absentee ballot

Absentee ballots, also known as absentee votes or mail-in votes, are paper ballots that are submitted before election day, usually by mail, by voters who are unable to vote in person at their designated polling place. The specific requirements a registered voter must meet to use an absentee ballot differ significantly by state and jurisdiction . Since COVID-19 , the law of absentee voting has undergone rapid and significant change across the United States.

In states that restrict absentee voting, such a vote is generally allowed if the voter will be unavoidably absent from their polling place on election day due to travel, illness, disability , or duties related to the primary care of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled. Many jurisdictions, however, do not require any excuse, and several (including the District of Columbia) automatically send absentee ballots to all registered voters.

For more information about absentee voting in each state, visit the Absentee Ballot Rules page at vote.org .

If you are eligible to vote in the United States , you can register to vote online at vote.gov , you can check your voter registration status and find your polling place at vote.org/polling-place-locator , and you can request an absentee ballot (if eligible) at nass.org/can-i-vote/absentee-early-voting .

[Last reviewed in September of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team ]

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