Early voting means 'election season' has already begun

Tuesday, Nov. 5, is Election Day – but if Americans ballot similar they did successful the past 2 predetermination cycles, astir of them volition person already formed a ballot earlier the large day.

Wisconsin kicks disconnected aboriginal voting today; the archetypal authorities to marque absentee ballots wide disposable to voters. By the extremity of the month, much than fractional of each states volition person ballots successful astatine slightest immoderate voters' hands, including Michigan and North Carolina.

It makes the adjacent fewer months little a countdown to Election Day, and much the opening of "election season."

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Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. (Getty Images)

States person agelong allowed astatine slightest immoderate Americans to ballot early, similar members of the subject oregon radical with illnesses. 

In immoderate states, astir each elector casts a ballot by mail.

Many states expanded eligibility successful 2020, erstwhile the COVID-19 pandemic made it riskier to ballot in-person.

That year, the Fox News Voter Analysis recovered that 71% of voters formed their ballots earlier Election Day, with 30% voting aboriginal in-person and 41% voting by mail.

Early voting remained fashionable in the midterms, with 57% of voters casting a ballot earlier Election Day.

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A elector fills retired a ballot successful Lake Orion, Michigan. (Nic Antaya/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Elections officials accent that voting aboriginal is harmless and secure. Recounts, investigations and lawsuits filed aft the 2020 predetermination did not uncover grounds of wide fraud oregon corruption. 

The quality betwixt "early in-person" and "mail" oregon "absentee" voting.

There are a fewer ways to ballot earlier Election Day.

The archetypal is early in-person voting, wherever a elector casts a regular ballot in-person astatine a voting halfway earlier Election Day.

The 2nd is voting by message oregon absentee ballot, wherever the process and eligibility alteration by state.

Eight states ballot mostly by mail, including California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. Registered voters person message ballots and nonstop them back.

Most states let immoderate registered elector to person a message oregon absentee ballot and nonstop it back. Depending connected the state, voters tin instrumentality their absentee ballot by mail, astatine a driblet box, and/or astatine an bureau oregon installation that accepts message ballots.

In 14 states, voters indispensable person an excuse to ballot by mail, ranging from illness, age, enactment hours oregon if a elector is retired of their location region connected Election Day.

States process and tabulate ballots astatine antithetic times. Some states don’t statesman counting ballots until predetermination night, which delays the merchandise of results.

Voting begins successful aggregate battleground states successful September

This database of aboriginal voting deadlines is for guidance only. In immoderate areas, aboriginal voting whitethorn statesman earlier the dates listed. For broad and up-to-date accusation connected elector eligibility, processes, and deadlines, spell to Vote.gov and your state’s elections website.

Ballots volition beryllium made disposable to eligible absentee voters successful Wisconsin starting today. The Midwestern authorities is 1 of the astir competitory connected the Fox News Power Rankings map. Virginia, Minnesota, and 12 much states footwear disconnected their aboriginal voting for astatine slightest immoderate voters by the extremity of the week.

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Early voters formed their ballots successful Ferndale, Michigan. (Nic Antaya/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Early voting timeline

Subject to change. In-person aboriginal voting successful bold.

September 11

• Alabama Absentee voting begins. Excuse required.

September 16

• Kentucky Absentee voting begins. Excuse required.

September 19

• Wisconsin Absentee voting begins.

September 20

• Virginia Early in-person and absentee voting begins.
• Idaho, Minnesota, South Dakota Absentee voting begins (including in-person).
• Wyoming Absentee voting begins.
• Arkansas, West Virginia Absentee voting begins. Excuse required.

September 21 

• New Jersey, Vermont Absentee voting begins (including in-person).
• Oklahoma, Rhode Island Absentee voting begins.
• Delaware, Indiana, Tennessee Absentee voting begins. Excuse required.

September 23

• Maryland Absentee voting begins (including in-person).
• Mississippi Absentee voting begins. Excuse required.

 September 24

• North Carolina Absentee voting begins.
• Missouri Absentee voting begins. Excuse required.

September 26

• Illinois Early in-person voting begins.
• North Dakota Absentee voting begins (including in-person).
• Florida, Michigan Absentee voting begins.

September 30

• DC Mail voting begins.
• Nebraska Absentee voting begins.

October 1

• Pennsylvania Absentee voting begins (including in-person).

October 4

• Connecticut Absentee voting begins. Excuse required.

October 6

• Maine Absentee voting begins (including in-person).

October 7

• California Mail voting begins (including in-person absentee).
• Montana Absentee voting begins (including in-person).
• Georgia Absentee voting begins.
• Nebraska Absentee in-person voting begins.
• New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas Absentee voting begins. Excuse required.

 October 8

• Indiana Early in-person voting begins.
• New Mexico, Ohio Absentee voting begins (including in-person).
• Wyoming Absentee in-person voting begins.

October 9

• Arizona Early in-person and absentee voting begins.

October 11

• Alaska, Massachusetts Absentee voting begins.

October 14

• Colorado Mail voting begins.

October 15

• Georgia Early in-person voting begins.
• Utah Mail voting begins.

October 16

• Kansas Early in-person and absentee voting begins.
• Rhode Island, Tennessee Early in-person voting begins.
• Iowa Absentee voting begins (including in-person).
• Nevada Mail voting begins.
• Oregon Mail voting begins.

October 17

• North Carolina Early in-person voting begins.

October 18

• Louisiana Early in-person voting begins.
• Hawaii Mail voting begins.
• Washington Mail voting begins (including in-person absentee).

October 19

• Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico Early in-person voting begins.

October 21

• Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas Early in-person voting begins.
• Alaska Absentee voting begins (including in-person).

October 22 

• Hawaii, Utah Early in-person voting begins.
• Missouri, Wisconsin Absentee in-person voting begins.

October 23

• West Virginia Early in-person voting begins.

October 24

• Maryland Early in-person voting begins.

October 25 

• Delaware Early in-person voting begins.

October 26

• New Jersey, Florida, Michigan, New York Early in-person voting begins.

October 28 

• Colorado, DC Early in-person voting begins.

October 30

• Oklahoma Absentee in-person voting begins.

October 31

• Kentucky Absentee in-person voting begins. Excuse required.

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TBC

• Louisiana, New York Absentee voting begins.