Still counting: mail ballot deadlines and votes left, by state
15 states and D.C. accept domestic mail ballots after the Nov. 3, 2026 election, if they were mailed on time. Here is each deadline, and the official count of ballots left where a state publishes one.
Deadlines verified October 31, 2026. Free to cite with a link.
| State | Mail ballots must arrive by | Official count left | State certifies by | Official results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington The day before county certification on Nov 24. | Nov 23* | Not yet reported | Dec 3 | Results |
| Illinois | Nov 17 | None found | Dec 4 | Results |
| Alaska | Nov 13 | None found | Nov 25 (target) | Results |
| District of Columbia | Nov 13 | None found | Dec 2 (tentative) | Results |
| Maryland | Nov 13, 10 a.m. | Not yet reported | Dec 3 (board convenes by) | Results |
| California | Nov 10 | California's state table | Dec 11 | Results |
| Mississippi | Nov 10, 5 p.m. | None found | Dec 3 | Results |
| New York | Nov 10* | None found | Dec 15* | Results |
| Oregon | Nov 10 | None found | Dec 10 | Results |
| New Jersey | Nov 9, 8 p.m. | County PDFs | Dec 3 | Results |
| West Virginia Must arrive before the county canvass convenes. | Nov 9 | None found | Not confirmed | Results |
| Nevada Nov 6 if the postmark can't be read. | Nov 7, 5 p.m. | None found | Nov 24 | Not confirmed |
| Kansas Under a statewide court injunction. The state's own guide still prints Election Day. | Nov 6* | None found | Dec 1 | Results |
| Massachusetts | Nov 6, 5 p.m.* | None found | Not confirmed | Results |
| Virginia | Nov 6, noon | None found | Dec 7 | Results |
| Texas | Nov 4, 5 p.m.* | None found | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
How to read this
Ballots generally must be postmarked or mailed by Election Day to count. Rules for missing postmarks differ by state. Military and overseas ballots can have later deadlines, including in states not listed here.
* Date computed by us from the rule in law, because the official source gives a rule and not a date.
Washington's figure is the county estimate of ballots left to count, published by the Secretary of State. Maryland's is mail ballots received minus those accepted. It leaves out provisional and quarantined ballots, so the true number can be higher.
"None found" means we did not find an official statewide count of ballots left. Many counties publish their own. Counts on this page update when a state's figure changes, and can lag the state's own site.
The list of states comes from the National Conference of State Legislatures (updated September 25, 2026). The Supreme Court left post-Election Day deadlines to state law in June 2026. This page makes no claim about the outcome or conduct of any race.