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In June 2026, SCOTUS ruled that federal Election Day statutes do not prevent states from counting mail ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive afterward. This blog summarizes the decision, which preserves mail ballot grace periods in 14 states and D.C. ahead of the 2026 midterms.
- Tags: Absentee voting, Mail voting
- Categories Voting by mail
- Blog Post
- Blog Post
This snapshot details developments in voting and election laws across the country as of April 30, 2026.
- Map
Similar to online voter registration, a number of states have recently enacted policies that allow voters to request absentee ballots through an online system. This policy gives voters additional options outside of mailing or submitting paper application forms by hand.
- Categories Voting by mail
- Map
This map details how states vary in their policies regarding return postage for absentee or mail ballots, with some states providing prepaid return postage envelopes so voters don’t need to pay for postage themselves.
- Categories Voting by mail
- Map
Some states have implemented options for voters to sign up to be placed on a list to permanently receive absentee ballots each election. States differ on whether all voters or only certain voters are eligible for this option, and other states allow annual or bi-annual sign ups.
- Tags: Absentee voting
- Categories Voting by mail
- Map
Most states require voters to return their absentee or mail ballots to ensure their ballots are received by the appropriate authority by Election Day. This map visualizes state ballot receipt deadlines that fall before, on, or after Election Day.
- Tags: Mail voting
- Categories Voting by mail
- Map
In most states, when a voter casts their absentee ballot, they can simply return the ballot through the mail or in person at a drop box or election office. However, some states impose additional required steps that can create barriers to voters casting their ballot.
- Tags: Absentee voting
- Categories Voting by mail
- Map
In addition to returning absentee or mail ballots through the postal service, many states offer voters the option of returning their ballot to a secure drop box provided by election authorities. States take a variety of policy approaches to ballot drop boxes, with some states requiring or allowing they be broadly available statewide, while other states restrict or even ban the option.
- Tags: Drop boxes
- Categories Voting by mail
- Map
Third party ballot collection, which is also referred to negatively as “ballot harvesting,” refers to a voter allowing another individual to return their completed ballot. This map categorizes state laws based on whether any restrictions on ballot collection are overly burdensome to voters.
- Categories Voting by mail
