Election Integrity Tracker
Mail-in / Absentee Voting Rules by State (2026)
Who can vote by mail, and how? It varies sharply by state. Below is a clear, sourced guide for all 50 states and the District of Columbia — from states that automatically mail every voter a ballot, to those that require a specific excuse to vote absentee.
9 jurisdictions mail every voter a ballot automatically
38 let any voter vote by mail with no excuse
13 states require a qualifying excuse
The three categories
States are grouped using the framework maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures, the standard non-partisan reference for election law.
- All-Mail. The state automatically mails a ballot to every registered voter — no request needed.
- No-Excuse Absentee. Any voter may request a mail/absentee ballot without giving a reason, but ballots are not automatically sent to everyone.
- Excuse Required. A voter must have a qualifying reason — such as illness, disability, absence, or age — to vote absentee by mail.
The 50-state table
| State | Rule | How mail/absentee voting works |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Excuse Required | Voters must cite a qualifying excuse such as illness, absence, or work to receive an absentee mail ballot. |
| Alaska | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without giving a reason. |
| Arizona | No-Excuse Absentee | Any voter may request a mail ballot; an active early voter list automatically mails ballots to enrollees. |
| Arkansas | Excuse Required | Voters must provide a qualifying excuse, such as illness or absence, to vote absentee by mail. |
| California | All-Mail | Every registered voter is automatically mailed a ballot for all elections; no request is required. |
| Colorado | All-Mail | Every registered voter is automatically mailed a ballot for all elections; no request is required. |
| Connecticut | No-Excuse Absentee | Following a 2024 constitutional amendment, any voter may request an absentee ballot without an excuse. |
| Delaware | Excuse Required | A qualifying excuse is required after the state's no-excuse law was struck down by its supreme court. |
| Florida | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request a vote-by-mail ballot without providing a reason. |
| Georgia | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without giving a reason. |
| Hawaii | All-Mail | Every registered voter is automatically mailed a ballot for all elections; no request is required. |
| Idaho | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without giving a reason. |
| Illinois | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request a vote-by-mail ballot without providing a reason. |
| Indiana | Excuse Required | Voters must have a qualifying excuse, such as absence or disability, to vote absentee by mail. |
| Iowa | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without giving a reason. |
| Kansas | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an advance mail ballot without providing a reason. |
| Kentucky | Excuse Required | Voters must cite a qualifying excuse, such as illness or absence, to vote absentee by mail. |
| Louisiana | Excuse Required | Voters must provide a qualifying excuse, such as absence or disability, to vote absentee by mail. |
| Maine | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without giving a reason. |
| Maryland | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request a mail-in ballot without providing a reason. |
| Massachusetts | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request a vote-by-mail ballot without giving a reason. |
| Michigan | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without providing a reason. |
| Minnesota | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without giving a reason. |
| Mississippi | Excuse Required | Voters must have a qualifying excuse, such as absence or disability, to vote absentee by mail. |
| Missouri | Excuse Required | Mail absentee ballots require a qualifying excuse, though no-excuse early in-person voting is available. |
| Montana | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without giving a reason. |
| Nebraska | No-Excuse Absentee | Any voter may request a mail ballot without a reason; small counties may opt into all-mail elections. |
| Nevada | All-Mail | Every registered voter is automatically mailed a ballot for all elections; no request is required. |
| New Hampshire | Excuse Required | Voters must cite a qualifying excuse, such as absence, illness, or disability, to vote absentee. |
| New Jersey | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request a mail-in ballot without providing a reason. |
| New Mexico | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without giving a reason. |
| New York | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee or early mail ballot without giving a reason. |
| North Carolina | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without providing a reason. |
| North Dakota | No-Excuse Absentee | Any voter may request a mail ballot without a reason; counties may conduct elections by mail. |
| Ohio | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without giving a reason. |
| Oklahoma | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without providing a reason. |
| Oregon | All-Mail | Every registered voter is automatically mailed a ballot for all elections; no request is required. |
| Pennsylvania | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request a no-excuse mail-in ballot without providing a reason. |
| Rhode Island | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request a mail ballot without giving a reason. |
| South Carolina | Excuse Required | Voters must have a qualifying excuse, such as illness, absence, or disability, to vote absentee by mail. |
| South Dakota | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without providing a reason. |
| Tennessee | Excuse Required | Voters must cite a qualifying excuse, such as absence or illness, to vote absentee by mail. |
| Texas | Excuse Required | Only voters who are 65+, disabled, absent, or confined may vote absentee by mail. |
| Utah | All-Mail | Every registered voter is automatically mailed a ballot for all elections; no request is required. |
| Vermont | All-Mail | Every registered voter is automatically mailed a ballot for general elections; no request is required. |
| Virginia | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without providing a reason. |
| Washington | All-Mail | Every registered voter is automatically mailed a ballot for all elections; no request is required. |
| West Virginia | Excuse Required | Voters must have a qualifying excuse, such as illness, absence, or disability, to vote absentee by mail. |
| Wisconsin | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without giving a reason. |
| Wyoming | No-Excuse Absentee | Any registered voter may request an absentee ballot by mail without providing a reason. |
| District of Columbia | All-Mail | Every registered voter is automatically mailed a ballot for all elections; no request is required. |
No states in this category.
Cite this page
Free to reference with attribution. Copy the citation below:
"Mail-in / Absentee Voting Rules by State (2026)," The Liberty Tribune, https://thelibertytribune.com/trackers/absentee-voting-rules-by-state/ Methodology & sources
Classifications follow the National Conference of State Legislatures's Voting Outside the Polling Place tables (all-mail, no-excuse absentee, and excuse-required), as of July 2026 — the framework election-law reporters and researchers most commonly cite. Rules change between elections (for example, Connecticut adopted no-excuse absentee voting in 2024, and Delaware reverted to excuse-required after a court ruling).
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures. Compiled by The Liberty Tribune. Last verified July 30, 2026. This page is a reference guide, not legal advice — confirm your state's current deadlines and rules with your local election office before voting.
Related: Voter ID Laws by State → · Elections coverage →