Vote By Mail: A Guide to Everything You Need to Know
Vote by Mail Policy is Diverse
Voting by mail has become more and more commonplace in American elections over the past few decades; but that does not mean that states have come to a consensus around policies or implementation. While specific policies and procedures vary greatly from state to state, there are overarching trends that have emerged as states continue to look to expand vote by mail options.
Some examples of state-specific policies:
In Oklahoma and other states, voters are required to have their absentee ballot notarized to verify their excuse.
In Wisconsin and other states, state law requires that absentee voters find another person to sign as a witness affirming that they filled out their own ballot properly.
In Texas, voters must prove that they will be unable to vote not only on Election Day but for the entirety of early voting.
In Missouri, some counties will accept emailed ballot requests while others will not. In this past June election, Missouri counties also differed over whether coronavirus was a valid excuse to vote absentee.
In Florida, each county has its own absentee ballot request form and often, these forms require different data to be entered across different counties.
Each state - and sometimes each city or county - has their own laws and their own system for handling vote-by-mail, which can lead to voter experiences varying greatly in upcoming elections. It's important for voters to be aware of their state’s specific policies and requirements, to ensure they submit requests and ballots as early as possible and as accurately as possible to avoid risking any problems casting their ballot.
Not sure how to do this in your state? BallotReady can help with our new resource page.
Major Trends in Vote By Mail Policy
Many states have expanded vote by mail options in response to COVID-19. Three major trends include: sending mail-in ballots to all registered voters, sending mail-in ballot request applications to all registered voters, and changing absentee ballot excuse requirements.
Sending Mail-in Ballots to Registered Voters
A number of states fully transitioned to hold predominantly vote by mail elections during the pandemic. To achieve this, states have proactively sent all registered voters mail-in ballots. Increased efforts to distribute mail-in ballots to voters were often coupled with reforms to reduce in-person voting and increase secure, in-person drop off locations for mail in ballots.
Distributing Mail-in Ballot Request Applications
In other states, registered voters are being sent mail-in ballot request applications. These forms must be submitted by the voter and verified by the local election office before they are mailed an absentee ballot.
Changes to Valid Excuse Requirements
Thirteen states that traditionally require a valid excuse for absentee voting have temporarily changed restrictions to allow all voters to request an absentee ballot due to health concerns related to the pandemic.
Challenges with Expanding Vote By Mail
Four main types of challenges have been encountered over the past few months as states have expanded vote by mail during the pandemic: implementation, ballot security, voter participation, and partisan advantage.
Implementation Challenges
In some states, voters have received invalid or incorrect request forms for absentee ballots. Voters have also reported not receiving requested absentee ballots in time to vote by mail. After states significantly reduced the number of in-person polling locations, voters who did not vote by mail often experienced hours long lines to vote in person on election day. When rapidly expanding vote by mail policies, these are just a few of the many logistical hurdles.
Ballot Security
Election experts say that mail in voting is one of the most secure ways to cast a ballot, with a voter fraud rate of just 0.00006%. To ensure the security of mail in ballots, experts identify seven key features states implement: identity verification and signature matching, bar codes, secure drop boxes & in-person drop off locations, harsh penalties for fraud, post election audits, and supplemental in-person polling locations.
Voter Participation
States that predominantly vote by mail have been found to have some of the highest levels of turnout in presidential elections, and transitions to predominantly vote by mail increase turnout by several percentage points. Voting by mail was also shown to increase the time a voter takes to fill out their ballot, spending an average of 2 days to complete a mail in ballot compared to just 3.5 minutes in an in-person voting booth.
Partisan Advantage
Research demonstrates that vote by mail does not significantly advantage one party over another during an election. At most, vote by mail has been shown to give one party a slight increase in voter turnout, and both Democrats and Republicans have benefited from this marginal advantage. Vote by mail had the most significant effect on voters who are identified as least likely to participate in an election and do not tend to favor one party over the other.
If There’s One Thing You Need to Know This Year...
Voting by mail will be essential in upcoming elections during the pandemic. There is no standard policy or procedure from state to state, and policies to expand vote by mail must be adapted to changing and unexpected circumstances.
It's important for voters to have the resources necessary to navigate unfamiliar and often changing vote by mail procedures to ensure they submit requests for mail-in ballots as early as possible and cast their ballot on time. You can stay up to date with our new resources completely dedicated to Vote by Mail.
At BallotReady, we are committed to keeping you up to date on the latest developments in every state on vote by mail and other election policies and procedures. We have developed digital tools, like our Vote By Mail Engine and state-by-state vote by mail guidelines to ensure you and your voters have the information you need going into Election Day.
To find more about how BallotReady’s resources can help you, check out our website and click here to schedule a demo.
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