Voting Access: Early, Mail-In & Same-Day
How expanded voting methods make it easier to cast a ballot, the debates around them, and evidence on their effects.
Beyond Election Day
Traditional voting requires showing up at a specific polling place on a specific day during specific hours. Expanded voting methods aim to make participation easier. Early voting allows casting ballots days or weeks before election day. Mail-in (or absentee) voting allows voting from home. Same-day registration allows registering and voting in a single visit. Automatic voter registration enrolls eligible citizens when they interact with government agencies.
Usage of these methods has grown dramatically. In the 2020 US presidential election, roughly 46 percent of voters cast mail-in ballots and 26 percent voted early in person, meaning only about 28 percent voted in the traditional way on election day. Five US states (Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Hawaii, and Utah) conduct elections entirely by mail. Many European countries routinely offer some form of early or postal voting.