As the Nov. 3 election approaches, election officials across the country are beginning to send absentee/mail-in ballots to voters. Laws governing the absentee/mail-in voting process vary from state to state. Here's an overview of what those laws look like this year.
All states allow for some form of absentee/mail-in voting. Thirteen states require voters to provide a valid excuse to vote by mail. Depending on the state, those excuses can include illness or disability, travel outside the state, or military service.
After Connecticut enacted legislation earlier this year to remove its excuse requirement, 29 states now allow any eligible voter to cast an absentee/mail-in ballot. Eight states have all-mail voting systems, where all eligible voters receive a mail-in ballot by default.
