I think the big difference is that the President, his wife, and most of his administration vote absentee. Trump wants to distinguish what he is doing from what the dirty, cheating dems are trying to do.
The only real difference is in how the states write the governing regulations. They can call it what ever they want and set whatever requirements(allowable by law) they want: mail in ballots that everyone gets, permanent absentee status that you need to request, etc.
There actually is as difference, at least in some areas.
In New York State, which has some of the most inflexible voting laws in the country - you can only get an absentee ballot if you are UNABLE to vote in person. I voted absentee in 2026 because I was going to be out of the country on Election Day. And I had to give a reason in order to get a ballot.
It’s a “good faith” certification, I didn’t have to give them flight numbers or proof of travel - but in NY you can’t vote absentee unless you are going to be absent - unless you are disabled, caring for someone that is disabled, or incarcerated.
Mail in ballots are available to all.
I’ve dropped a link to the application.
What do you mean by fix. The Republican was of course going to replace McCain by a Republican. McSally is now running for a full term and according to a Fox News poll (reported in this morning’s Votemaster, she is behind the Democratic candidate Mark Kelly by 17 points.
To get back to the OP, an absentee ballot can, in most jurisdictions, be cast in a collection box, while a mail-in ballot is, well, mailed in. I have already mailed mine in.
Man, talk about getting your ballot in early.
The systems in place vary. In the June 2020 primary election in Nevada that I mentioned above the elections office mailed actual ballots, not applications to request ballots. And tens of thousands of those were undeliverable, even to voters who had been on the active voter roll (had cast a ballot in a recent election).
Since elections in the US are by and large a state matter there is a lack of uniformity in procedures. Some states allow for absentee ballot with the voter not required to provide any reason. Other states, as @Ann_Hedonia mentioned, are rather more strict and require the voter certify that one of a variety of circumstances apply. IMHO in the time of COVID I rather lean to the former, or else accepting the COVID is a good enough reason for anyone.
In my personal experience I voted absentee from oversees for 16 years. I voted in the district of my last US address. Initially it was rather easy to request a ballot as I could make a single request to receive all the ballots for the coming 4 year cycle. Unfortunately that law was amended in 2010 and I then had to make a request for each individual election.
And over time the absentee ballot process evolved. Eventually I was able to receive a ballot via email, fill it out, and email back my completed (and signed) ballot. Of course that method removed any anonymity, but it was far more convenient to me and I felt the trade off was acceptable. Of note, I did NOT have to vote electronically. I could have requested a paper ballot by post and returned it in the security envelope that preserved anonymity.
In Michigan I can take my mail in ballot to a collection box in the city building. Don’t have to depend on the mail. If I take it to the township next door it is invalidated.
our clerk drove to the township next door on our last last election 8/4 to retreive an absentee ballot intended for our township, that voted still counted. If that clerk hadnt notified our clerk that vote would have been doa. not sure if rules differ between counties.
Nevada has simplified the process but how well does it work, I mean if the state mass mails ballots to everyone on the voter rolls then voters could screw themselves by assuming if they have a ballot sent to them it’s the right ballot, even if they moved but never notified that secretary of state or local clerk.
I can attest that, in Oregon, signature verification does occur. I had my ballot kicked out by the automatic reader once, and was contacted. I had registered to vote while I was in college, and I had a neat, legible signature. Since graduating, I’d been in a job that required me to sign my name many times per day. My signature had changed into an illegible scrawl.
I went in to the elections office and they said I could sign a new registration card with my new signature. I did, and then said it could vary a bit and I wasn’t sure the way I’d just signed was typical. So they had me sign the card a few times. They said if it didn’t match the one in the box, it would be kicked out by the machine, and then a person would check it against the card with the variants. I’ve not had one rejected since. I think that, before we switched to all VBM, in-person signatures on the voter rolls only had a random sampling of signatures verified to detect fraud on a more wholesale level. So it’s actually a more secure system now.
Also, responding to some comments upthread, Oregon is all VBM, and just sends ballots out to all registered voters. There is still a provision for absentee voting, so that you can have a ballot sent to a different place if you won’t be at home to receive your ballot.
The state has connected the DMV with voter registration. Upon getting a license or ID, one is automatically registered to vote unless one opts out. I believe for address changes, at the DMV one is automatically given an updated registration card to sign with the new address.
You can return your ballot by mail or by dropping off. You can go to the elections office to vote there by bringing in your mailed ballot, or if you’ve lost, spoiled, or destroyed the one you were mailed. You can drop your ballot in any drop box in the state to return it. Drop boxes are generally like a more robust version of a blue mailbox. Only a thin, uphill oriented slot to slide the ballot through. I can think of ways that people could try to mess with the ballots inside, but it would at least take some planning and generally be fairly conspicuous. And close to election day, I think the boxes tend to be attended.
Are you imagining someone voting a ballot with someone else’s name on it? Otherwise I don’t get the scenario. Ballots aren’t forwarded. So, if you moved without updating your address, you won’t get it. In Oregon, Im not sure, but I think if you’ve moved and not updated your address and you realize it after the deadline for updating, you may be able to vote a “safety ballot,” which has only statewide races and president on it, so address doesn’t matter as long as you’re registered in Oregon.
Heh yes Thanks for pointing that out, I admit that is a head scratcher, I moved and you sent me the wrong ballot ? Lol
I just moved within the state (Oregon) last year. They do update your election address from the DMV, but I didn’t fill out a new registration card. However, it’s possible that you may in other counties.
It’s best if you drop them off in your own county. Ballots dropped off in a different county need to be transferred to the appropriate Elections Office before they can be counted. They do have a process to do this, but I think it’s usually a courier driving from one office to those in adjacent counties. So dropping one off in a different part of the state may result in it not being counted.
You’re right about the DMV – I just checked and it’s done automatically unless you opt out.
But dropping your ballot in another country should not result in it going uncounted. It will arrive for counting by the day after election day. Counting in Oregon is pretty fast. I don’t see why it would not be counted if delivered within one day. This news article says they are overnighted to the correct county, and will be counted as long as they were dropped off on time in the first place.
https://mailtribune.com/news/since-you-asked/ballots-can-be-dropped-off-in-other-counties
I meant that maybe since she was going to be a senator anyway, there was no point is spending the money to challenge the results - especially since it will be very expensive to keep the seat long term.
McSally and Kelly are not running for a full term - this year is a special election to pick who will finish Kyl’s unfinished term. Whoever wins will need to run yet again in 2022 for a full term - so if McSally is to serve long-term in the Senate she will have run campaigns in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
One other interesting twist of AZ law - if a senator leaves office early, the governor has to pick the replacement from the same party as the departing senator. A reasonable law, I think…