Mail-in ballots have become the preferred voting option for many voters nationwide since the pandemic.
And on college campuses, many out-of-state students rely on this process for their vote to count at home.
All over the U.S., more than 26 million mail-in ballots have been returned so far, and more than 65 million have been requested. That’s according to findings from the Election Lab at the University of Florida.
But voting by mail isn’t easy for everyone. Since 2020, many states have passed laws making it harder to vote by mail. These laws have shortened the window to apply for mail-in ballots and return them on time. With each state having its own rules, it can be confusing to understand each state’s deadlines and restrictions.
As an out-of-state Pennsylvania voter, I was surprised to discover my ballot must be received by election day at 8 p.m. That’s different from how it works here in California. I was under the impression that as long as my Pennsylvania ballot was postmarked by November 5th my vote would be counted.
It gets more complicated from there: I was told my initial ballot was mailed to me at the beginning of October, but I didn’t receive it. After waiting a few weeks, I had to request another one. Unfortunately, with less than a week to the election, I have still not received my ballot.
What I’ve learned in the process is that every state is different:
In Pennsylvania, the deadline to register to vote was October 21st.
Texas has an even earlier registration deadline of October 7th.
In California, however, voters are offered same-day registration and voting from October 22nd to election day. California ballots that are mailed must be postmarked on or before election day, and received no later than 7 days after the election.
States including Alaska and New York have similar postmark rules.
With so many different regulations around the country, it is critical to know and understand the deadlines to request and return ballots in your state. There are many resources online, but the best thing to do is check your state’s election office website for the official dates.