Absentee Voting Rules

What is Absentee Voting?

Absentee voting (aka "mail-in voting" and "by-mail voting") is conducted by mail-in ballot before the day of the election.  Some states require a valid excuse (such as unavoidable absence from your county on Election Day) before they'll issue an absentee ballot.  An increasing number of states offer "no excuse absentee voting"; these states will let any registered voter cast an absentee ballot. 

ALABAMA

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

• you will be absent from the county on election day
• you are ill or have a physical disability that prevents a trip to the polling place
• you are a registered Alabama voter who is temporarily living outside the county (such as a member of the armed forces, a voter employed outside of the United States, a college student, or a spouse or child of such a person)
• you are an appointed election officer or poll watcher at a polling place other than your regular polling place
• you work a required shift - 10 hours or more - that coincides with polling hours
  

ALASKA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

ARIZONA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

ARKANSAS

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

• You will be unavoidably absent from your polling site on election day, OR
• You will be unable to attend your polling site on election day due to illness or physical disability, OR
• You are a member of the U.S. armed forces, merchant marines or the spouse or a dependent family member, OR
• You are a U.S. citizen domiciled in Arkansas but temporarily living outside the territorial limits of the United States.

CALIFORNIA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.  California also offers the option of permanent absentee status to any registered voter.  If you choose this option, the State of California will mail an absentee ballot to you for every election.

COLORADO

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

CONNECTICUT

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

• You will be absent from town during all the hours of voting
• You are ill
• You have a physical disability which makes it difficult for you to get to the polls
• Your religious tenets forbid secular (non-religious) activity on Election Day
• Your required performance of duties as a primary, referendum, or election official at a polling place other than your own during all the hours on Election Day

First-time voters: if you want to vote by absentee ballot, you MUST submit ID with your absentee ballot.  These documents must be placed in the outer envelope.  DO NOT INCLUDE these documents in the same envelope as your ballot or your ballot will be rejected.The following forms of ID are acceptable: 

• a copy of a current and valid photo identification OR
• a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.

DELAWARE

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

• Work: The nature of your work prevents you from going to your polling place.
• Public Service: Your service to the United States or to the State of Delaware prevents you from going to your polling place. Spouses or dependents of the person in service also qualify. (Public service includes military, diplomatic, etc.)
• Religion: The tenets or teaching of your religion prevent you from going to your polling place.
• Vacation: You are on vacation on election day.
• Illness: You are sick.
• Disability: You are permanently or temporarily disabled.
• Incarcerated: You are incarcerated. (Not for a felony)   

Your absentee ballot will not be counted if: 

• The affidavit of the absentee voter that appears on the front of the ballot envelope is found to have been altered or is not signed; or 
• The absentee voter is not a duly registered elector in this State; or 
• The ballot envelope is open; or 
• It is evident that the ballot envelope has been opened and resealed; 
• It is evident that the ballot envelope has been tampered with or altered.
  

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

• you will be outside of the District of Columbia on Election Day
• you will be hospitalized on Election Day
• you have a physical handicap or disability
• you have a temporary or permanent illness
• you have been sequestered for jury duty
• you are incarcerated, but NOT on a felony conviction
• you are confined to an institution, but have not been judicially declared incompetent
• you are a uniformed or overseas citizen
• you are a member of the Board of Elections

FLORIDA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot. 

GEORGIA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

HAWAII

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

IDAHO

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

ILLINOIS

If you are already a registered voter, you do not need an excuse to vote by absentee ballot.

If you are an unregistered voter, you may vote by absentee ballot if: 

• you are a member of the Uniformed Service or merchant marine on active duty or employee of the U.S. Government working outside the U.S. (or an eligible spouse or dependent thereof),
• you are a U.S. citizens temporarily residing outside the U.S. (or a spouse or dependent thereof),
• you are a state or federal employee (or spouse or dependent thereof) who had a voting residence in the precinct at the beginning of the employment, but who now resides outside the precinct due to the state or federal employment. 

INDIANA

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

• You have a specific, reasonable expectation that you will be absent from the county on Election Day during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open (6 am until 6 pm).
• You have a disability.
• You are at least 65 years of age.
• You will have official election duties outside of your voting precinct.
• You are scheduled to work at your regular place of employment during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
• You will be confined due to illness or injury or you will be caring for an individual confined due to illness or injury during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
• You are prevented from voting because of a religious discipline or religious holiday during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
• You are a participant in the state's address confidentiality program.

You may vote absentee-by-traveling board (someone comes to your house and helps you fill out a ballot) if: 

• You expect to be confined, due to illness or injury, or you expect to be caring for a confined person at a private residence, on Election Day.
• You are a voter with disabilities and you believe your polling place is not accessible to you.

IOWA

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

• You will be absent from your precinct during the time period in which the polls are open.
• You have an illness or disability that prevents you from going to the polls and voting on election day.
• You expect that you will be unable to go to the polls and vote on election day.

Note: A person who has been designated to have power of attorney by a registered voter does not have the authority to request or to cast an absentee ballot on behalf of the registered voter.

KANSAS

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

KENTUCKY

You may vote by absentee ballot if:  

• you are of advanced age, you have a physical disability, or you are suffering from an illness
• you are a member of the Armed Forces or the dependent of a member of the Armed Forces
• you are military personnel confined to a military base on election day
• you are temporarily residing overseas but still eligible to vote in Kentucky
• you are temporarily residing out of state but still eligible to vote in Kentucky
• you are a student attending school outside your county of residence
• you are incarcerated in jail and charged but not convicted of a felony
• you are working outside the county and unable to vote early in the county clerk's office or in your polling place on election day.

If you change your place of residence to a different state while the registration books are closed in the new state, you can apply for a mail-in absentee ballot or vote on the absentee voting machine only in President/Vice President election.

You can apply for a medical emergency absentee ballot if a medical emergency occurs within 14 days before an election. The spouse of the voter can also apply for a paper absentee ballot.

LOUISIANA

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

• you are a member of the United States Armed Service (or a spouse or dependent of a member of the armed forces);
• you are a student, instructor, or professor in an institution of higher learning located outside of your parish of registration, and you live outside of your parish, (or spouses or dependents accompanying and residing therewith);
• you are a minister, priest, rabbi, or other members of the clergy assigned to a religious post outside of your parish of registration (or spouses or dependents accompanying and residing therewith);
• you are or expect to be temporarily outside the territorial limits of the state or outside of your parish of registration during the early voting period and on election day;
• you have moved to a parish which is more than 100 miles from the parish where you are registered and it is too late to register in your new parish; 
• you are involuntarily confined in an institution for mental treatment outside of your registration parish and you are not interdicted and not judicially declared incompetent;
• you reside outside the United States;
• you expect to be hospitalized on election day and either were hospitalized or expect to be hospitalized during the early voting period; or you did not learn that you would be hospitalized until after the early voting period expired; or you have been hospitalized and released but your physician has ordered you to remain in bed during the early voting period and on Election Day;
• you expect to be out of your precinct upon the waters of the state both during the early voting period and on election day because of your employment or occupation (e.g., working offshore);
• you are approved for the Special Handicap Program and are living at home, not in a nursing home;
• you are incarcerated in an institution inside or outside your parish of registration and are not under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony;
• you are 65 years of age or older; or
• you have a mobility impaired identification card issued by the office of motor vehicles (include a copy of mobility impaired i.d. card with your application).
•  

Your request for an absentee ballot will be rejected if:

• Your request for an absentee ballot was received too early; the earliest a request for an absentee ballot can be accepted is 60 days prior to the election.
• Your request for an absentee ballot was received too late; the request deadline is four days before election day.
• If you registered by mail and have not previously voted in the parish where you registered, you must vote in person either during the early voting period or at the precinct on election day.
• You requested an absentee ballot from a parish or district/precinct where you are not registered to vote.
• You registered after the voter registration books were closed 30 days prior to election day.
• Your request for an absentee ballot was incomplete.

MAINE

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.  

Witness/Notary Signature: Ballots obtained by the voter or an immediate family member do not require a witness or notary signature, unless the voter receives assistance from another person in reading or marking the ballot.

MARYLAND

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot, but you must swear an oath that is returned with your voted ballot that you "will be absent or unable to vote in person in the election." If you will not be absent or are able to vote in person in the election, you should plan on voting at your polling place on election day.

MASSACHUSETTS

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

• you will be absent from your city or town on election day, and/or
• you have a physical disability that prevents your voting at the polling place, and/or
• you cannot vote at the polls due to religious beliefs and/or
• you are confined in a correctional facility or jail (but NOT on a felony charge)

Generally, a voter must be registered in order to vote absentee, though several exceptions exist: Those outside of Massachusetts, prisoners, and members of the armed forces or merchant marine, or their spouses or dependents, do not need to be registered in order to vote absentee.  

MICHIGAN

You may vote by absentee ballot if: 

• you are 60 years old or older
• you are unable to vote without assistance at the polls
• you are expecting to be out of town on election day
• you are in jail awaiting arraignment or trial
• you are unable to attend the polls due to religious reasons
• you are appointed to work as an election inspector in a precinct outside of your precinct of residence.  
  

First-time Michigan voters who register by mail MUST vote in person the first time they vote. This restriction does not apply to overseas voters, voters who are handicapped or voters who are 60 years of age or older.  You can, however, get around this rule by requesting your absentee ballot in person from your County Clerk.  You have until the day before the election to request your absentee ballot in person. 

MINNESOTA

You may vote by absentee ballot if you are unable to vote in person on election day because:

• you are away from home
• you are ill or disabled
• you are an election judge serving in a precinct other than your own
• you are unable to go to the polling place due to a religious observance or belief.
• People who move out of Minnesota within 30 days of a presidential election should use the Presidential Absentee Voting Application.
• People permanently unable to go to their polling places can apply for a Permanent Absentee Ballot.  Once approved, Minnesota will automatically send you a ballot for all eligible elections
  

MISSISSIPPI

If you are a citizen of Mississippi and a registered voter you may vote absentee if you meet one of the following conditions:

• You are an enlisted or commissioned member of any component of the United States Armed Forces, or spouse or dependent of such member.
• You are a Member of the Merchant Marine or the American Red Cross, or spouse or dependent of such member.
• You are a disabled war veteran who is a patient in any hospital, or the spouse or dependent of such veteran.
• You are a civilian attached to and serving outside of the United States with any branch of the Armed Forces or with the Merchant Marine or American Red Cross, or spouse or dependent of such civilian. You are a citizen of Mississippi temporarily residing outside the territorial limits of the United States and the District of Columbia.
• You are a student, teacher or administrator at a college, university, junior or community college, high, junior high, elementary or grade school, whose studies or employment at such institution necessitates your absence from the county of your voting residence or spouse or dependent of such student, teacher or administrator
• You will be outside the county on election day.
• You have a temporary or permanent physical disability.
• You are sixty-five (65) years of age or older.
• You are the parent, spouse or dependent of a person with a temporary or permanent physical disability who is hospitalized outside his county of residence or more than fifty (50) miles away from his residence, and you will be with such person on election day.
• You are a member of the congressional delegation, or spouse or dependent of a member of the congressional delegation.
• You are required to be at work on election day during the times which the polls will be open.

Please check with your Circuit or Municipal Clerk to determine if you are entitled to vote absentee and to learn the procedures for doing so.

MISSOURI

You can vote by absentee ballot if you: 

• Will be absent from your voting jurisdiction on election day
• Are incapacitated or confined due to illness or physical disability, or caring for an incapacitated person
• Are restricted by religious belief or practice
• Are employed by an election authority
• Are incarcerated, but have retained all your voting qualifications 
  

MONTANA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.  

NEBRASKA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

NEVADA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.  First-time voters who registered to vote by mail but did not provide ID when registering must provide a copy of acceptable ID with their absentee ballot applications.  

NEW HAMPSHIRE

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

• you will be absent on the day of any state election from the county, city, or town in which you are registered to vote
• you are unable appear in public on election day because of your observance of a religious commitment
• you are unable to vote in person by reason of physical disability
• you are unable to vote in person by reason of military service
• you are unable to appear at any time during polling hours at your polling place because an employment obligation requires you to remain physically at work or to be in transit to or from work from the time the polls open until after the time the polls close

NEW JERSEY

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.  

NEW MEXICO

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

NEW YORK

You may vote by absentee ballot if:

• you are unavoidably absent from your county on Election Day
• you are unable to appear at the polls due to illness or disability
• you are a patient in a Veterans’ Administration Hospital
• you are detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony
  

NORTH CAROLINA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

NORTH DAKOTA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot. 

OHIO

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

OKLAHOMA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

OREGON

You may apply for absentee voter status if:  

• You live out of state or
• You know that you will be absent for an election in which you wish to vote.

PENNSYLVANIA

You may vote for absentee ballot if: 

• you are in the military service of the United States (military voters do not need to be registered to vote to vote by absentee ballot, and they do not need to be overseas or even outside of Pennsylvania)
• you are a spouse or dependent of someone in the military, and you expect expect on Election Day to be absent from the Commonwealth or the municipality of residence during the entire period in which the polling places are open for voting (7:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M).
• you are a member of the Merchant Marine (or a spouse or dependent) and you expect on Election Day to be absent from the Commonwealth or the municipality of residence during the entire period in which the polling places are open for voting (7:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M).
• you are a member of a religious or welfare group attached to and serving with the armed forces (or a spouse or dependent) and you expect on Election Day to be absent from the Commonwealth or the municipality of residence during the entire period in which the polling places are open for voting (7:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M).
• you expect that your occupation or duties (including leaves of absence for teaching, vacations, and sabbatical leaves) will cause you to be away from your municipality on Election Day.  This also applies to spouses and dependents.  
• you are a war veteran who is bedridden or hospitalized due to illness or physical disability and therefore unable to vote in person (note: people who fall in this group can vote by absentee ballot even if they are not already registered).  
• you are ill or physically disabled and therefore unable to go to a polling place or operate a voting machine.  
• you are employed by the Commonwealth or the Federal Government and your duties require you to be absent from the Commonwealth or the municipality of your residence on Election Day. This also applies to spouses and dependents.  
• you are employed by the county and you expect that your Election Day duties will prevent you from voting.  
• you will be observing a religious holiday and will be unable to vote.  

Permanent absentee voting: A disabled elector may be placed on a permanently disabled absentee file.

RHODE ISLAND

You may vote by absentee ballot if:  

• You will be absent from the state on election day during the entire time the polls are open;
• You will be absent from the city or town of your voting residence during the entire time the polls are open because you are a student or spouse of a student at an institution of higher learning within the state;
• You are incapacitated due to illness or mental or physical disability, blindness  or serious impairment of mobility and it would be an undue hardship for you to vote at the polls; 
• You are forbidden by the tenets of your religious faith from voting on election day;
• You are confined to a hospital, rest home, convalescent home, nursing home or similar institution, public or private;
• You are being detained while awaiting trial or imprisoned for any cause other than final conviction of a felony;
• You will be temporarily absent from the state because of employment or service connected with military operations or are a spouse or dependent of such a person;
• You are employed by the State Board of Elections or the local Board of Canvassers or a poll worker assigned to work on Election Day outside of your voting district;
  

SOUTH CAROLINA

You may vote by absentee ballot if:  

• you are a student away at college (or a spouse or dependent residing with the student)
• you are a member of the Armed Forces, Merchant Marines, Red Cross, USO, government employees (or a spouse or dependent residing with such a person) 
• you live overseas 
• your job prevents you from voting in person 
• you are physically disabled 
• you are away on vacation 
• you are 65 or older
• you have been admitted to the hospital as an emergency patient on day of election or at least four days prior to the election
• there has been a death or funeral in your family within 3 days before the election
• you are confined to a jail or pre-trial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial
• you are attending sick or physically disabled persons
• you are on jury duty in state or federal court on election day 
• you are a certified poll watcher, poll manager, or county elecion official and you will be working on Election Day
  

SOUTH DAKOTA

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot. 

TENNESSEE

You may vote by absentee ballot if:  

• you will be outside the county of registration during the early voting period and all day on election day;
• you or your spouse is enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited college or university outside the county of registration;
• a licensed physician has filed a statement with the county election commission stating that, in the physician's judgment, you are  medically unable to vote in person. The statement must be filed not less than five (5) days before the election and signed under the penalty of perjury;
• you reside in a licensed facility providing relatively permanent domiciliary care, other than a penal institution, outside the voter's county of residence;
• you will be unable to vote in person due to service as a juror for a federal or state court;
• you are sixty-five (65) years of age or older;
• you have a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place;
• you are hospitalized, ill, or physically disabled and because of such condition, cannot vote in person;
• you are the caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill, or disabled;
• you are a candidate for office in the election;
• you serve as an election day official or as a member or employee of the election commission;
• you will be observing a religious holiday which prevents you from voting in person during the early voting period and on election day;
• you possess a valid commercial driver license and you certify that you will be working outside the state or county of registration during the early voting period and all day on election day;
• you are a member of the military or is an overseas citizen. 

First-time Voters: If you register to vote by mail - and you are not on the permanent absentee ballot list - then you must vote in person the first time you vote. If you registered to vote by mail and you have already voted in person at least once, then you may vote by absentee ballot.

TEXAS

You may vote by absentee ballot if:  

• be 65 years or older;
• be disabled;
• be out of the county on election day and during the period for early voting by personal appearance; or
• be confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.
  

UTAH

Any registered voter can vote by absentee ballot.

VERMONT

Any registered voter can vote by absentee ballot.

VIRGINIA

First-time voters who registered by mail: New registrants who submitted their voter registration applications by mail must vote in person (either in-person absentee or at the polls on election day) unless the voter is a full time college student, absent active duty military, residing overseas, physically handicapped, voting a "presidential only" ballot, or age 65 or over (however, they must also list a qualifying reason for voting absentee, as age itself does not qualify a voter for an absentee ballot).

Registered Virginia voters may vote by absentee ballot if they meet one of the following conditions:

• Any person who, in the regular and orderly course of his business, profession, or occupation or while on personal business or vacation, will be absent from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote;
• Any person who is (i) a member of a uniformed service of the United States, as defined in 42 U.S.C. § 1973ff-6(7), on active duty, or (ii) a member of the merchant marine of the United States, or (iii) who temporarily resides outside of the United States, or (iv) the spouse or dependent residing with any person listed in (i), (ii), or (iii), and who will be absent on the day of the election from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote.  See Absentee Voting Procedures for Overseas Personnel (Military & Non-Military)
• Any student attending a school or institution of learning, or his spouse, who will be absent on the day of election from the county or city in which he is entitled to vote;
• Any person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of election because of a physical disability or physical illness;
• Any person who is confined while awaiting trial or for having been convicted of a misdemeanor, provided that the trial or release date is scheduled on or after the third day preceding the election. Any person who is awaiting trial and is a resident of the county or city where he is confined shall, on his request, be taken to the polls to vote on election day if his trial date is postponed and he did not have an opportunity to vote absentee;
• Any person who is a member of an electoral board, registrar, officer of election, or custodian of voting equipment;
• Any duly registered person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of the election because he is primarily and personally responsible for the care of an ill or disabled family member who is confined at home; or
• Any duly registered person who is unable to go in person to the polls on the day of the election because of an obligation occasioned by his religion.
• Any person who, in the regular and orderly course of his business, profession, or occupation, will be at his place of work and commuting to and from his home to his place of work for eleven or more hours of the thirteen that the polls are open (6:00 AM to 7:00 PM).

Presidential only ballots: Any registered and qualified voter may request a mail ballot for presidential and vice-presidential electors only by writing across the top of their absentee application "request ballot for presidential electors only."  A voter who votes a "presidential only" ballot may not later decide to vote the rest of the ballot.  The same procedures and deadlines apply as for other absentee applications and ballots.

WASHINGTON

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

WEST VIRGINIA

You may vote by absentee ballot (by mail) if:

• Travel: you will be out of your county during the entire 20 days leading up to the election and election day, you may vote by mail, providing the ballot can be mailed to you at an out-of-county address.
• Work: If the hours you work and the distance you work from the county makes voting in person impossible, you may request an absentee ballot by mail.
• Part-time residency: If you maintain your voting residence in West Virginia and live here the majority of the time but live elsewhere for part of the year, you may vote absentee by mail.
• Job Assignment: If you have a job assignment which requires you to live outside the county for an extended period of time (up to four years) and your employer can document that the assignment is temporary, you may maintain your voting residence in West Virginia and vote absentee by mail.  This provision also covers out-of-county service as an elected or appointed federal or state officer.
• Health problems or Physical Disability: If health problems or disabilities keep you confined to your home or other care facility so that you can't vote in person, you may apply for a ballot by mail. 
• College Enrollment: If you are away at college, you may vote an absentee ballot by mail.
• If you are in the military, or temporarily living overseas, you may vote an absentee ballot by mail.
• If you are under incarceration or detention in a jail or in a home, you may request an absentee ballot by mail as long as you are not under conviction (including period of probation or parole) of any felony, of treason or of bribery in an election.  In order to be eligible for the absentee ballot, the affidavit on the back of the Application of Voting an Absent Voter’s Ballot by Mail form must be completed by a sheriff, chief of police, or authorized deputy

Emergency absentee voting: is available when a person is suddenly hospitalized or unexpectedly admitted to a nursing home within the county, or in some cases, in an adjacent county.  The provisions only apply when it is too late to get a ballot by mail.

Permanent absentee voting: If you are permanently disabled and are permanently unable to go to the polls, you may apply to be placed on the permanent absentee voting list to vote by mail. A doctor's statement must be filed with your application, but once approved, the clerk will automatically send you an absentee ballot before each election.

WISCONSIN

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.

WYOMING

Any registered voter may vote by absentee ballot.