Vote by Mail States 2025
State | Vote by Mail Offered | Vote by Mail Eligibility | Additional Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Alabama | No | ||
 | Alaska | Yes | Only small elections | Elections that are not held on the same day as a general, party primary or municipal election may be conducted by mail. |
 | Arizona | Yes | Only small elections | A city, town, school district or special district may conduct small elections by mail. |
 | Arkansas | No | ||
 | California | Yes | Automatic for all elections | Enacted 2021, implemented 2022 |
 | Colorado | Yes | Automatic for all elections | Enacted 2013, implemented 2014 |
 | Connecticut | No | ||
 | Delaware | No | ||
 | District of Columbia | Yes | Automatic for all elections | |
 | Florida | Yes | Only small elections | Referendum elections at the county, city, school district or special district level may be conducted by mail. |
 | Georgia | No | ||
 | Hawaii | Yes | Automatic for all elections | Enacted 2019, implemented 2020 |
 | Idaho | Yes | Small jurisdictions only | A precinct which contains no more than 140 registered electors at the last general election may be designated by the board of county commissioners a mail ballot precinct no later than April 1 in an even-numbered year. |
 | Illinois | No | ||
 | Indiana | No | ||
 | Iowa | No | ||
 | Kansas | Yes | Only small elections | Nonpartisan elections in which no candidate is elected, retained or recalled and which are not held on the same date as another election may be conducted by mail. |
 | Kentucky | No | ||
 | Louisiana | No | ||
 | Maine | No | ||
 | Maryland | Yes | Only small elections | Special elections not held concurrently with a regularly scheduled primary or general election may be conducted by mail. |
 | Massachusetts | No | ||
 | Michigan | No | ||
 | Minnesota | Yes | Small jurisdictions only | Elections conducted by a municipality having fewer than 400 registered voters on June 1 of an election year and not located in a metropolitan county may be conducted by mail. |
 | Mississippi | No | ||
 | Missouri | Yes | Only small elections | Nonpartisan issue elections at which no candidate is elected, retained or recalled and in which all qualified voters of one political subdivision are the only voters eligible to vote may be conducted by mail. |
 | Montana | Yes | Only small elections | Any election other than a regularly scheduled federal, state or county election; a special federal or state election, unless authorized by the legislature; or a regularly scheduled or special election when another election in the political subdivision is taking place at the polls on the same day may be conducted by mail. |
 | Nebraska | Yes | Certain counties only | Counties with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants may apply to the secretary of state to mail ballots for all elections in lieu of establishing polling places. Certain ballot measure elections may also be conducted by mail. |
 | Nevada | Yes | Automatic for all elections | Enacted 2021, implemented 2022 |
 | New Hampshire | No | ||
 | New Jersey | Yes | Small jurisdictions only | A municipality with a population of 500 or fewer persons, according to the latest federal decennial census, may conduct all elections by mail. |
 | New Mexico | Yes | Small elections or jurisdictions | Special elections, except those to fill a vacancy in the office of U.S. Representative, shall be conducted by mail. A county may designate a precinct as a mail ballot election precinct if it has fewer than 100 voters and the nearest polling place for an adjoining precinct is more than 20 miles driving distance from the precinct boundary in question. |
 | New York | No | ||
 | North Carolina | No | ||
 | North Dakota | Yes | Certain counties only | Counties may conduct any election by mail. Applications for mailed ballots are sent to each individual listed on the central voter file, and the county must also establish at least one in-person polling place as well. |
 | Ohio | No | ||
 | Oklahoma | No | ||
 | Oregon | Yes | Automatic for all elections | Enacted 1998, implemented 2000 |
 | Pennsylvania | No | ||
 | Rhode Island | No | ||
 | South Carolina | No | ||
 | South Dakota | No | ||
 | Tennessee | No | ||
 | Texas | No | ||
 | Utah | Yes | Automatic for all elections | Enacted 2012 (counties' choice), implemented 2019 (first year all counties opted in) |
 | Vermont | Yes | Automatic for all elections | Enacted 2021, implemented 2022 |
 | Virginia | No | ||
 | Washington | Yes | Automatic for all elections | Enacted 2011, implemented 2012 |
 | West Virginia | No | ||
 | Wisconsin | No | ||
 | Wyoming | Yes | Only small elections | Counties may decide to conduct special elections not held in conjunction with a primary, general or statewide special election entirely by mail. |
- As of 2023, all states with automatic mail-in voting automatically provide each registered voter with a mail-in ballot, but also offer in-person voting in designated locations for those who prefer it.
Vote by mail, also called mail-in voting, allows those who are registered to vote to receive a ballot at their designated mailing address, typically a few weeks before the election. After completing the ballot, the registered voter can either mail it back or drop it in a drop-box before Election Day.
Absentee Voting
Mail-in voting is similar to absentee ballots. Absentee ballots started during the Civil War, allowing soldiers to cast their ballots in their home states. Absentee ballots became more common as they made voting more accessible to more people, such as those who are facing emergency situations or those who have a disability. Over time, many states began expanding access to absentee voting.
Today, 34 states and the District of Columbia allow any voter to ask for an absentee ballot even if they are physically able to vote in person on Election Day. This is called “no-excuse absentee voting.” The other 16 states have specific requirements to receive an absentee ballot but have relaxed their rules due to the coronavirus pandemic. This means that someone can cite the virus as an excuse for their request.
Election officials began referring to absentee ballots as “advanced ballots,” “mailed ballots,” “vote-by-mail ballots,” and “mail ballots” as the practice became more widespread and the policy of absentee voting was expanded to be available more people. If you are in the United States, you must register to vote before you’re eligible to receive an absentee ballot.
States with Statutory Provisions for All-Mail Ballot Elections
Currently, five states conduct all elections by mail: Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Oregon was the first state to implement this system in 2000. Hawaii was the most recent state to implement all-mail ballot elections in 2020.
Three states permit counties to opt into conducting all elections by mail: California, Nebraska, North Dakota. Nine states permit some elections to be conducted by mail: Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Five states permit certain jurisdictions to be designated as all-mail based on population: Idaho, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, and New Mexico.
The following states have no-excuse absentee voting: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado (all-mail elections), District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii (all-mail eletions), Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon (all-mail elections), Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah (all-mail elections), Vermont, Virginia, Washington (all-mail elections), Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
