Early Voting
By: Matthew H. Frame, Legislative Analyst IIFebruary 1, 2023 | 2023-R-0018

Issue
Describe early voting, including the types of early voting available in states that offer it and thelength of their early voting period. This updates OLR Report 2021-R-0098.

Summary
Forty-six states and Washington D.C. allow all registered voters to cast a ballot in-person before
Election Day (Connecticut adopted a constitutional amendment in 2022 to allow for early voting,but the legislature has currently not implemented early voting legislation). Under these “earlyvoting” laws, voters do not need to provide a reason for voting before Election Day and can casttheir ballot in person—usually at an election official’s office or at a satellite voting location.
Under the other main form of pre-Election Day voting, regular absentee voting, voters must provide
a valid reason for why they are unable to vote on the day of the election. Only Alabama, Mississippi,and New Hampshire do not allow registered voters to cast a ballot in-person before Election Day
without providing a valid reason.
State laws vary on their early voting policies and the terminology used to describe them, and as aresult there is no universal definition of “early voting.” Nonetheless, election experts typically groupthese laws as follows: (1) early in-person voting; (2) in-person, no-excuse absentee voting; and (3)all-mail voting (often known as vote-by-mail).

www.cga.ct.gov/olr
OLRequest@cga.ct.gov

Connecticut General Assembly
Office of Legislative Research
Stephanie A. D’Ambrose, Director(860) 240-8400
Room 5300
Legislative Office BuildingGenerally, early in-person voting is when voters appear in person at one or more designatedlocations to vote before Election Day. Voters follow the same process as they would on Election Day(i.e., arrive at a polling location, receive a ballot, fill it out, and deposit it) and ballots are generally
stored until Election Day and then processed with all the other ballots cast.
In-person, no-excuse absentee voting is when voters cast absentee ballots in-person, rather than by
mail, before Election Day. In-person absentee ballots are usually subject to counting procedures
applicable to absentee ballots, such as signature verification.
Finally, vote-by-mail is when every registered voter automatically receives a ballot by mail before
Election Day. Because voters generally have the option of casting their ballot early and in-person at
a voting center or returning it at a designated drop-off location, election experts often describe
these states as states with an early voting option.
Some states offer more than one type of early voting. Alaska, for example, offers both early inperson voting and in-person absentee voting. California offers in-person absentee voting to every
registered voter; some counties additionally offer early in-person voting. The table below highlights
the most expansive option the state offers.

Early Voting Laws and Periods
States’ early voting periods range from three to 45 days; they begin as early as 46 days before theelection and as late as the Thursday before it. Twenty-three states and Washington D.C. offer earlyvoting on Saturdays or Sundays, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
Seven states authorize local election officials, such as county clerks, to decide whether to offer
early voting on Saturdays or Sundays.
Table 1 identifies each state’s primary form of early voting, as well as the general start and end
dates of its early in-person voting period. Early voting may not span the entire duration of thedesignated period. For example, within a given state, hours and days may vary by county. In otherstates, polling locations may not be open on weekend days.
The information in Table 1 applies to statewide general elections; early voting periods for primaries
or local elections may differ. Concerning absentee voting, the table applies only to no-excuse
absentee voting; it does not apply to regular absentee voting, which, as described above, requires
voters to provide a reason, or “excuse,” to vote early.

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Table 1: Early Voting Laws and Periods
StateForm of Voting

Period Starts

Period Ends

Alaska

Early in-person voting

15 days before theelection

Day of election

Alaska Stat. §§ 15.20.061,15.20.064, and Alaska
Admin. Code tit. 6, § 25.500
Arizona

Early in-person voting

27 days before theelection

Friday before theelection

Ariz. Rev. Stat. §§ 16-541
and 16-542Arkansas

Early in-person voting

15 days before theelection

Monday before theelection

All-mail voting (withearly in-person votingoption)

As early as 29 days
before the election(according to theSecretary of State’s
Office, in practice, mostcounties offer it for 14
days before theelection)
Voter service andpolling centers (VSPCs)
must be open for the
15 days before anelection, for dropping
off ballots or voting inperson; VSPCs are notrequired to be open on
SundaysN/A

Day of election

Ark. Code Ann. § 7-5-418
California
Cal. Elec. Code §§ 3000.5
and 3018

ColoradoColo. Rev. Stat.
§§ 1-5-102.9 and 1-7.5-104

All-mail voting (withearly in-person votingoption)

Day of election

Connecticut1

Early in-person voting

Delaware

Early in-person voting

At least 10 days before
the election

Sunday before theelection

Del. Code Ann. tit. 15,§ 5401 et seq.
Florida

Early in-person voting

10 days before theelection (may begin 11
to 15 days before astate or federal
election, at thediscretion of the county
elections supervisor)

Three days before theelection (may end twodays before a state orfederal election, at thediscretion of the county
elections supervisor)

Fla. Stat. § 101.657

N/A

1 Connecticut has not yet adopted legislation establish an early voting period.

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Table 1 (continued)
StateGeorgia
Ga. Code §§ 21-2-380 and
21-2-385
HawaiiHaw. Rev. Stat. § 11-101 et
seq.
Idaho
Idaho Code § 34-1001 etseq.
Illinois

Form of Voting

Period Starts

Early in-person voting

Fourth Monday before
the election

Friday before theelection

All-mail voting (withearly in-person votingoption)

10 business days
before the election

Day of election

In-person absentee
voting (may vary bycounty)

On or before the third
Monday before theelection

Friday before theelection

Early in-person voting

40 days before theelection for temporarylocations; permanent
early voting locations
must be open at least
15 days before theelection
28 days before theelection

Day before the election

10 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/19A-5
et seq.

Period Ends

Indiana

In-person absenteeInd. Code §§ 3-11-4-1 and3-11-10-26
Iowa

In-person absentee

20 days before theelection

Day before the election

Iowa Code §§ 53.10 and53.11
Kansas

Early in-person voting

Tuesday before theelection, or up 20 days
before the election(varies by county)

Day before the election

In-person absentee
votingThursday before theelection

Saturday before theelection

Early in-person voting

14 days before theelection

Seven days before theelection

Kan. Stat. Ann.
§§ 25-1122a and 25-1123
Kentucky
Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann.
§ 117.085
Louisiana

Day before the election

La. Rev. Stat. §§ 18:1303
and 18:1309

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StatePeriod Starts

Period Ends

In-person absentee
votingMe. Rev. Stat. tit. 21-A,§§ 751, 753B(2) and753-B(8)MarylandAs soon as absentee
ballots are ready (3045 days before theelection)

Three business days
before the election,
unless the voter has an
acceptable excuse

Early in-person voting

Second Thursday
before the election

Thursday before theelection

Md. Code, Elec. Law§ 10-301.1
Massachusetts

Early in-person voting

17 business days
before the election

Four days before theelection

In-person absentee
voting40 days before theelection

Day before the election

In-person absentee
voting46 days before theelection

Day before the election

In-person absentee
votingSecond Tuesday before
the election

Not specified in statuteIn-person absentee
voting30 days before theelection

Day before the election

In-person absentee
voting30 days before theelection

Election Day

All-mail voting (withearly in-person voting
option)Third Saturday before
the election

Friday before theelection

Maine

Mass. Gen. Laws Ann.
ch. 54, § 25B
MichiganMich. Const. art. II, § 4Minnesota
Minn. Stat. Ann.
§§ 203B.081 and
203B.085
Missouri
Mo. Rev. State § 115.277
MontanaMont. Code Ann.
§§ 13-13-205 and13-13-222
Nebraska
Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 32-808
and 32-938
NevadaNev. Rev. Stat. § 293.356 etseq.

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Table 1 (continued)
State

Form of Voting

Period Starts

Period Ends

New Jersey

Early in-person voting

45 days before theelection

Sunday before theelection

N.J. Stat. Ann. § 19:63-1 etseq.
New Mexico

Early in-person voting

Third Saturday before
the election for earlyvoting; 28 days before
the election for inperson absentee voting
10 days before theelection

Saturday before theelection

N.M. Stat. Ann. §§ 1-6-5.7
and 1-6-5(F)New YorkEarly in-person voting

N. Y. Elec. Law Title VI,§ 8-600
North Carolina

Early in-person voting

Third Thursday before
the election

Saturday before theelection

N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann.
§ 163-227.2
North Dakota

Early in-person voting

15 days before theelection

Day before the election

In-person absentee
votingDay after the close of
voter registration

Day before the election

In-person absentee
votingWednesday before theelection

Saturday before theelection

All mail voting (withearly in-person voting
option)Drop sites must open
the Friday before anelection but may open
as soon as ballots areavailable (18 daysbefore)
50 days before theelection

Day of election

N.D. Cent. Code§ 16.1-07-15
Ohio
Ohio Rev. Code §§ 3509.01
et seq.
Oklahoma
Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 26,§ 14-115.4
OregonOr. Rev. Stat. § 254.470,
Secretary of State Rules
Pennsylvania

In-person absentee
votingTwo days before theelection

Tuesday before theelection

25. Pa. Cons. Stat. § 3146.1
et seq.

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Table 1 (continued)
State

Form of Voting

Period Starts

In-person absentee
voting2

20 days before theelection

Day of election

Early in-person voting

15 days before theelection

Day before the election

In-person absenteevoting

46 days before theelection

Day before the election

S.D. Codified Laws§§
12-19-1.2 and 12-19-2.1
Tennessee

Early in-person voting

20 days before theelection

Five days before theelection

Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-6-102
Texas

Early in-person voting

17 days before theelection

Four days before theelection

All mail voting (withearly in-person voting
option)14 days before theelection

All-mail voting (withearly in-person voting
option)45 days before theelection

Friday before theelection; election
officials may extend theearly voting period tothe day before theelection after providing
the required noticeDay before the election

In-person absenteevoting

45 days before theelection

Saturday before theelection

All mail voting (withearly in-person votingoption)

Vote centers must open
18 days before theelection

Day of election

Rhode Island
R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-2
South Carolina
S.C. Code § 7-13-25
South Dakota

Tex. Elec. Code §§ 85.001
and 85.002
UtahUtah Code Ann.
§ 20A-3a-601 et seq.

Vermont
Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 17,§§ 2531 to 2537
Virginia
VA Code Ann. §§ 24.2-700
and 24.2-701.1
Washington
Wash. Rev. Code§§ 29A.40.010 and
29A.40.160

Period Ends

2 On Rhode Island’s mail ballot application, a voter may indicate that he or she “may not be able to vote” at his or her polling place on

the day of the election; the State Board of Elections website indicates that this is no-excuse absentee voting.

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Table 1 (continued)
StateWest Virginia
W. Va. Code § 3-3-3
Wisconsin
Wis. Stat. Ann. § 6.86
Wyoming

Form of Voting

Period Starts

Period Ends

Early in-person voting

13 days before theelection

Three days before theelection

In-person absentee
voting

14 days before theelection

Sunday before theelection

In-person absentee
voting40 days before theelection

Day of election

Wyo. Stat. § 22-9-101 etseq.
Sources: NCSL, U.S. Vote Foundation, and Secretaries of State

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