- See also: Absentee voting
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. Fourteen states require voters to provide a valid excuse to vote absentee/by mail. Twenty-eight states allow any eligible voter to cast an absentee/mail-in ballot. Eight states have automatic mail-in ballot systems, also known as all-mail voting systems.[2][3]
HIGHLIGHTS
Absentee/mail-in voting procedures can be divided into two categories: automatic mail-in ballot systems and request-required mail-in ballot systems.
Automatic mail-in ballot systems mandate that all eligible voters receive a mailed ballot by default. These are sometimes referred to as all-mail voting systems.
Request-required mail-in ballot systems require that eligible voters initiate the process for receiving, and casting, mail-in ballots. These have traditionally been described as absentee voting systems.
- See also: Automatic voter registration
Under an automatic voter registration system, eligible voters are automatically registered to vote whenever they interact with certain government agencies, such as departments of motor vehicles. Eligible voters are registered by default, although they may request not to be registered.[4][5]
HIGHLIGHTS
As of June 2024, 24 states and the District of Columbia had enacted automatic voter registration policies.
In 2015, California and Oregon became the first states to enact automatic voter registration policies.
In 2016, Alaska became the first state to enact an automatic voter registration policy via ballot measure.
The most recent states to enact automatic voter registration policies were Delaware, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania in 2023.[6][7][8]
- See also: Ballot collection laws by state
Most states have laws that govern who may return a voter's absentee/mail-in ballot. These laws vary by state.
As of November 2025:
- 20 states allowed anyone chosen by the voter to return a ballot on the voter's behalf, with certain exceptions.
- 16 states allowed anyone with certain relationships to the voter to return the voter's ballot.
- 4 states allowed only the voter to return the voter's ballot, with certain exceptions.
- 2 states required voters to return their ballots by mail.
- 8 states and D.C. did not specify who may return ballots.
- See also: Early voting
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. Some states allow voters to cast absentee ballots in person. States that allow in-person absentee voting without an excuse are counted below among no-excuse early voting states.
HIGHLIGHTS
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting. For a full list of these states, see here.[2]
Proponents argue that early voting opportunities make the voting process more convenient for citizens, thereby increasing turnout and diversifying the electorate.
Critics argue that citizens who vote early may be more likely to make ill-informed decisions.
- See also: Electoral systems
The term electoral system can refer to the method by which elections are conducted (e.g., whether officials are elected in single-winner versus multi-winner systems) or the method by which votes are tallied to determine the outcome of an election (e.g., plurality systems, majority systems, ranked-choice voting systems, etc.). In the United States, most federal and state-level officials are elected via plurality vote in single-winner elections, although some jurisdictions (e.g., cities, school boards, etc.) employ alternative electoral systems.
HIGHLIGHTS
A total of 40 states conduct only single-winner contests for state legislative elections. The remaining 10 states utilize multi-winner contests in elections for at least one of their state legislative chambers.
All gubernatorial elections are, by nature of the office, single-winner elections. Of the 50 states, 45 determine the winners of gubernatorial elections via plurality vote. Three of the remaining five (Louisiana, Georgia, and Mississippi) determine winners via majority vote. Maine and Alaska used ranked-choice voting.
In every state, United States Senators and United States Representatives are elected in single-winner elections. Of the 50 states, 46 determine winners in congressional elections via plurality vote. Two of the remaining four (Louisiana and Georgia) determine winners via majority vote. Maine and Alaska used ranked-choice voting.
- See also: Online voter registration
Traditionally, paper-based systems have been used by the states to register voters. Under these systems, a prospective voter completes a paper form and submits it to election officials. Officials then review the registration and, if appropriate, approve it, adding the name of the voter to the state's voter registration rolls. In an online registration system, a voter fills out the form online and it is then submitted electronically to election officials. Proponents of online voter registration argue that such systems can lower costs and improve accessibility for voters. Some have raised concerns about the security of such systems in the wake of high-profile consumer data breaches.[9]
As of April 2024, 42 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam allowed online voter registration.[9]
Post-election audits check that election results tallied by a state's voting system match results from paper records, such as paper ballots filled out by voters or the paper records produced by electronic voting machines. Post-election audits are classified into two categories: audits of election results—which include traditional post-election audits as well as risk-limiting audits—and procedural audits.[10][11]
Typically, traditional post-election audits are done by recounting a portion of ballots, either electronically or by hand, and comparing the results to those produced by the state's voting system. In contrast, risk-limiting audits use statistical methods to compare a random sample of votes cast to election results instead of reviewing every ballot. The scope of procedural audits varies by state, but they typically include a systematic review of voting equipment, performance of the voting system, vote totals, duties of election officials and workers, ballot chain of custody, and more.
Forty-six states and the District of Columbia require some form of post-election audit by law, excluding states with pilot programs. Of these, 39 states and the District of Columbia require
traditional post-election audits, while three states require
risk-limiting post-election audits, and three states require some other form of post-election audit, including
procedural post-election audits.
[12][10]
- See also: Primary types
Primary elections allow voters to determine which candidates compete in the general election and can be nonpartisan or partisan. In partisan primaries, voters choose the candidates they prefer for a political party to nominate in the general election.
The laws governing primary elections vary from state to state and can even vary within states by locality and political party. For example, only registered party members are allowed to vote in closed primaries, while registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote in semi-closed primaries, and all voters are allowed to vote in open primaries.
Primary elections also vary by the way their outcomes are determined. Majority systems require the winning candidate to receive at least fifty percent of the votes cast, while plurality systems do not. In top-two primaries, top-four primaries, and blanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation.
- See also: Laws governing the private funding of elections
The private funding of elections refers to the practice of nonprofits, private organizations, or individuals providing funding or other resources to election administrators for the purpose of conducting or administering an election.
As of November 2025, 29 states enacted laws banning or otherwise restricting the use of private donations for election administration purposes. Twenty-one of these states had a Republican trifecta when the law was adopted; five states had divided governments at the time. Two states, Louisiana and Wisconsin, adopted their bans through a ballot measure. No states banned or restricted private election funding prior to 2021.
The map below shows the landscape of private funding laws as of November 2025, including all states that enacted laws and those states' trifecta status at the time of adoption.
- See also: Ranked-choice voting (RCV)
A ranked-choice voting system (RCV) is an electoral system in which voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. There are multiple forms of ranked-choice voting, including instant-runoff voting, and single-transferable vote.
As of November 2024, ranked-choice voting was used for regular statewide elections in two states, Alaska and Maine.[13][14] Hawaii also used ranked-choice voting for special congressional elections.[15] Fourteen other states used ranked-choice voting in some local elections, while 11 states had adopted laws banning or prohibiting the use of ranked-choice voting statewide.
- See also: Election recount laws and procedures in the 50 states
An election recount is a process by which votes cast in an election are re-tabulated to verify the accuracy of the original results. Recounts typically occur in the event of a close margin of victory, following accusations of election fraud, or due to the possibility of administrative errors. Recounts can either occur automatically or be requested by a candidate or voters. Recounts can happen in races at any level, from local offices up to presidential elections. In the case of presidential elections, however, recounts are carried out at the state level rather than nationally.
State recount laws differ in three key ways: whether a recount is available and, if so, if it occurs automatically or must be requested, which party may request a recount, and who pays for a recount if it occurs.
HIGHLIGHTS
All but two states — Mississippi and Tennessee — allow for election recounts.
Automatic recounts, which occur if election results meet specific criteria outlined in state law, are possible in 28 states. Requested recounts, where an interested party must ask for votes to be counted again, are allowed in 43 states. In 21 states, an interested party can only request a recount if the vote difference is within a certain margin. In 42 states, candidates are allowed to request a recount. In 35 states, voters can request recounts in at least some elections. The person who requests the recount pays for it in 23 states. Seven states pay for recounts. In 11 states, who pays depends on the circumstances of the election or the recount. In 27 states, a refund may be available for a requested recount. In four states, the possibility of a refund depends on the recount circumstances. In five states, no refund is available.
The map below outlines the type of recount laws in each state.
- See also: Same-day voter registration
Same-day voter registration enables voters to register and vote at the same time. Same-day registration is sometimes referred to as Election Day registration.[4]
As of November 2025:
Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia had same-day registration provisions enabling voters to register and vote at the same time.
In 12 of these states, Democrats held a trifecta, Republicans held a trifecta in six states, and four states had divided government. In 21 of these states and the District of Columbia, same-day voter registration is available on Election Day (and often during the early voting period as well). North Carolina is the only state that offered same-day registration during the early voting period, but not on Election Day. Two states, Alaska and Rhode Island, allowed same-day registration to vote for president and vice-president.
In states that allow same-day registration, voters must generally provide proof of residency (e.g., utility bill, pay stub) and identity (e.g., driver's license) at the time of registration.
- See also: Voter identification laws by state
These laws require voters to present some form of identification at the polls. In some cases, the required identification must include a photo.
As of October 2025, 36 states required voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day, but many states provide for exceptions to these rules. Of these states, 24 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, with certain exceptions, and 12 states did not explicitly require photo identification. The remaining 14 states did not generally require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.
Valid forms of identification differ by state. Commonly accepted forms of ID include driver's licenses, state-issued identification cards, and military identification cards.
The federal Help America Vote Act requires that individuals in all 50 states who register to vote by mail and who have not voted previously in a federal election in their state must provide either their driver's license or a paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, or government document showing their name and address. Individuals voting by mail must include a copy of one of those documents with their absentee/mail-in ballot.[16]
These requirements do not apply if an individual submitted a copy of their identification, their driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when registering to vote.
In certain states that require voters to provide identification, there may be exceptions that allow some voters to cast a ballot without providing an ID.
In 16 states, some or all voters can sign an affidavit or a form in lieu of providing identification. Seven states allow election officials or other voters to vouch for a person's identity instead of an ID. And in four states, voters who live and vote in state-licensed nursing homes or care centers do not have to provide ID. Nine states do not have any exceptions to their voter ID laws. To see more about these exceptions, see details by state below.
Forty states allow voters to cast a provisional ballot if they are unable to provide identification at the polls. If a voter casts a provisional ballot and returns with identification, or if their identity is verified by another method, the ballot will count.
Many states that require identification allow voters to cast provisional ballots if they do not have the required identification. Hover over each state in the map below for more details.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, "[b]ecause of the importance of the lists, and the constant movement on them, all states take steps to keep their voter registration rolls accurate and up to date." Election officials endeavor to ensure that the names of deceased persons, non-voting felons and former residents are not included on voter lists.[17]
The states employ a variety of different methods and tools in this endeavor. States cross-check their voter lists against data from federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration, the
Department of Homeland Security and the United States Postal Service. State election agencies also verify voter lists against information from other state agencies, including departments of vital statistics, motor vehicle registration agencies and departments of corrections. Every state also has policies to remove inactive voters from the voter rolls.
[17]
- See also: Voting rights for people convicted of a felony
Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary substantially from state to state. As of April 2025, people convicted of a felony in Maine, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. retained the right to vote while incarcerated. In 38 other states, people convicted of a felony could not vote while incarcerated but automatically regained the right to vote upon their release or at some point thereafter. Ten states did not automatically restore voting rights for people convicted of a felony.[4][18][19]
Generally, governors across the United States may exercise the executive authority to restore voting rights by pardon on an individual basis.
Since 2020, nine states have passed legislation that more quickly restored voting rights to certain individuals convicted of a felony, while voters in one state, California, approved a ballot measure that did so. Governors in two other states, Iowa and Virginia, took executive actions related to the restoration of voting rights. Read more below.
Try Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation TrackerBallotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker provides daily updates on legislative activity related to election policy in all 50 states.
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