How will my vote be counted? A look at the new rules from 2024

With the change of electoral laws throughout the country from the 2020 election, many voters will encounter new rules when it comes time to count their ballots.

The effects vary widely: some rules can make it more likely that your vote will be counted, some less likely that your vote will be counted, and some just make it more likely that you’ll know the results of your state’s election before you go to bed. on November 5.

“For many Americans, voting in this year’s election will be the most accessible voting experience they’ve had, but for others it will be much more difficult than it was in 2020 or even 2016,” said Megan Bellamy, Vice President for law and politics. for the nonprofit advocacy group Voting Rights Lab.

“It’s going to be really important for them to understand what’s different about their voting experience and what’s expected of them, especially in states where there are restrictions,” Bellamy said. “Just don’t rely on that previous experience to necessarily be true.”

Here is a list of states that have changed the way they count votes in the 2020 presidential election. The list comes from interviews with nonpartisan experts, information from state election officials, and copies of state laws.

Get your absentee ballot early in these states

At least five states have extended the deadline for returning absentee ballots to local election offices. This means you may have to return your personal ballot earlier or postmark it earlier. In some cases, if the delivery of the ballot is delayed by mail, it may not be counted.

Arkansas voters must return their absentee ballots to their county clerk’s office by the Friday before Election Day or November 1.

Iowa requires that absentee ballots be postmarked by Election Day and must be received by the close of polls, which is 8:00 PM on November 5. You cannot hand-deliver your absentee ballot to a polling place on Election Day.

Ohio require that absentee ballots be postmarked the day before Election Day, in this case Monday, November 4. If you meet the postmark deadline, your absentee ballot will only be counted if the election office receives your ballot by the fourth day after the election. , which is Saturday, November 9. Absentee ballots returned in person must be received by 7:30pm on November 5th.

Nevada ask your absentee ballot to be postmarked by Election Day and will count your vote if it arrives within four days or by 5pm on Saturday, November 9. If the election office cannot discern the postmark on the envelope, the ballot will be considered if it is received within three days of election day or Friday, November 8, at 5:00 p.m.

North Carolina voters need their ballots to arrive at the election office by the close of polls on Election Day or 7:30 p.m. on November 5. The state does not accept absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive later.

These states have made the return of absentees more flexible

At least seven states and the District of Columbia have extended their deadlines for when they will count absentee ballots. This gives you more flexibility in returning your ballot and, in some cases, means that if your postal ballot is delayed in the post, it will still be counted.

Alabama requests that absentee ballots be received by noon on Election Day. Hand-delivered ballots must be received by close of business on Election Day, which is Monday, November 4.

California requires absentee ballots to be postmarked by Election Day and will count them if they are received within seven days.

Indian require that absentee ballots be received by 6:00 p.m. on Election Day.

new york requires absentee ballots to be postmarked by Election Day and will count them if they are received by seven days after the election, which is Nov. 12.

What you need to know about early voting

Election Day is November 5, but some voters can cast their ballots as early as September.

Oregon requires absentee ballots to be postmarked by Election Day and will count them if they are received up to seven days after the election.

Washington, DC require absentee ballots to be postmarked by Election Day and will count ballots received up to 10 days after the election.

You may know the results earlier in these states

In at least 10 states, election officials are now allowed to begin processing or counting ballots earlier than 2020. This reduces the amount of administrative work that takes place after the polls close on election day and means that the public is likely to be partial. , unofficial tallies of earlier results. It does not mean that the vote count will be made public before the polls close.

Delaware allows election workers to begin verifying who has submitted ballots and removing ballots from envelopes up to 30 days before the election. They are allowed to place the ballots in the scanners once the processing job is complete. The state previously did not allow ballots to be processed until the Friday before Election Day and did not allow ballots to be entered into the scanners early.

Hawaii allows absentee ballots to be counted up to 18 days before Election Day, but prohibits election officials from releasing results before polls close. Previously, officials could only do this up to 10 days before Election Day.

Louisiana allows counting to begin on election day. The state previously did not say when the count might begin.

Maryland allows absentee ballot counting to begin when polls open on Election Day and says vote totals cannot be released until polls close. During the 2020 election, officials could not count absentee ballots until the Wednesday after the election.

Michigan gives election officials in larger cities eight days before Nov. 5 to open the envelopes for the absentee ballots and perform basic ballot verification. In 2020, this type of processing began on Election Day.

Nevada allows counting 15 days before election day, but results cannot be published before the polls close. In 2020, the state did not begin counting until Election Day.

New Jersey allows ballots to be counted five days before the election, but the results cannot be published before the polls close. In 2020, the state did not begin counting until Election Day.

new york allows the counting of absentee ballots to begin one hour before polls close. In 2020, the state did not begin counting absentee ballots until after the election.

South Carolina allows the counting of absentee ballots to begin at 7 a.m. on Election Day. In 2020, counting could not begin until 9 am

virgin requires election workers to begin the process of examining absentee ballot envelopes, opening envelopes, and placing ballots in scanning machines at least seven days before Election Day. In 2020, election workers had more discretion to start the process later.