States » Absentee and Early Voting Laws

Early and absentee voting laws vary widely, and are decided on a state level. The grid lays out the basic pattern of laws across states, with some quick facts at the end. The table below has a more detailed outline of each state's laws, as well as links to the relevant Codes and Statutes.

Summary Table

Fast Facts

31 states allow no-excuse pre-Election Day in-person voting - either early voting on a voting machine or in-person absentee voting.

4 states and the District of Columbia require an excuse for in-person absentee voting

1 state is all vote-by mail

16 states do not allow early or in-person absentee voting

28 states allow no-excuse absentee voting by mail

22 states and the District of Columbia require an excuse to vote absentee by mail

Detailed Breakdown

State	Pre-Election Day In-Person Voting	Absentee Voting
Alabama	No. (In-person absentee voting repealed in 2001.)	Excuse required. Code of Alabama Section 17-11-3
Alaska	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. 15 days prior to an election through election day at regional election office buildings and airports. Alaska Statute 15.20.061	No excuse required. Alaska Statute 15.20.010
Arizona	Yes. Early voting. No excuse required. For general and primary elections, starts 33 days before election day and ends 5pm the Friday before election day. For the presidential preference election, starts 26 days before the election. AZ Secretary of State and Arizona Revised Statutes 16-541(A)	No excuse required. Arizona Statutes refer only to "early ballots", which can be voted in-person or by mail. Arizona Revised Statutes 16-541(A)
Arkansas	Yes. Early voting. No excuse required. Early voting shall be available to any qualified elector who applies to the county clerk's designated early voting location, beginning fifteen (15) days before a preferential primary, general primary, general election, or general run-off election between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday and ending at 5:00 p.m. on the Monday before the election. Ark. Code Ann. 7-5-418 and Arkansas Secretary of State website	No excuse required. To be qualified to vote an absentee ballot, you must meet one of the following criteria: You will be unavoidably absent from your polling site on election day (the law does not require you to give a reason), or you will be unable to attend the polls on election day because of illness or physical disability.Arkansas Secretary of State website
California	Yes. Early absentee voting. No excuse required. This is an alternative method of casting an absentee ballot; only registered absentee voters may vote early. Calif. Election Code 3018	No excuse required. Voters may also place themselves on a "permanent absentee" list. Calif. Election Code 3003
Colorado	Yes. Early voting. No excuse required. Begins 15 days prior to a general election; begins 10 days prior to a primary or special election. Colo. Rev. Stat. 1-8-202	No excuse required. Voters may also place themselves on a "permanent absentee" list. Colo. Rev. Stats. 1-8-102 and 1-8-104.5
Connecticut	No.	Excuse required. Conn. Election Code 9-135
Delaware	No.	Excuse required. Delaware Code 5502
District of Columbia	Yes. In-person absentee voting. Excuse required. DC Board of Elections and Ethics website	Excuse required. D.C. Code Ann. 1-1001.09 (b)(2)
Florida	Yes. Early voting. No excuse required. Begins 15 days prior to election. Fla. Stats. Title 9, ch. 101.657 and Elections Division page	No excuse required. Ballots are mailed no fewer than 45 days before a general election (35 for primaries). Fla. Stats. Title 9, ch. 101.62
Georgia	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. An elector who casts a ballot in-person during the week preceding an election "shall not be required to provide a reason". Ga. Code 21-2-380(b)	No excuse required. An elector who applies for absentee ballot by mail "shall not be required to provide a reason". Ga. Code 21-2-380(b)
Hawaii	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. Absentee polling places are open no later than 10 working days before Election Day, and all Saturdays falling within that period, or as soon thereafter as ballots are available. Hi. Code 15-7	No excuse required. Hi. Code 15-4(a)
Idaho	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. Idaho Statutes 34-1006	No excuse required. Idaho Statutes 34-1001
Illinois	Yes. Early voting. No excuse required. The period for early voting by personal appearance begins the 22nd day preceding a general primary, consolidated primary, consolidated, or general election and extends through the 5th day before election day. A permanent polling place for early voting must remain open during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. 10 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/19A-15	Excuse required. 10 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 5/19-1
Indiana	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. IC 3-11-10-26	Excuse required. IC 3-11-10-24
Iowa	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. The voter may vote at the county commissioner's office no more than 40 days preceding a primary or general election. Iowa Code, Title 2, Chapter 53.10	No excuse required. Iowa Code, Title 2, Chapter 53.1
Kansas	Yes. Advance voting. No excuse required. Kan. Stat. 25-1122a	No excuse required. Kan. Stat. 25-1119
Kentucky	Yes. In-person absentee voting. Excuse required. Ky. Rev. Stat. 117.085(c)	Excuse required. Ky. Rev. Stat. 117.085(a) and Ky. Rev. Stat 117.075
Louisiana	Yes. Early voting (but must apply, similar to in-person absentee voting). No excuse required. The period of early voting shall be from fourteen (14) to seven (7) days prior to any scheduled election. La. Rev. Stat. 18-1309	Excuse required. La. Rev. Stat. 18-303(B)
Maine	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. Voters may go in-person to the clerk's office as soon as absentee ballots are available (30 - 45 days before election). Maine Rev. Stat. Title 21A 9-753-B(8)	No excuse required. Maine Rev. Stat. Title 21A, Chapter 9-751
Maryland	No.	Excuse required. Md. Code, Title 9, Section 304
Massachusetts	No.	Excuse required. M.G.L. Chapter 54, Section 86
Michigan	No.	Excuse required. Michigan Compiled Laws Act 116 of 1954, Secion 168-759
Minnesota	Yes. Excuse required. In-person absentee voting. Minnesota Statues 203B.081	Excuse required. Voters who are permanently unable to vote in-person on Election Day (e.g., due to illness or nursing home residence) may sign up for permanent absentee status. Minnesota Statues 203B.02
Mississippi	No.	Excuse required. Miss. Code of 1972, Section 23-15-713
Missouri	No.	Excuse required. Missouri Rev. Stat. Section 155.277
Montana	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. Begins 30 days prior to general election. Mont. Code Annotated 13-13-222	No excuse required. Permanent absentee status is also available. Mont. Code Annotated 13-13-201
Nebraska	Yes. In-person early voting. No excuse required. Ballots can be voted up to 35 days before the election. Neb. Stat. 32-942	No excuse required. Neb. Stat. 32-938
Nevada	Yes. Early Voting. No excuse required. The period for in-person early voting begins the third Saturday before an election, extending through the Friday before Election Day, excluding Sundays and holidays. Nev. Rev. Stat. 293.356	No excuse required. Nev. Rev. Stat. 293.313
New Hampshire	No.	Excuse required. Source: NH Rev. Stat. 657:1
New Jersey	No.	No excuse required. Source: New Jersey Statutes 19:57-2-4
New Mexico	Yes. Early voting. No excuse required. Commencing on the third Saturday prior to an election, an early voter may vote in person, on an electronic voting machine at an alternate location established by the county clerk. N.M. Stat. 1-6-5.7	No excuse required. N.M. Stat. 1-6-3
New York	No.	Excuse required. N.Y. Election Law, 8.400 [PDF]
North Carolina	Yes. One-stop absentee voting. No excuse required. Beginning on the third Thursday before an election and ending on the last Saturday before that election, voters can vote an absentee ballot in person. The law provides only for in-person absentee voting at the office of the county board of elections, but allows counties to establish alternative sites (as approved by the State Board of Elections). N.C. Gen. Stat. 163-227.2	No excuse required. N.C. Gen. Stat. 163-226a
North Dakota	Yes. Early voting. No excuse required. Counties provide early voting facilities up to fifteen days immediately before the day of the election, at the discretion of county auditors. N.D. Stat. 16.1-07-15	No excuse required. N.D. Stat. 16.1-07-01
Ohio	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. Begins 35 days before primary and general elections. OH Secretary of State	No excuse required. OH Secretary of State
Oklahoma	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. A registered voter may apply for an in-person absentee ballot at a location designated by the secretary of the county election board from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Monday immediately preceding any election and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday immediately preceding a state or federal election. Ok. Stat. 26-14-115	No excuse required. Ok. Stat. 26-14-115
Oregon	All mail-in voting.Ore. Stat. 254.465	No excuse required. Ballots are mailed about three weeks before each election. Ore. Stat. 253.015
Pennsylvania	No.	Excuse required (affirmation of absence). Pa. Code 171.11
Rhode Island	No.	Excuse required (21-day advance application). R.I. Stat. 17-20-2
South Carolina	No.	Excuse required. (Can apply and vote on same day, if the ballots are prepared.) S.C. Code 7-15-320
South Dakota	Yes, in-person absentee voting. At anytime prior to an election, a voter may apply in person to the person in charge of the election for an absentee ballot during regular office hours up to 3:00 p.m. of the day of the election. S.D. Code 12-19-2.1	No excuse required. (Application deadline 3pm on election day.) S.D. Code 12-19-1
Tennessee	Yes. Early voting. No excuse required. A voter who desires to vote early shall go to the county election commission office within the posted hours not more than twenty (20) days nor less than five (5) days before the day of the election. Tenn. Code 2-6-102	Excuse required. Tenn. Code 2-6-201
Texas	Yes. Early voting. No excuse required. Early voting in person starts 17 days before each election unless the first day falls on the weekend, then early voting begins on the following Monday and ends 4 days before each election. Tex. Elec. Code 81.001	Excuse required. Tex. Elec. Code 82.001
Utah	Yes. Begins fourteen days in advance of election. No excuse required. Utah Elec. Code 20A-3-601	No excuse required. Utah Elec. Code 20A-3-301
Vermont	Yes. Up to 30 days in advance of a general election, in the Town Clerk's office. No excuse required. Vermont Stat. 17¤2537	No excuse required. Vermont Stat. 17¤2531
Virginia	Yes. In-person absentee voting. Excuse required. Absentee voting in person begins approximately 45 days before a November General Election and approximately 30 days before other elections and ends at 5:00 p.m. on the Saturday before the election. Va. Code 24.2-707	Excuse required. Va. Code 24.2-700
Washington	No.	No excuse required. R.C.W. 29A.40.010
West Virginia	Yes. No excuse required. Available from the twentieth day before the election to the third. W.V. Code 3-3-3	Excuse required. W.V. Code 3-3-1
Wisconsin	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. Ballots available three weeks ahead of each election. Wi. Code 6.29	No excuse required. 6.20 and 6.85
Wyoming	Yes. In-person absentee voting. No excuse required. 40 days before election.	No excuse required. Wy. Stat. 22-9-102 [DOC]

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