1
District of Columbia	506,456	132,829	26.2%	130,287	98.1%	2,542	1.9%	12
Florida	4,383,461	2,754,324	62.8%	2,732,621	99.2%	22,005	0.8%	36
Georgia	280,897	252,272	89.8%	248,487	98.5%	3,785	1.5%	19
Hawaii	733,360	408,612	55.7%	402,233	98.4%	5,078	1.2%	24
Idaho	144,960	128,658	88.8%	128,723	100.1%	1	0.0%	49
Illinois	1,302,195	1,013,842	77.9%	583,371	57.5%	8,818	0.9%	34
Indiana	158,998	157,542	99.1%	154,882	98.3%	2,660	1.7%	16
Iowa	379,302	369,801	97.5%	368,907	99.8%	894	0.2%	47
Kansas	152,208	130,720	85.9%	126,002	96.4%	1,382	1.1%	28
Kentucky	83,454	75,120	90.0%	72,663	96.7%	2,457	3.3%	4
Louisiana	164,156	105,332	64.2%	102,632	97.4%	2,700	2.6%	6
Maine	181,719	172,990	95.2%	171,940	99.4%	1,050	0.6%	38
Maryland	647,747	538,558	83.1%	536,285	99.6%	2,273	0.4%	44
Massachusetts	1,114,849	933,946	83.8%	922,559	98.8%	11,387	1.2%	25
Michigan	1,800,770	1,680,955	93.3%	1,656,814	98.6%	24,141	1.4%	22
Minnesota	450,413	346,772	77.0%	339,396	97.9%	7,376	2.1%	9
Mississippi	11,722	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Missouri	290,428	281,555	96.9%	278,539	98.9%	3,016	1.1%	27
Montana	505,618	377,108	74.6%	374,911	99.4%	2,197	0.6%	39
Nebraska	269,285	243,042	90.3%	242,009	99.6%	1,033	0.4%	43
Nevada	1,873,813	528,753	28.2%	518,398	98.0%	10,355	2.0%	11
New Hampshire	60,535	58,131	96.0%	56,971	98.0%	1,160	2.0%	10
New Jersey	947,150	588,258	62.1%	581,955	98.9%	5,901	1.0%	31
New Mexico	110,577	98,458	89.0%	97,746	99.3%	712	0.7%	37
New York	536,171	392,942	73.3%	382,926	97.5%	7,240	1.8%	14
North Carolina	248,794	183,243	73.7%	179,280	97.8%	3,963	2.2%	8
North Dakota	76,019	69,697	91.7%	69,399	99.6%	298	0.4%	41
Ohio	996,093	914,127	91.8%	911,517	99.7%	2,610	0.3%	46
Oklahoma	92,576	69,956	75.6%	68,697	98.2%	1,259	1.8%	15
Oregon	2,969,563	1,990,727	67.0%	1,968,717	98.9%	28,840	1.4%	21
Pennsylvania	1,433,665	1,258,336	87.8%	1,234,943	98.1%	23,393	1.9%	13
Rhode Island	34,361	33,850	98.5%	33,556	99.1%	294	0.9%	35
South Carolina	61,033	56,605	92.7%	54,787	96.8%	1,818	3.2%	5
South Dakota	99,905	97,820	97.9%	97,472	99.6%	356	0.4%	45
Tennessee	48,683	44,817	92.1%	44,097	98.4%	720	1.6%	18
Texas	444,150	369,562	83.2%	356,987	96.6%	12,575	3.4%	3
Utah	1,703,702	1,004,614	59.0%	997,442	99.3%	14,859	1.5%	20
Vermont	422,603	193,830	45.9%	193,583	99.9%	247	0.1%	48
Virginia	360,659	292,077	81.0%	289,428	99.1%	2,649	0.9%	33
Washington	4,850,083	3,077,400	63.5%	3,040,297	98.8%	37,103	1.2%	26
West Virginia	12,598	10,541	83.7%	10,818	102.6%	109	1.0%	29
Wisconsin	478,260	431,232	90.2%	427,246	99.1%	3,986	0.9%	32
Wyoming	44,711	38,336	85.7%	38,164	99.6%	174	0.5%	40

Historical comparison

This section combines absentee/mail-in ballot data from all EAVS reports since 2016. Click [show] on the table below to view state-specific information over time. This table also includes columns showing the change in the percentage of rejected absentee/mail-in ballots compared to 2018, the most previous midterm election cycle, and 2020, the most previous election cycle. Each comparison column includes a ranking between 1 and 49 where 1 shows the state with the largest increase in its rejection rate and 49 shows the state with the largest decrease.

Absentee/mail-in ballot rejection rates, 2016-2022
State	2016	2018	2020	2022	2018-2022		2020-2022
State	2016	2018	2020	2022	Change	Rk.	Change	Rk.
Nationwide	1.0%	1.4%	0.8%	1.5%	+0.1	-	+0.7	-
Alabama	-	2.4%	-	-	N/A	-	N/A	-
Alaska	3.2%	3.1%	0.7%	1.4%	-1.7	39	+0.7	19
Arizona	0.5%	0.5%	0.3%	0.4%	-0.0	18	+0.2	37
Arkansas	5.9%	7.6%	6.4%	6.8%	-0.8	29	+0.3	30
California	0.7%	2.0%	0.6%	2.4%	+0.5	10	+1.8	5
Colorado	0.9%	0.8%	0.9%	1.0%	+0.2	11	+0.1	39
Connecticut	1.9%	1.9%	1.0%	1.6%	-0.2	22	+0.7	22
Delaware	1.5%	5.0%	1.3%	13.2%	+8.2	1	+11.9	1
District of Columbia	0.2%	3.6%	0.3%	1.9%	-1.6	38	+1.6	6
Florida	0.8%	1.2%	0.3%	0.8%	-0.4	23	+0.5	27
Georgia	6.4%	3.1%	0.4%	1.5%	-1.6	37	+1.1	11
Hawaii	0.7%	0.7%	0.5%	1.2%	+0.5	9	+0.7	16
Idaho	0.4%	1.6%	1.0%	0.0%	-1.6	36	-1.0	47
Illinois	1.6%	2.2%	1.7%	0.9%	-1.3	33	-0.8	46
Indiana	0.2%	0.4%	0.5%	1.7%	+1.2	4	+1.1	10
Iowa	0.7%	1.6%	0.3%	0.2%	-1.3	34	-0.0	41
Kansas	2.4%	1.1%	0.5%	1.1%	-0.0	19	+0.6	24
Kentucky	5.6%	6.8%	0.5%	3.3%	-3.5	46	+2.8	2
Louisiana	3.8%	5.9%	1.4%	2.6%	-3.3	45	+1.1	12
Maine	1.0%	1.1%	0.4%	0.6%	-0.5	25	+0.2	34
Maryland	1.5%	1.8%	0.2%	0.4%	-1.3	35	+0.2	35
Massachusetts	3.3%	5.8%	0.6%	1.2%	-4.5	48	+0.6	26
Michigan	0.5%	0.6%	0.7%	1.4%	+0.9	6	+0.7	21
Minnesota	0.9%	1.2%	0.7%	2.1%	+1.0	5	+1.4	7
Mississippi	1.5%	0.8%	2.3%	-	N/A	-	N/A	-
Missouri	2.1%	2.2%	0.6%	1.1%	-1.1	31	+0.5	28
Montana	0.3%	0.4%	0.3%	0.6%	+0.2	12	+0.3	31
Nebraska	1.1%	0.9%	0.3%	0.4%	-0.5	24	+0.1	38
Nevada	1.6%	2.0%	0.8%	2.0%	-0.1	20	+1.1	13
New Hampshire	2.2%	2.7%	0.8%	2.0%	-0.7	27	+1.2	9
New Jersey	2.8%	2.9%	1.2%	1.0%	-1.9	40	-0.2	43
New Mexico	0.2%	0.1%	5.0%	0.7%	+0.7	7	-4.3	49
New York	5.7%	13.7%	3.6%	1.8%	-11.9	49	-1.8	48
North Carolina	2.7%	6.1%	0.8%	2.2%	-3.9	47	+1.4	8
North Dakota	0.7%	0.6%	0.2%	0.4%	-0.1	21	+0.2	36
Ohio	0.8%	1.2%	0.4%	0.3%	-0.9	30	-0.1	42
Oklahoma	2.9%	4.5%	1.8%	1.8%	-2.7	44	-0.0	40
Oregon	0.9%	0.0%	0.7%	1.4%	+1.4	3	+0.7	18
Pennsylvania	1.0%	4.4%	1.3%	1.9%	-2.6	43	+0.6	25
Rhode Island	2.7%	2.8%	0.0%	0.9%	-2.0	41	+0.8	15
South Carolina	0.6%	3.1%	1.1%	3.2%	+0.1	14	+2.2	4
South Dakota	0.3%	0.3%	0.6%	0.4%	+0.0	17	-0.3	44
Tennessee	1.1%	2.2%	1.0%	1.6%	-0.5	26	+0.6	23
Texas	1.7%	1.8%	0.8%	3.4%	+1.6	2	+2.6	3
Utah	0.9%	0.9%	0.7%	1.5%	+0.6	8	+0.7	17
Vermont	-	2.7%	0.5%	0.1%	-2.6	42	-0.4	45
Virginia	0.6%	2.1%	0.6%	0.9%	-1.2	32	+0.3	32
Washington	0.9%	1.0%	0.8%	1.2%	+0.2	13	+0.4	29
West Virginia	2.7%	1.0%	0.2%	1.0%	+0.0	16	+0.9	14
Wisconsin	0.2%	1.7%	0.2%	0.9%	-0.8	28	+0.7	20
Wyoming	0.2%	0.4%	0.2%	0.5%	+0.0	15	+0.3	33

Change from 2018

The 2018 election cycle was the most previous midterm election cycle before the 2022 midterm election cycle. Between 2018 and 2022, rejection rates increased in 17 states and decreased in 31 states and D.C. The nationwide rejection rate increased.

The five states where rejection rates increased the most were:

1. Delaware — +8.2

2. Texas — +1.7

3. Oregon —+1.4

4. Indiana — +1.2

5. Minnesota — +1.0

The five states where rejection rates decreased the most were:

1. New York — -11.9

2. Massachusetts — -4.6

3. North Carolina — -3.9

4. Kentucky — -3.5

5. Louisiana — -3.3

Click "Show more" to view the percentage point change in rejection rates for all states between 2018 and 2022.

Change from 2020

The 2020 presidential election cycle was the most previous election cycle before the 2022 midterm election cycle. Between 2020 and 2022, rejection rates increased in 38 states and D.C. and decreased in 10 states. The nationwide rejection rate increased.

The five states where rejection rates increased the most were:

1. Delaware — +11.9

2. Kentucky — +2.8

3. Texas —+2.6

4. South Carolina — +2.2

5. California — +1.8

The five states where rejection rates decreased the most were:

1. New Mexico — -4.3

2. New York — -1.8

3. Idaho — -1.1

4. Illinois — -0.8

5. Vermont — -0.4

Click "Show more" to view the percentage point change in rejection rates for all states between 2020 and 2022.

By state

Alabama

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In 2022, Alabama sent 28,646 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 24,676 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 24,286 but did not provide rejected-specific statistics to the EAC.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Alabama, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	98,474	88,601	90.0%	87,553	98.8%	-	-	N/A
2018	63,379	57,832	91.3%	54,833	94.8%	1368	2.4%	18 / 51
2020	170,616	158,321	92.8%	-	-	-	-	N/A
2022	28,646	24,676	86.1%	24,286	98.4%	-	-	N/A

Alaska

In 2022, Alaska sent 50,824 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 41,453 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 40,887 and rejected 566 meaning 1.4% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Alaska, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	31,817	27,626	86.8%	26,750	96.8%	876	3.2%	7 / 49
2018	29,257	24,425	83.5%	23,667	96.9%	758	3.1%	11 / 51
2020	121,223	97,344	80.3%	96,701	99.3%	643	0.7%	25 / 50
2022	50,824	41,453	81.6%	40,887	98.6%	566	1.4%	23 / 49

Arizona

In 2022, Arizona sent 3,272,421 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 2,099,724 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 2,090,789 and rejected 8,935 meaning 0.4% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Arizona, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	2,478,063	2,017,722	81.4%	1,991,683	98.7%	10,769	0.5%	40 / 49
2018	2,672,384	1,899,240	71.1%	1,874,577	98.7%	8,567	0.5%	45 / 51
2020	3,529,586	2,938,896	83.3%	2,931,164	99.7%	7,732	0.3%	43 / 50
2022	3,272,421	2,099,724	64.2%	2,090,789	99.6%	8,935	0.4%	42 / 49

Arkansas

In 2022, Arkansas sent 20,325 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 16,934 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 15,372 and rejected 1,144 meaning 6.8% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Arkansas, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	29,902	27,525	92.1%	26,655	96.8%	1,614	5.9%	2 / 49
2018	17,120	15,208	88.8%	11,611	76.4%	1,150	7.6%	2 / 51
2020	120,369	117,555	97.7%	84,232	71.7%	7,561	6.4%	1 / 50
2022	20,325	16,934	83.3%	15,372	90.8%	1,144	6.8%	2 / 49

California

In 2022, California sent 22,491,229 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 9,986,701 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 9,743,427 and rejected 243,274 meaning 2.4% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in California, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	12,018,267	8,511,992	70.8%	8,453,683	99.3%	58,309	0.7%	35 / 49
2018	13,687,191	8,286,228	60.5%	8,289,322	100.0%	161,660	2.0%	24 / 51
2020	23,228,899	15,398,923	66.3%	15,305,243	99.4%	92,924	0.6%	29 / 50
2022	22,491,229	9,986,701	44.4%	9,743,427	97.6%	243,274	2.4%	7 / 49

Colorado

In 2022, Colorado sent 3,890,522 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 2,431,292 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 2,406,246 and rejected 25,046 meaning 1.0% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Colorado, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	3,411,107	2,654,993	77.8%	2,631,744	99.1%	23,249	0.9%	30 / 49
2018	3,467,664	2,449,409	70.6%	2,430,239	99.2%	19,170	0.8%	40 / 51
2020	3,904,381	3,122,440	80.0%	3,092,904	99.1%	29,536	0.9%	15 / 50
2022	3,890,522	2,431,292	62.5%	2,406,246	99.0%	25,046	1.0%	30 / 49

Connecticut

In 2022, Connecticut sent 204,840 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 152,803 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 150,284 and rejected 2,519 meaning 1.6% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Connecticut, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	129,480	132,012	102.0%	129,480	98.1%	2,532	1.9%	16 / 49
2018	96,559	91,602	94.9%	89,877	98.1%	1,725	1.9%	25 / 51
2020	832,542	673,899	80.9%	667,403	99.0%	6,496	1.0%	13 / 50
2022	204,840	152,803	74.6%	150,284	98.4%	2,519	1.6%	17 / 49

Delaware

In 2022, Delaware sent 30,725 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 21,923 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 19,027 and rejected 2,896 meaning 13.2% of all returned ballots were rejected. Delaware had the highest absentee/mail-in ballot rejection rate in 2022.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Delaware, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	15,924	14,025	88.1%	13,809	98.5%	216	1.5%	20 / 49
2018	17,392	14,142	81.3%	13,436	95.0%	706	5.0%	7 / 51
2020	187,360	163,234	87.1%	161,135	98.7%	2,099	1.3%	9 / 50
2022	30,725	21,923	71.4%	19,027	86.8%	2,896	13.2%	1 / 49

District of Columbia

In 2022, the District of Columbia sent 506,456 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 132,829 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 130,287 and rejected 2,542 meaning 1.9% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in District of Columbia, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	21,362	16,625	77.8%	16,592	99.8%	33	0.2%	48 / 49
2018	12,400	9,351	75.4%	9,019	96.5%	332	3.6%	10 / 51
2020	416,660	235,486	56.5%	234,758	99.7%	728	0.3%	40 / 50
2022	506,456	132,829	26.2%	130,287	98.1%	2,542	1.9%	12 / 49

Florida

In 2022, Florida sent 4,383,461 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 2,754,324 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 2,732,621 and rejected 22,005 meaning 0.8% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Florida, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	3,421,930	2,679,049	78.3%	2,657,064	99.2%	21,973	0.8%	33 / 49
2018	3,499,591	2,604,544	74.4%	2,585,374	99.3%	30,540	1.2%	32 / 51
2020	6,065,500	4,750,645	78.3%	4,740,149	99.8%	13,919	0.3%	41 / 50
2022	4,383,461	2,754,324	62.8%	2,732,621	99.2%	22,005	0.8%	36 / 49

Georgia

In 2022, Georgia sent 280,897 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 252,272 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 248,487 and rejected 3,785 meaning 1.5% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Georgia, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	236,925	213,033	89.9%	199,356	93.6%	13,677	6.4%	1 / 49
2018	281,490	242,661	86.2%	218,858	90.2%	7,512	3.1%	12 / 51
2020	1,759,036	1,316,165	74.8%	1,311,361	99.6%	4,804	0.4%	38 / 50
2022	280,897	252,272	89.8%	248,487	98.5%	3,785	1.5%	19 / 49

Hawaii

In 2022, Hawaii sent 733,360 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 408,612 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 402,233 and rejected 5,078 meaning 1.2% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Hawaii, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	218,487	190,553	87.2%	189,225	99.3%	1,244	0.7%	36 / 49
2018	286,317	224,492	78.4%	12,616	5.6%	1,638	0.7%	42 / 51
2020	748,944	551,383	73.6%	548,636	99.5%	2,747	0.5%	33 / 50
2022	733,360	408,612	55.7%	402,233	98.4%	5,078	1.2%	24 / 49

Idaho

In 2022, Idaho sent 144,960 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 128,658 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 128,723 and rejected 01 meaning 0.0% of all returned ballots were rejected. Idaho had the lowest absentee/mail-in ballot rejection rate in 2022.^[2]

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Idaho, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	207,409	201,256	97.0%	200,380	99.6%	876	0.4%	42 / 49
2018	81,172	76,197	93.9%	72,872	95.6%	1,188	1.6%	30 / 51
2020	407,323	344,893	84.7%	352,641	102.2%	3,613	1.0%	12 / 50
2022	144,960	128,658	88.8%	128,723	100.1%	1	0.0%	49 / 49

Illinois

In 2022, Illinois sent 1,302,195 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 1,013,842 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 583,371 and rejected 8,818 meaning 0.9% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Illinois, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	428,748	377,551	88.1%	371,557	98.4%	5,994	1.6%	19 / 49
2018	496,345	417,092	84.0%	429,874	103.1%	9,056	2.2%	20 / 51
2020	2,233,578	2,013,990	90.2%	1,986,445	98.6%	33,853	1.7%	6 / 50
2022	1,302,195	1,013,842	77.9%	583,371	57.5%	8,818	0.9%	34 / 49

Indiana

In 2022, Indiana sent 158,998 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 157,542 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 154,882 and rejected 2,660 meaning 1.7% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Indiana, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	946,408	943,924	99.7%	923,455	97.8%	2,095	0.2%	46 / 49
2018	766,722	762,511	99.5%	750,339	98.4%	3,413	0.4%	46 / 51
2020	547,602	538,860	98.4%	535,942	99.5%	2,918	0.5%	31 / 50
2022	158,998	157,542	99.1%	154,882	98.3%	2,660	1.7%	16 / 49

Iowa

In 2022, Iowa sent 379,302 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 369,801 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 368,907 and rejected 894 meaning 0.2% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Iowa, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	671,415	650,551	96.9%	646,313	99.4%	4,238	0.7%	37 / 49
2018	358,659	325,098	90.6%	310,563	95.5%	5,098	1.6%	29 / 51
2020	1,050,593	997,652	95.0%	994,300	99.7%	2,592	0.3%	44 / 50
2022	379,302	369,801	97.5%	368,907	99.8%	894	0.2%	47 / 49

Kansas

In 2022, Kansas sent 152,208 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 130,720 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 126,002 and rejected 1,382 meaning 1.1% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Kansas, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	196,910	179,557	91.2%	177,701	99.0%	4,361	2.4%	13 / 49
2018	191,602	172,743	90.2%	170,641	98.8%	1,879	1.1%	35 / 51
2020	362,948	295,021	81.3%	24,924	8.4%	1,361	0.5%	35 / 50
2022	152,208	130,720	85.9%	126,002	96.4%	1,382	1.1%	28 / 49

Kentucky

In 2022, Kentucky sent 83,454 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 75,120 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 72,663 and rejected 2,457 meaning 3.3% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Kentucky, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	42,519	38,112	89.6%	35,967	94.4%	2,145	5.6%	4 / 49
2018	29,244	25,837	88.4%	23,971	92.8%	1,756	6.8%	3 / 51
2020	666,472	634,595	95.2%	631,497	99.5%	3,101	0.5%	34 / 50
2022	83,454	75,120	90.0%	72,663	96.7%	2,457	3.3%	4 / 49

Louisiana

In 2022, Louisiana sent 164,156 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 105,332 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 102,632 and rejected 2,700 meaning 2.6% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Louisiana, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	76,120	59,747	78.5%	57,476	96.2%	2,271	3.8%	5 / 49
2018	65,442	43,959	67.2%	41,363	94.1%	2,596	5.9%	5 / 51
2020	218,057	163,656	75.1%	161,292	98.6%	2,364	1.4%	7 / 50
2022	164,156	105,332	64.2%	102,632	97.4%	2,700	2.6%	6 / 49

Maine

In 2022, Maine sent 181,719 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 172,990 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 171,940 and rejected 1,050 meaning 0.6% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Maine, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	260,033	254,153	97.7%	251,701	99.0%	2,452	1.0%	25 / 49
2018	193,558	185,763	96.0%	183,644	98.9%	2,119	1.1%	34 / 51
2020	373,478	362,594	97.1%	359,331	99.1%	1,326	0.4%	37 / 50
2022	181,719	172,990	95.2%	171,940	99.4%	1,050	0.6%	38 / 49

Maryland

In 2022, Maryland sent 647,747 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 538,558 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 536,285 and rejected 2,273 meaning 0.4% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Maryland, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	206,063	160,508	77.9%	158,120	98.5%	2,388	1.5%	22 / 49
2018	146,208	113,702	77.8%	111,696	98.2%	1,997	1.8%	27 / 51
2020	1,699,070	1,505,791	88.6%	1,502,852	99.8%	2,939	0.2%	48 / 50
2022	647,747	538,558	83.1%	536,285	99.6%	2,273	0.4%	44 / 49

Massachusetts

In 2022, Massachusetts sent 1,114,849 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 933,946 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 922,559 and rejected 11,387 meaning 1.2% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Massachusetts, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	174,655	155,894	89.3%	150,742	96.7%	5,152	3.3%	6 / 49
2018	105,454	89,437	84.8%	84,280	94.2%	5,157	5.8%	6 / 51
2020	1,679,267	1,531,001	91.2%	1,521,052	99.4%	9,949	0.6%	26 / 50
2022	1,114,849	933,946	83.8%	922,559	98.8%	11,387	1.2%	25 / 49

Michigan

In 2022, Michigan sent 1,800,770 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 1,680,955 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 1,656,814 and rejected 24,141 meaning 1.4% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Michigan, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	1,342,421	1,260,218	93.9%	1,253,980	99.5%	6,171	0.5%	41 / 49
2018	1,123,415	1,061,835	94.5%	1,055,822	99.4%	6,013	0.6%	44 / 51
2020	3,009,891	2,762,148	91.8%	2,741,668	99.3%	20,480	0.7%	21 / 50
2022	1,800,770	1,680,955	93.3%	1,656,814	98.6%	24,141	1.4%	22 / 49

Minnesota

In 2022, Minnesota sent 450,413 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 346,772 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 339,396 and rejected 7,376 meaning 2.1% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Minnesota, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	726,026	671,261	92.5%	665,180	99.1%	6,081	0.9%	29 / 49
2018	722,326	640,707	88.7%	632,868	98.8%	7,479	1.2%	33 / 51
2020	1,545,345	1,295,908	83.9%	1,286,660	99.3%	9,248	0.7%	24 / 50
2022	450,413	346,772	77.0%	339,396	97.9%	7,376	2.1%	9 / 49

Mississippi

In 2022, Mississippi sent 11,722 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, but did not provide information to the EAC regarding returned, counted, and rejected ballots.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Mississippi, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	110,148	103,606	94.1%	102,025	98.5%	1,581	1.5%	21 / 49
2018	69,904	64,060	91.6%	17,979	28.1%	482	0.8%	41 / 51
2020	247,855	239,488	96.6%	233,925	97.7%	5,563	2.3%	4 / 50
2022	11,722	-	-	-	-	-	-	N/A

Missouri

In 2022, Missouri sent 290,428 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 281,555 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 278,539 and rejected 3,016 meaning 1.1% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Missouri, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	293,076	279,188	95.3%	273,336	97.9%	5,849	2.1%	15 / 49
2018	227,927	215,879	94.7%	211,178	97.8%	4,700	2.2%	19 / 51
2020	935,659	905,132	96.7%	899,695	99.4%	5,437	0.6%	30 / 50
2022	290,428	281,555	96.9%	278,539	98.9%	3,016	1.1%	27 / 49

Montana

In 2022, Montana sent 505,618 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 377,108 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 374,911 and rejected 2,197 meaning 0.6% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Montana, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	351,575	333,666	94.9%	332,541	99.7%	1,125	0.3%	44 / 49
2018	442,425	367,561	83.1%	366,188	99.6%	1,373	0.4%	48 / 51
2020	704,040	599,505	85.2%	597,912	99.7%	1,593	0.3%	42 / 50
2022	505,618	377,108	74.6%	374,911	99.4%	2,197	0.6%	39 / 49

Nebraska

In 2022, Nebraska sent 269,285 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 243,042 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 242,009 and rejected 1,033 meaning 0.4% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Nebraska, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	248,424	238,660	96.1%	233,889	98.0%	2,695	1.1%	23 / 49
2018	186,204	168,844	90.7%	167,332	99.1%	1,512	0.9%	39 / 51
2020	508,049	486,844	95.8%	485,195	99.7%	1,649	0.3%	39 / 50
2022	269,285	243,042	90.3%	242,009	99.6%	1,033	0.4%	43 / 49

Nevada

In 2022, Nevada sent 1,873,813 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 528,753 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 518,398 and rejected 10,355 meaning 2.0% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Nevada, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	86,991	73,425	84.4%	72,248	98.4%	1,177	1.6%	18 / 49
2018	103,810	86,633	83.5%	84,396	97.4%	1,772	2.0%	23 / 51
2020	1,833,795	670,091	36.5%	664,461	99.2%	5,630	0.8%	16 / 50
2022	1,873,813	528,753	28.2%	518,398	98.0%	10,355	2.0%	11 / 49

New Hampshire

In 2022, New Hampshire sent 60,535 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 58,131 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 56,971 and rejected 1,160 meaning 2.0% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in New Hampshire, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	74,547	71,939	96.5%	70,376	97.8%	1,563	2.2%	14 / 49
2018	46,831	44,615	95.3%	43,416	97.3%	1,199	2.7%	17 / 51
2020	263,447	255,935	97.1%	253,932	99.2%	2,003	0.8%	18 / 50
2022	60,535	58,131	96.0%	56,971	98.0%	1,160	2.0%	10 / 49

New Jersey

In 2022, New Jersey sent 947,150 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 588,258 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 581,955 and rejected 5,901 meaning 1.0% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in New Jersey, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	411,574	355,457	86.4%	344,897	97.0%	9,957	2.8%	9 / 49
2018	563,106	406,325	72.2%	392,931	96.7%	11,694	2.9%	14 / 51
2020	6,053,283	4,228,687	69.9%	4,178,875	98.8%	49,812	1.2%	10 / 50
2022	947,150	588,258	62.1%	581,955	98.9%	5,901	1.0%	31 / 49

New Mexico

In 2022, New Mexico sent 110,577 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 98,458 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 97,746 and rejected 712 meaning 0.7% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in New Mexico, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	69,529	61,287	88.1%	47,429	77.4%	95	0.2%	49 / 49
2018	448,987	440,138	98.0%	448,987	102.0%	240	0.1%	50 / 51
2020	373,548	339,906	91.0%	328,631	96.7%	17,008	5.0%	2 / 50
2022	110,577	98,458	89.0%	97,746	99.3%	712	0.7%	37 / 49

New York

In 2022, New York sent 536,171 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 392,942 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 382,926 and rejected 7,240 meaning 1.8% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in New York, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	495,520	402,151	81.2%	364,747	90.7%	22,849	5.7%	3 / 49
2018	341,270	249,002	73.0%	226,151	90.8%	34,095	13.7%	1 / 51
2020	2,366,172	1,832,724	77.5%	1,763,448	96.2%	66,746	3.6%	3 / 50
2022	536,171	392,942	73.3%	382,926	97.5%	7,240	1.8%	14 / 49

North Carolina

In 2022, North Carolina sent 248,794 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 183,243 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 179,280 and rejected 3,963 meaning 2.2% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in North Carolina, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	212,489	179,263	84.4%	174,402	97.3%	4,861	2.7%	11 / 49
2018	126,142	95,546	75.7%	89,711	93.9%	5,835	6.1%	4 / 51
2020	1,350,883	981,816	72.7%	974,351	99.2%	7,465	0.8%	20 / 50
2022	248,794	183,243	73.7%	179,280	97.8%	3,963	2.2%	8 / 49

North Dakota

In 2022, North Dakota sent 76,019 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 69,697 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 69,399 and rejected 298 meaning 0.4% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in North Dakota, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	86,442	82,148	95.0%	81,536	99.3%	611	0.7%	34 / 49
2018	101,568	96,125	94.6%	95,562	99.4%	554	0.6%	43 / 51
2020	214,506	183,544	85.6%	183,152	99.8%	392	0.2%	46 / 50
2022	76,019	69,697	91.7%	69,399	99.6%	298	0.4%	41 / 49

Ohio

In 2022, Ohio sent 996,093 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 914,127 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 911,517 and rejected 2,610 meaning 0.3% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Ohio, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	1,286,430	1,206,416	93.8%	1,193,227	98.9%	10,189	0.8%	32 / 49
2018	1,030,261	941,447	91.4%	929,985	98.8%	11,462	1.2%	31 / 51
2020	2,314,198	2,144,504	92.7%	2,135,600	99.6%	8,904	0.4%	36 / 50
2022	996,093	914,127	91.8%	911,517	99.7%	2,610	0.3%	46 / 49

Oklahoma

In 2022, Oklahoma sent 92,576 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 69,956 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 68,697 and rejected 1,259 meaning 1.8% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Oklahoma, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	122,864	101,905	82.9%	98,381	96.5%	2,965	2.9%	8 / 49
2018	94,598	69,771	73.8%	66,160	94.8%	3,136	4.5%	8 / 51
2020	344,600	280,106	81.3%	275,017	98.2%	5,089	1.8%	5 / 50
2022	92,576	69,956	75.6%	68,697	98.2%	1,259	1.8%	15 / 49

Oregon

In 2022, Oregon sent 2,969,563 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 1,990,727 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 1,968,717 and rejected 28,840 meaning 1.4% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Oregon, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	2,553,810	2,051,452	80.3%	2,033,878	99.1%	17,574	0.9%	31 / 49
2018	2,860,072	1,907,342	66.7%	7,043	0.4%	176	0.0%	51 / 51
2020	2,924,063	2,397,091	82.0%	2,379,544	99.3%	17,547	0.7%	23 / 50
2022	2,969,563	1,990,727	67.0%	1,968,717	98.9%	28,840	1.4%	21 / 49

Pennsylvania

In 2022, Pennsylvania sent 1,433,665 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 1,258,336 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 1,234,943 and rejected 23,393 meaning 1.9% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Pennsylvania, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	292,191	266,208	91.1%	262,877	98.8%	2,534	1.0%	26 / 49
2018	216,575	195,953	90.5%	186,664	95.3%	8,714	4.4%	9 / 51
2020	3,120,999	2,653,688	85.0%	2,619,517	98.7%	34,171	1.3%	8 / 50
2022	1,433,665	1,258,336	87.8%	1,234,943	98.1%	23,393	1.9%	13 / 49

Rhode Island

In 2022, Rhode Island sent 34,361 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 33,850 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 33,556 and rejected 294 meaning 0.9% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Rhode Island, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	42,687	39,727	93.1%	38,567	97.1%	1,060	2.7%	12 / 49
2018	31,677	27,193	85.8%	26,418	97.2%	775	2.8%	15 / 51
2020	318,313	318,426	100.0%	318,313	100.0%	113	0.0%	50 / 50
2022	34,361	33,850	98.5%	33,556	99.1%	294	0.9%	35 / 49

South Carolina

In 2022, South Carolina sent 61,033 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 56,605 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 54,787 and rejected 1,818 meaning 3.2% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in South Carolina, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	508,508	497,436	97.8%	494,529	99.4%	2,907	0.6%	38 / 49
2018	80,271	72,806	90.7%	70,558	96.9%	2,248	3.1%	13 / 51
2020	447,697	430,229	96.1%	425,701	98.9%	4,528	1.1%	11 / 50
2022	61,033	56,605	92.7%	54,787	96.8%	1,818	3.2%	5 / 49

South Dakota

In 2022, South Dakota sent 99,905 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 97,820 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 97,472 and rejected 356 meaning 0.4% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in South Dakota, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	107,128	106,415	99.3%	106,055	99.7%	360	0.3%	43 / 49
2018	89,616	87,311	97.4%	32,056	36.7%	300	0.3%	49 / 51
2020	132,529	123,406	93.1%	122,525	99.3%	789	0.6%	27 / 50
2022	99,905	97,820	97.9%	97,472	99.6%	356	0.4%	45 / 49

Tennessee

In 2022, Tennessee sent 48,683 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 44,817 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 44,097 and rejected 720 meaning 1.6% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Tennessee, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	59,388	53,903	90.8%	53,310	98.9%	593	1.1%	24 / 49
2018	43,561	39,712	91.2%	38,855	97.8%	855	2.2%	21 / 51
2020	229,768	218,149	94.9%	216,074	99.0%	2,090	1.0%	14 / 50
2022	48,683	44,817	92.1%	44,097	98.4%	720	1.6%	18 / 49

Texas

In 2022, Texas sent 444,150 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 369,562 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 356,987 and rejected 12,575 meaning 3.4% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Texas, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	520,027	468,150	90.0%	449,258	96.0%	8,177	1.7%	17 / 49
2018	621,386	533,566	85.9%	527,787	98.9%	9,377	1.8%	26 / 51
2020	1,208,665	988,364	81.8%	982,362	99.4%	8,304	0.8%	17 / 50
2022	444,150	369,562	83.2%	356,987	96.6%	12,575	3.4%	3 / 49

Utah

In 2022, Utah sent 1,703,702 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 1,004,614 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 997,442 and rejected 14,859 meaning 1.5% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Utah, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	1,090,192	772,888	70.9%	765,886	99.1%	7,002	0.9%	28 / 49
2018	1,469,654	973,915	66.3%	965,147	99.1%	8,768	0.9%	38 / 51
2020	1,752,928	1,396,681	79.7%	1,386,385	99.3%	10,296	0.7%	22 / 50
2022	1,703,702	1,004,614	59.0%	997,442	99.3%	14,859	1.5%	20 / 49

Vermont

In 2022, Vermont sent 422,603 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 193,830 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 193,583 and rejected 247 meaning 0.1% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Vermont, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	96,281	-	-	-	-	-	-	N/A
2018	28,317	26,623	94.0%	25,936	97.4%	722	2.7%	16 / 51
2020	313,193	273,784	87.4%	272,318	99.5%	1,465	0.5%	32 / 50
2022	422,603	193,830	45.9%	193,583	99.9%	247	0.1%	48 / 49

Virginia

In 2022, Virginia sent 360,659 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 292,077 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 289,428 and rejected 2,649 meaning 0.9% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Virginia, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	570,144	538,711	94.5%	535,563	99.4%	3,148	0.6%	39 / 49
2018	102,658	97,295	94.8%	95,238	97.9%	2,057	2.1%	22 / 51
2020	1,099,502	990,198	90.1%	983,907	99.4%	6,291	0.6%	28 / 50
2022	360,659	292,077	81.0%	289,428	99.1%	2,649	0.9%	33 / 49

Washington

In 2022, Washington sent 4,850,083 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 3,077,400 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 3,040,297 and rejected 37,103 meaning 1.2% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Washington, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	4,312,805	3,333,260	77.3%	3,300,241	99.0%	30,312	0.9%	27 / 49
2018	4,460,649	3,112,157	69.8%	3,064,219	98.5%	32,327	1.0%	36 / 51
2020	5,042,956	4,082,581	81.0%	4,051,164	99.2%	31,417	0.8%	19 / 50
2022	4,850,083	3,077,400	63.5%	3,040,297	98.8%	37,103	1.2%	26 / 49

West Virginia

In 2022, West Virginia sent 12,598 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 10,541 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 10,818 and rejected 109 meaning 1.0% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in West Virginia, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	13,761	12,558	91.3%	16,373	130.4%	341	2.7%	10 / 49
2018	12,063	10,342	85.7%	10,238	99.0%	104	1.0%	37 / 51
2020	150,202	142,445	94.8%	142,191	99.8%	254	0.2%	49 / 50
2022	12,598	10,541	83.7%	10,818	102.6%	109	1.0%	29 / 49

Wisconsin

In 2022, Wisconsin sent 478,260 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 431,232 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 427,246 and rejected 3,986 meaning 0.9% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Wisconsin, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	158,846	139,988	88.1%	138,542	99.0%	284	0.2%	47 / 49
2018	168,788	150,114	88.9%	147,597	98.3%	2,517	1.7%	28 / 51
2020	1,441,825	1,305,082	90.5%	1,302,101	99.8%	2,981	0.2%	45 / 50
2022	478,260	431,232	90.2%	427,246	99.1%	3,986	0.9%	32 / 49

Wyoming

In 2022, Wyoming sent 44,711 absentee/mail-in ballots to voters, 38,336 of which were returned. Of those ballots returned, election officials counted 38,164 and rejected 174 meaning 0.5% of all returned ballots were rejected.

Absentee/mail-in voting data in Wyoming, 2016-2022
Year	Sent	Returned		Counted		Rejected
Year	Sent	#	%	#	%	#	%	Rk.
2016	82,303	79,667	96.8%	79,463	99.7%	184	0.2%	45 / 49
2018	63,728	61,806	97.0%	61,546	99.6%	250	0.4%	47 / 51
2020	89,540	85,627	95.6%	85,454	99.8%	173	0.2%	47 / 50
2022	44,711	38,336	85.7%	38,164	99.6%	174	0.5%	40 / 49

Reasons for rejection

Absentee/mail-in ballots can be rejected for a number of reasons ranging from a missed deadline to the use of an incorrect return envelope. Each state sets its own criteria for rejecting absentee/mail-in ballots. The EAC provides statistics identifying reasons for absentee/mail-in ballot rejection as reported by each state.

In 2022, the most common reason for rejection was other reason not listed, accounting for 32.7% of all rejections. This category includes all reasons for rejection apart from those specified in the EAC's survey. According to the report, "Undeliverable/Void/Final Not Counted" was the most commonly cited other reason, and "All Signature Issues" was the next-most common. These two reasons accounted for roughly one-half and one-quarter of all ballots rejected for other reasons for rejection, respectively.^[4]

In 2018, the most previous midterm election cycle, the most commonly cited reason was also other, accounting for 34.9% of all rejected ballots. According to the report, other included reasons such as "the voter was not registered or eligible, the ballot was missing an important document (such as an affidavit or certification) or included an incomplete document, or that the voter had already voted with a different by-mail ballot or otherwise surrendered his/her by-mail ballot.^[5]

In the 2020 and 2016 presidential election cycles, the most common reason for rejection was a non-matching signature, which accounted for 32.8% of all rejected ballots in 2020 and 27.5% in 2016. A non-matching signature means the signature on the absentee/mail-in ballot did not match the signature on file for the voter.^[6]^[7]

Data in the table below comes from each year's respective EAC report. It was only collected from states that report reasons for rejection and percentages may not equal exactly 100%. These figures only include absentee/mail-in ballots returned to election officials.^[8]

Absentee/mail-in ballot rejection reasons, 2016-2022
Reason	2016	2018	2020	2022
Ballot not received on time/missed deadline	23.1%	26.9%	12.1%	23.1%
First-time voter without proper identification	1.1%	N/A^[9]	2.0%	N/A^[9]
Non-matching signature	27.5%	15.8%	32.8%	26.9%
No voter signature	20.0%	13.0%	12.1%	9.8%
No witness signature	3.0%	2.5%	5.6%	5.6%
Problems with return materials (e.g., ballot missing from envelope)	1.9%	N/A^[9]	9.5%^[10]	10.7%^[11]
Voter already voted in-person	1.3%	1.4%	13.5%	3.6%^[12]
Voter deceased	1.5%	N/A^[9]	1.6%	1.1%
Other reason given^[13]	14.8%	34.9%	22.5%	32.7%
All additional reasons/uncategorized	5.7%	2.2%	0.7%^[14]	5.3%^[15]

Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

All states allow for some form of absentee/mail-in voting, which allows voters to cast a ballot outside of in-person voting on Election Day.^[16]

Absentee/mail-in voting procedures can be divided into two categories: automatic absentee/mail-in ballot systems and request-required absentee/mail-in ballot systems. Under automatic absentee/mail-in ballot systems, all eligible voters receive either a ballot or ballot application by default. Under request-required absentee/mail-in ballot systems, eligible voters must request an absentee/mail-in ballot. Request-required systems can be further broken down into those where any eligible voter may request an absentee/mail-in ballot and those where voters must provide an eligible excuse to do so.

In 2022:

Eight states and Washington, D.C., used an automatic absentee/mail-in ballot system;
Twenty-seven states allowed voters to request an absentee/mail-in ballot without providing an excuse; and,
Fifteen states required voters to provide an approved excuse in order to receive an absentee/mail-in ballot.

Twenty-one states changed their absentee/mail-in voting system at least once between 2016 and 2022. Many of these changes took place in 2020 when 18 states changed their systems due to the coronavirus pandemic. Five of those states' changes became permanent, and 12 returned back to systems they had used before the pandemic. Additionally, the 2022 election cycle was the first where Hawaii used an automatic system after previously using a request-required system with no excuse necessary.

Click [show] on the table below to view each state and the system it used by election cycle. Figures shown at the top of each column represent the total number of states that used automatic systems, request-required with no excuse, and request-required with an excuse.

Absentee/mail-in voting systems by state, 2016-2022
State	2016 3 - 30 - 18	2018 4 - 29 - 18	2020^[17] 10 - 36 - 5	2022 9 - 27 - 15
Alabama	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	Excuse required
Alaska	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Arizona	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Arkansas	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	Excuse required
California	No excuse required	No excuse required	Automatic	Automatic
Colorado	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Connecticut	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	Excuse required
Delaware	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	Excuse required
District of Columbia	No excuse required	No excuse required	Automatic	Automatic
Florida	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Georgia	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Hawaii	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	Automatic
Idaho	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Illinois	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Indiana	Excuse required	Excuse required	Excuse required	Excuse required
Iowa	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Kansas	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Kentucky	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	Excuse required
Louisiana	Excuse required	Excuse required	Excuse required^[18]	Excuse required
Maine	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Maryland	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Massachusetts	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Michigan	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Minnesota	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Mississippi	Excuse required	Excuse required	Excuse required^[19]	Excuse required
Missouri	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	Excuse required
Montana	No excuse required	No excuse required	Automatic^[20]	No excuse required
Nebraska	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Nevada	No excuse required	No excuse required	Automatic	Automatic
New Hampshire	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	Excuse required
New Jersey	No excuse required	No excuse required	Automatic	No excuse required
New Mexico	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
New York	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	Excuse required
North Carolina	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
North Dakota	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Ohio	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Oklahoma	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Oregon	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Pennsylvania	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Rhode Island	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
South Carolina	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	Excuse required
South Dakota	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Tennessee	Excuse required	Excuse required	Excuse required^[21]	Excuse required
Texas	Excuse required	Excuse required	Excuse required	Excuse required
Utah	No excuse required	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Vermont	No excuse required	No excuse required	Automatic	Automatic
Virginia	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Washington	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
West Virginia	Excuse required	Excuse required	No excuse required	Excuse required
Wisconsin	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required
Wyoming	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required	No excuse required

EAC Report links

Use the following links to view the EAC's Election Administration and Voting Surveys from all years referenced in this analysis:

Footnotes

↑ Nationwide totals shown here and elsewhere on this page include figures from U.S. territories as collected by the EAC.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Idaho reported one rejected ballot in Fremont County. Camas County reported no rejected ballots. The state's remaining 42 counties indicated they lacked information on rejected ballots.
↑ U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Election Administration and Voting Survey," 2022
↑ U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Election Administration and Voting Survey," 2022
↑ U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Election Administration and Voting Survey," 2018
↑ U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Election Administration and Voting Survey," 2020
↑ U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Election Administration and Voting Survey," 2016
↑ According to the 2016 report, 43 states reported data on reasons for the rejection of absentee/mail-in ballots. The 2018, 2020, and 2022 reports did not provide the number of states that report data on rejection reasons.
↑ ^9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 ^9.3 This category was not included in the EAC's 2018 report.
↑ This category was not directly listed in the 2020 report. This total is a combination of the five following rejection reasons: ballot returned in an unofficial envelope (4.2%), multiple ballots returned in one envelope (2.1%), ballot missing from envelope (1.5%), envelope not sealed (0.9%), and no resident address on envelope (0.8%).
↑ This category was not directly listed in the 2022 report. This total is a combination of the seven following rejection reasons: ballot was not placed in a required secrecy envelope (8.6%), ballot was missing from the envelope (0.7%), envelope was not sealed (0.6%), no resident address was on the envelope (0.4%), returned ballot did not have required postmark (0.3%), ballot was returned in an unofficial envelope (0.3%), multiple ballots were returned in one envelope (0.1%)
↑ In 2022, this category was relabeled to include ballots from voters who had already voted by mail or in person.
↑ According to the 2016 report (p. 10), "'Other' encompasses additional reasons not listed in the EAVS questionnaire, and included responses such as the ballot was not properly notarized, the voter had already cast an absentee ballot, or there was incomplete information on the ballot envelope." According to the 2018 report (p. 14), other reasons included "the voter was not registered or eligible, the ballot was missing an important document (such as an affidavit or certification) or included an incomplete document, or that the voter had already voted with a different by-mail ballot or otherwise surrendered his/her by-mail ballot." According to the 2020 report (p. 13), other reasons included "the voter was not eligible to vote in the jurisdiction, the ballot was missing an important document (such as an affidavit or certification), the document was incomplete or insufficient, there were identifying marks on the ballot, the ballot was missing a secrecy envelope or was outside of the secrecy envelope, or a combination of reasons." The 2022 report (p. 14) specified "Undeliverable/Void/Final Not Counted" and "All Signature Issues" as the year's two most common other reasons.
↑ In 2020, this total included the following reasons: no ballot application on record (0.6%), and no election official's signature on ballot (0.1%).
↑ In 2022, this total included the following three reasons: voter did not provide the required documentation or documentation was incomplete (2.7%), voter was not eligible to cast a ballot in the jurisdiction (2.5%), and no ballot application on record (0.1%).
↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Absentee and Early Voting," July 12, 2022
↑ Certain states are marked as requiring no excuse in 2020 but still may have had a requirement in place. In those instances, a state was marked as requiring no excuse if they expanded the reasons a voter may request an absentee/mail-in ballot to include fear of contracting COVID-19
↑ Louisiana allowed for additional excuses in 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including being at high risk of infection, quarantining, or caring for someone in quarantine.
↑ Mississippi allowed for additional excuses in 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including being at high risk of infection, quarantining, or caring for someone in quarantine.
↑ Montana did not adopt a statewide automatic system, but rather allowed counties to opt into using such a system for their elections. More than 90% of voters in the state lived in a county that used an automatic system in 2020.
↑ Tennessee allowed for additional excuses in 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including being at high risk of infection, quarantining, or caring for someone in quarantine.

[1] Nationwide totals shown here and elsewhere on this page include figures from U.S. territories as collected by the EAC.

[idahoexp-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Idaho reported one rejected ballot in Fremont County. Camas County reported no rejected ballots. The state's remaining 42 counties indicated they lacked information on rejected ballots.

[3] U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Election Administration and Voting Survey," 2022

[eac2022-4] U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Election Administration and Voting Survey," 2022

[eac2018-5] U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Election Administration and Voting Survey," 2018

[eac2020-6] U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Election Administration and Voting Survey," 2020

[eac2016-7] U.S. Election Assistance Commission, "Election Administration and Voting Survey," 2016

[8] According to the 2016 report, 43 states reported data on reasons for the rejection of absentee/mail-in ballots. The 2018, 2020, and 2022 reports did not provide the number of states that report data on rejection reasons.

[na-9] 9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 ^9.3 This category was not included in the EAC's 2018 report.

[10] This category was not directly listed in the 2020 report. This total is a combination of the five following rejection reasons: ballot returned in an unofficial envelope (4.2%), multiple ballots returned in one envelope (2.1%), ballot missing from envelope (1.5%), envelope not sealed (0.9%), and no resident address on envelope (0.8%).

[11] This category was not directly listed in the 2022 report. This total is a combination of the seven following rejection reasons: ballot was not placed in a required secrecy envelope (8.6%), ballot was missing from the envelope (0.7%), envelope was not sealed (0.6%), no resident address was on the envelope (0.4%), returned ballot did not have required postmark (0.3%), ballot was returned in an unofficial envelope (0.3%), multiple ballots were returned in one envelope (0.1%)

[12] In 2022, this category was relabeled to include ballots from voters who had already voted by mail or in person.

[13] According to the 2016 report (p. 10), "'Other' encompasses additional reasons not listed in the EAVS questionnaire, and included responses such as the ballot was not properly notarized, the voter had already cast an absentee ballot, or there was incomplete information on the ballot envelope." According to the 2018 report (p. 14), other reasons included "the voter was not registered or eligible, the ballot was missing an important document (such as an affidavit or certification) or included an incomplete document, or that the voter had already voted with a different by-mail ballot or otherwise surrendered his/her by-mail ballot." According to the 2020 report (p. 13), other reasons included "the voter was not eligible to vote in the jurisdiction, the ballot was missing an important document (such as an affidavit or certification), the document was incomplete or insufficient, there were identifying marks on the ballot, the ballot was missing a secrecy envelope or was outside of the secrecy envelope, or a combination of reasons." The 2022 report (p. 14) specified "Undeliverable/Void/Final Not Counted" and "All Signature Issues" as the year's two most common other reasons.

[14] In 2020, this total included the following reasons: no ballot application on record (0.6%), and no election official's signature on ballot (0.1%).

[15] In 2022, this total included the following three reasons: voter did not provide the required documentation or documentation was incomplete (2.7%), voter was not eligible to cast a ballot in the jurisdiction (2.5%), and no ballot application on record (0.1%).

[ncslabsentee-16] National Conference of State Legislatures, "Absentee and Early Voting," July 12, 2022

[17] Certain states are marked as requiring no excuse in 2020 but still may have had a requirement in place. In those instances, a state was marked as requiring no excuse if they expanded the reasons a voter may request an absentee/mail-in ballot to include fear of contracting COVID-19

[18] Louisiana allowed for additional excuses in 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including being at high risk of infection, quarantining, or caring for someone in quarantine.

[19] Mississippi allowed for additional excuses in 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including being at high risk of infection, quarantining, or caring for someone in quarantine.

[20] Montana did not adopt a statewide automatic system, but rather allowed counties to opt into using such a system for their elections. More than 90% of voters in the state lived in a county that used an automatic system in 2020.

[21] Tennessee allowed for additional excuses in 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including being at high risk of infection, quarantining, or caring for someone in quarantine.

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Election results, 2022: Analysis of rejected ballots in the 2022 general election