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Early voting is available to most of us in some form.
Nearly every state gives us a way to cast our ballots before Election Day, but it looks different depending on where you are.
Some states offer traditional early in person voting, and others like Oregon, conduct elections primarily by mail. Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire are the only three states that don’t offer universal early in person voting.
1. YOU’RE NOT BETTING EVERYTHING ON ONE DAY
A schedule change at work, sick family member, transportation problem, bad weather, or a unexpectedly long line can turn your plans into a stressful one quickly. Most of the time, people aren’t missing elections because they stopped caring, they’re dealing with life happening on the exact day they planned to vote.
Early voting reduces how much your participation depends on that single day going smoothly.
In many states, voters have a window of several days or weeks to cast a ballot before Election Day, and some states also provide a weekend of voting. These windows range from 3 to 46 days, according to NCSLs current early voter guide.
2. IF THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH YOUR REGISTRATION, YOU MAY HAVE MORE TIME TO FIX IT
Another big advantage of voting early is that it can expose problems while there may still be time to address them.
A voter might show up and learn that their address was never fully updated, a name change wasn’t reflected correctly in the system or some other part of the registration record doesn’t match what they expect. Registration rules and remedies differ from state to state so the amount of time available to fix an issue can make a big difference.
Early voting creates more time. Research from Brennan Center for Justice points to the earlier identification of registration and voting system problems as one of the reasons early voting can make elections run more smoothly. It’s better to discover an issue with days left to respond than to find out about it at the end of Election Day.
3. MAIL VOTERS GET MORE TIME TO CATCH BALLOT PROBLEMS
Putting a ballot in an envelope isn’t usually the end of the process.
Election officials have to receive it, review the info that accompanies it, and make sure it meets each state’s requirements.
A missing signature or a signature that doesn’t match, incomplete information on the return envelope, or another state-specific requirement can create problems that need to be resolved before the ballot can be counted.
Ballot curing comes in here, in states that offer it, election officials notify voters about certain problems and give them an opportunity to make any last minute corrections. For the November 2026 election, 35 states and Washington, D.C. have statewide processes requiring voters to be notified about missing or mismatched signatures and given a chance to fix them. Cure deadlines can be short and rules vary by state. Sending your ballot back early gives you a better chance of having enough time to respond if something goes wrong.
4. YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO TRACK YOUR MAIL BALLOT
One of the most practical benefits of voting by mail is that, depending on your state, you may be able to follow your ballot through the process instead of sending it off and hoping for the best. Many states provide online tracking systems that allow voters to see whether a ballot has been received and, in some cases, whether there is an issue that needs attention. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission directs voters to their state or territory for the tracking tools available where they live.
Returning your ballot early makes that tracking much more useful because it gives you time to act on what you learn. You can send it, check the status, make sure it arrived, and respond if there is a problem before the deadline becomes the problem itself.
5. IT REDUCES THE RISK OF MAIL DELAYS
States don’t all use the same regulations… in some places, a ballot can count if it’s postmarked by Election Day, and others might require it to arrive by a specific deadline. The Election Assistance Commission advises voters to check the rule in their state.
The Postal Service recommends that domestic voters return completed ballots at least one week before the applicable receipt deadline, giving the mail system time to deliver them. Waiting until the last minute leaves little room for a delay, sending your ballot back early gives you a buffer.
6. EARLY VOTING HELPS REDUCE ELECTION DAY LINES
Every person who casts a ballot before Election Day is one fewer person who still needs to be checked in, assisted, and processed at a polling place that Tuesday. When millions of voters are spread across several days or weeks, election offices have more room to manage demand instead of handling nearly everything at once.
Research reviewed by Brennan Center for Justice found that early voting helps reduce Election Day congestion and lines, ease pressure on poll workers, and give election officials more opportunities to catch equipment or registration problems before the final day of voting. Distributing voters across a longer period can reduce how many people have to rely on the same limited Election Day window.
7. IT GIVES ELECTION WORKERS MORE BREATHING ROOM
Running an election requires a huge amount of coordination. Election workers are responsible for answering questions, operating voting equipment, assisting voters who need help, handling provisional ballots, keeping records, and dealing with whatever unexpected issue comes up.
Early voting helps by distributing some of the demand over a longer period. Brennan Center for Justice found, based in part on interviews with election officials, that early voting helps reduce Election Day pressure and improve poll-worker performance. It also makes the election easier to administer.
8. IT MAKES VOTING EASIER FOR THOSE WHO DON’T HAVE FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES
Election Day always falls on a Tuesday which means voting has to compete with everything else people are expected to do that day like work, school pickups, medical appointments, caregiving, second jobs, classes, and transportation problems.
Early voting provides more chances to fit voting into their daily lives instead of forcing everything into one day.
According to NCSL’s 2026 state by state review, 27 states offer Saturday voting and 13 offer Sunday voting, some other states allow local election officials to add weekend hours.
9. ONCE YOU VOTED, YOU CAN HELP SOMEONE ELSE
Voting early can also change what Election Day looks like for you.
Once your ballot is handled you’re no longer trying to squeeze your vote into the same few hours that day. Instead you can use that time to help someone else get to the polls, watch someone’s children while they vote, help a friend find the correct location, or make sure someone knows what identification or other requirements to bring.
10. VOTING EARLY GIVES YOU A BACKUP PLAN
The biggest advantage of early voting may be that it gives your voting plan some room to fail. If your first attempt does not work out, you may still have another day, another location, or another opportunity before Election Day. That means one bad day does not automatically become your only chance lost.
Waiting until Tuesday evening after work creates a much narrower margin for error. Most of the time, everything will probably go as planned, but voting early means your participation does not depend on one specific hour, one specific day, and everything around it going exactly right.
1. Confirm your registration. Check your name, address, and other information are current and correct. Do it early enough to meet your state’s deadline if something needs to be updated. Registration deadlines differ with some states offering Election Day registration and others closing registration well before the election.
2. Look up your early voting time frame. Early voting doesn’t begin on the same day everywhere. You’ll need to find the schedule for your state instead of relying on what voters elsewhere are doing. Vote.gov will direct you to your state or territory’s official election information.
3. Confirm your voting location. The place where you vote early might be different from your normal Election Day polling site and some jurisdictions only use certain locations during the early voting period.
4. Review your state’s ID requirements. Requirements are different across the country, so check the guidance for where you’re registered.
5. If you’re voting by mail... Check if your state offers ballot tracking, return your ballot with time to spare, and verify it was received. The Election Assistance Commission’s voter portal will point you toward information on absentee voting, tracking options, polling locations, and other state-specific requirements.
Always vote early!