With six weeks till Election Day, greater than 61.four million absentee ballots have already been requested by or despatched to voters in 28 states
With six weeks till Election Day, greater than 61.four million absentee ballots have already been requested by or despatched to voters in 28 states and the District of Columbia for the final election, a New York Occasions evaluation discovered.
The information presents yet one more indication that the variety of Individuals who plan to vote early or by mail this yr will set information.
Considerations that the coronavirus might unfold at polling locations provoked an enormous shift to mail-in ballots this yr. Many states have expanded their absentee voting eligibility guidelines, and requests for absentee ballots have already surpassed whole 2016 requests in at the very least 11 states.
The pandemic has additionally altered the voter registration course of, slicing alternatives for in-person occasions. On Tuesday, as teams across the nation participated in Nationwide Voter Registration Day, a mass effort to register voters earlier than the Nov. three election, many — although not all — of their efforts moved to on-line campaigns.
Though deadlines fluctuate, many states enable voters to request mail ballots lower than two weeks earlier than Election Day. The Postal Service has really helpful that voters request them by Oct. 19 to make sure that ballots are returned on time. Early voting has additionally began in a handful of states this month.