Vote By Mail

Vote by mail is a method in which eligible voters receive or request a paper ballot, mark it away from a polling place, and return it by an authorized method such as mail or a secure drop location. Eligibility, application rules, return options, signature procedures, and deadlines differ among U.S. jurisdictions.

Vote by mail generally involves issuing a ballot to an eligible voter, providing a return envelope and instructions, authenticating the returned ballot under jurisdictional procedures, and accepting it for counting if required conditions are met. Election officials also use tracking, ballot-accounting, signature or other verification, chain-of-custody, and deadline controls according to local law.

Vote by mail and absentee voting overlap, but the labels are not always identical. Some jurisdictions use absentee voting for ballots requested because the voter will not vote in person, while all-mail systems automatically send ballots to eligible voters. Terminology and eligibility rules vary, so the jurisdiction's official description is the controlling one.