When states can begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots, 2024

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This page lists the dates states can begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots for the 2024 general election.

Upon receiving completed absentee/mail-in ballots, election officials must first process the ballots before they can be counted.

Processing generally entails verifying voter signatures and physically preparing ballots for tabulation. Processing practices can vary from state to state. As of 2024:

• Forty-three states allowed processing to begin before Election Day.
• Seven states required processing to begin on Election Day.

Counting entails the actual tabulation of votes (and processing ballots through tallying machines). As of 2024:

• Twelve states allowed counting to begin before Election Day.
• Twenty-three states allowed counting to begin before polls close on Election Day.
• Fourteen states required counting to begin after polls close on Election Day.
• One state—Connecticut—allowed the local registrar of voters to determine when ballots are counted.

When states can begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots

According to research conducted by the National Conference of State Legislatures:

When Absentee/Mail Ballot Processing and Counting Can Begin
State	When Absentee/Mail Ballot Processing Can Begin	When Absentee/Mail Ballot Counting Can Begin
Alabama	7 a.m. on Election Day.	After the polls close on Election Day.
Alaska	Seven days before Election Day.	8 p.m. on Election Day.
Arizona	Upon receipt.	Tallying can begin immediately after processing, but results may not be released before all precincts have reported or one hour after the close of polls on Election Day. Releasing information earlier is a felony.
Arkansas	Seven days before Election Day.	8:30 a.m. on Election Day, but results are not reported until after the polls close on Election Day.
California	Twenty-nine days before Election Day.	A vote count can be accessed or released at 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Colorado	Upon receipt.	Fifteen days before Election Day, but the count cannot be released until after 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Connecticut	At the discretion of the local registrar of voters.	At the discretion of the local registrar of voters.
Delaware	Thirty days before Election Day.	Tabulation scanning can begin when processing is complete.
District of Columbia	Signatures can be verified and the secrecy envelope removed prior to tabulation. Exact timing not specified.	After the polls close on Election Day.
Florida	Upon receipt.	Upon the completion of the public testing of automatic tabulating equipment (which begins not more than 25 days before early voting commences). Releasing the results early is a felony.
Georgia	Signature verification conducted upon receipt, and further processing can begin at 8 a.m. on the third Monday before Election Day.	7 a.m. on Election Day.
Hawaii	Signature verification conducted upon receipt, and further processing can begin eighteen days before Election Day.	Eighteen days before Election Day, but results cannot be disclosed until after the polls close on Election Day.
Idaho	Signature verification conducted upon receipt. Ballots are not opened until they are delivered to the polls or central location for counting.	After the polls close on Election Day.
Illinois	Signature verification must begin within two days of receipt.	After the polls close on Election Day.
Indiana	Upon receipt.	Depending upon the county, 6 a.m. on Election Day or immediately after the electronic poll books used at each polling place or vote center have been updated to indicate the county received the absentee ballot.
Iowa	The day before Election Day if directed by the commissioner to do so.	On Election Day, at a time set by the election commissioner to allow a reasonable amount of time to complete the count of absentee ballots by 10 p.m. on Election Day. The commissioner may also choose to convene the board the day before the election.
Kansas	Prior to Election Day. Exact timing not specified.	Ballots may be counted prior to Election Day, but final tabulation shall not be completed until Election Day.
Kentucky	May begin 14 days before Election Day and must start by 8 a.m. on Election Day.	8 a.m. on Election Day. Explicitly prohibits the release of results before 6 p.m.
Louisiana	Parishes with more than 1,000 absentee ballots may begin three days before Election Day with written approval of the secretary of state, or one day before Election Day without. Parishes with fewer than 1,000 absentee ballots may begin prior to the close of polls on Election Day.	Counting may begin before the polls close on Election Day, but no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Maine	Seven days before Election Day if notice of processing times is posted at least 30 days before the election.	After the polls close on Election Day.
Maryland	Eight business days before the first day of early voting.	When polls open on Election Day. Vote totals cannot be released until polls close on Election Day.
Massachusetts	Upon receipt.	On Election Day and no later than an hour after the polls close.
Michigan	Jurisdictions with at least 5,000 people may begin processing 8 days before election day, and other jurisdictions may begin the Monday before election day.	At 7 a.m. on Election Day. Anyone with access to absentee ballot counting must sign an oath that information related to processing and tallying will not be communicated in any way until after the polls close.
Minnesota	Verification upon receipt. After the close of business on the 19th day before the election, verified ballots can be opened and deposited in a ballot box.	After the polls close on Election Day.
Mississippi	On Election Day when polls open.	After the polls close on Election Day.
Missouri	Five days before Election Day.	On Election Day.
Montana	Signature verification conducted upon receipt. Three business days before Election Day, election officials may open the secrecy envelope and place the ballot in a secured ballot box until tabulation occurs.	One day before Election Day, if using a vote-counting machine. Tabulation using a manual count may not begin until Election Day. Access to an electronic system containing early tabulation results is limited to the election administrator and the election administrator’s designee.
Nebraska	Verification can begin the second Friday before Election Day. If approved, the envelope can be opened, the ballot unfolded and flattened and placed in a sealed container.	Twenty-four hours before the opening of the polls. No results shall be released until after polls close on Election Day.
Nevada	Signature verification conducted upon receipt.	Fifteen days before Election Day, and counting must be completed by the seventh day after the election. Results may not be reported until the close of the polls.
New Hampshire	At 1 p.m. on Election Day, unless a different time, no earlier than two hours after the opening of the polls, is posted and announced.	After the polls close on Election Day.
New Jersey	Signature verification conducted upon receipt. The inner envelopes cannot be opened until Election Day.	Five days before Election Day; explicitly prohibits the release of results before polls close.
New Mexico	Any time after mailed ballots have been sent until the fifth day before the election, the county clerk may convene an election board to verify returned mail ballots. If more than 10,000 absentee ballots are sent, they may be opened and inserted into an electronic voting machine two weeks before Election Day. If fewer than 10,000 absentee ballots are sent, they may be opened and inserted into an electronic voting machine five days before the election.	Absentee ballots are inserted into vote-counting machines before Election Day, but votes are not counted until after the polls close. It is unlawful for a person to disclose the results of a count prior to the close of the polls or the deadline for receiving mailed ballots.
New York	Verification within four days of receipt. Ballots are placed in counting machines and scanned the day before the first day of early voting.	One hour before the polls close on Election Day, but results cannot be released until the close of polls on Election Day.
North Carolina	At county board of elections meetings, beginning the fifth Tuesday before Election Day. Counties using optical scan devices may remove ballots from their envelopes and place them in tabulators.	5 p.m. on Election Day, unless a resolution is adopted at least two weeks before the election to allow counting for all absentee ballots to begin at 2 p.m. on Election Day. Results shall not be announced before 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
North Dakota	Three business days before Election Day.	After the polls close on Election Day.
Ohio	Processing, including using automatic tabulating equipment to scan ballots, may begin before the time for counting ballots at a time determined by the board of elections. Exact timing not specified.	Exact timing not specified, but the count may not be disclosed prior to the close of the polls.
Oklahoma	10 a.m. on the Thursday before Election Day, or earlier with approval by the secretary of the state election board.	On Election Day or prior to Election Day with approval by the secretary of the state election board. When counting occurs before Election Day, the county election board shall remove the election results storage media from the voting device, without obtaining a printout of results, and seal ballots counted that day in a transfer case secured by the sheriff until the time the board next meets to count. Results cannot be reported earlier than 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Oregon	Upon receipt.	Results may not be made public until after 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Pennsylvania	7 a.m. on Election Day.	At 7 a.m. on Election Day, but the votes may not be recorded or published until after the polls close.
Rhode Island	Twenty days before Election Day.	8 p.m. on Election Day.
South Carolina	7 a.m. two days before Election Day.	7 a.m. on Election Day. Results may not be reported until after the polls close.
South Dakota	On Election Day prior to the close of the polls.	After the polls close on Election Day.
Tennessee	Signature verification conducted upon receipt.	On Election Day after the polls open and no later than four hours before closing for general elections, or two hours before closing for all other elections.
Texas	No more than 20 days before Election Day.	When the polls open on Election Day. In a jurisdiction with more than 100,000 people, counting can begin at the end of the early in-person voting period.
Utah	Processing may begin before Election Day. Exact timing not specified.	Counting may begin before Election Day. Exact timing not specified. Results may not be reported until after the polls close on Election Day.
Vermont	Ballots may be deposited into the vote tabulator 30 days before Election Day, if the board of civil authority votes to do so.	At the close of polls on Election Day.
Virginia	Upon receipt.	At the close of polls on Election Day, but ballots may be inserted into ballot-counting machines prior to the closing of the polls. If absentee ballots are counted by hand, tallying may begin after noon on Election Day. Vote counts may not be reported until after the polls close.
Washington	Upon receipt.	8 p.m. on Election Day. No person may divulge any results of the count prior to 8 p.m. on Election Day. A violation is a misdemeanor.
West Virginia	Absentee ballots are delivered to precincts on Election Day.	On Election Day. Results may not be disclosed until the polls close and precinct returns are posted on the door of polling places; to do so is a violation of the oath taken by the counting board.
Wisconsin	After the polls open on Election Day.	After the polls open on Election Day.
Wyoming	The Thursday or Friday preceding Election Day.	On Election Day.

See also

• Absentee/mail-in voting
• Absentee/mail-in voting eligibility
• How does absentee/mail-in voting work?
• Absentee/mail-in voting witness requirements
• How can I check the status of my ballot?
• 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?
• What happens if someone votes by absentee/mail-in ballot and dies before Election Day?
• Do absentee/mail-in ballots take longer to count than in-person ballots?
• How do states verify absentee/mail-in ballots?
• How do election workers match signatures?
• Ballot curing rules by state
• Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots in the states