Voting by state
How voting works in every state
ID, registration, early voting, mail ballots and drop boxes compared across all 50 states, with the 2024 numbers.
States require ID in person36
States mail every voter a ballot8
States allow same-day registration24
Fifty states, fifty sets of rules
Each state sets its own rules for registering, proving who you are, voting early and voting by mail, and the rules differ more than most people expect. This page puts the state rules side by side with what happened in 2024, and every state has its own page with the details.
Of the 50 states, 36 require ID to vote in person, 24 permit some form of same-day registration, 47 offer early in-person voting, 36 allow mail voting without an excuse and 8 mail a ballot to every active registered voter. Counts are taken from the state rows below and may differ by one or two from other lists, because the sources define the categories differently.
Where the numbers come from
The rules come from the State Election Profiles published by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission with the National Conference of State Legislatures (January 2026). The 2024 numbers come from the Election Administration and Voting Survey, in which each state reports to the EAC. Neither source advocates for or against any policy, and neither do we. We publish no voting calendar: dates and deadlines are set by each state, so confirm them with your state election office or on Vote.gov.
All 50 states comparedrules and 2024 voting
| State | 2024 turnout | ID to vote in person | Same-day registration | Early in-person voting | Mail ballots to all | Drop boxes | Ballots by mail 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 58.7% | ID required | Not provided | Not provided | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not specified in statute | n/a |
| Alaska | 63.1% | ID required | Permitted for Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections only | Begins 15 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not specified in statute | 14.3% |
| Arizona | 64.6% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 27 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 74.7% |
| Arkansas | 49.4% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 15 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Prohibits drop boxes | 2.1% |
| California | 62.1% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Permitted | Begins 29 days before Election Day | mailed to all statewide | Permitted | 80.8% |
| Colorado | 73.8% | ID required | Permitted | Begins 15 days before Election Day for general elections | mailed to all | Permitted | 91.3% |
| Connecticut | 68.5% | ID required | Permitted | Begins 15 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | n/a |
| Delaware | 66.7% | ID required | Not provided | At least 10 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 6.5% |
| Florida | 67.4% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 10 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 26.8% |
| Georgia | 66.9% | ID required | Not provided | Begins on the 4th Monday before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 5.1% |
| Hawaii | 49.6% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Permitted | Begins 10 business days before Election Day | mailed to all | Permitted | 92.5% |
| Idaho | 63.5% | ID required | Permitted | Begins on or after the 4th Monday before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not specified in statute | 19.6% |
| Illinois | 63.3% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Permitted | Begins 40 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 17.8% |
| Indiana | 59.0% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 28 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Prohibited | n/a |
| Iowa | 70.1% | ID required | Permitted | Begins 20 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | n/a |
| Kansas | 62.5% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 20 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not specified in statute | 11.0% |
| Kentucky | 61.1% | ID required | Not provided | Begins the Thursday before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 5.6% |
| Louisiana | 59.5% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 14 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Prohibited | 5.9% |
| Maine | 74.8% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Permitted | Begins 30-40 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 25.5% |
| Maryland | 68.7% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Permitted | Begins on the second Thursday before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 24.6% |
| Massachusetts | 68.4% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Permitted during part of the early voting period | 17 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 33.4% |
| Michigan | 74.6% | ID required | Permitted | Begins 9 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 35.4% |
| Minnesota | 76.8% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Permitted | Begins 46 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 13.7% |
| Mississippi | 55.1% | ID required | Not provided | Not provided | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Prohibited | n/a |
| Missouri | 66.5% | ID required | Not provided | In-person absentee voting begins the second Tuesday before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Prohibited | 5.7% |
| Montana | 69.0% | ID required | Permitted | Begins 30 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not specified | n/a |
| Nebraska | 67.9% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 30 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 31.8% |
| Nevada | 66.3% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Permitted | Begins the 3rd Saturday before Election Day | mailed to all statewide | Permitted | 44.1% |
| New Hampshire | 74.2% | ID required | Permitted | Not provided | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not specified in statute | 11.2% |
| New Jersey | 67.6% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Not provided | Begins 10 days before Election Day for general elections | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | n/a |
| New Mexico | 59.8% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Permitted | Begins 28 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 12.0% |
| New York | n/a | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Permitted during early voting | Begins 10 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 10.0% |
| North Carolina | 71.8% | ID required | Same-day registration permitted during the early voting period | Begins the 3rd Thursday before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Prohibited | 5.2% |
| North Dakota | 63.1% | ID required | ND does not have voter registration | Begins 15 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not specified in statute | 24.0% |
| Ohio | 65.4% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 29 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 18.1% |
| Oklahoma | 53.3% | ID required | Not provided | Begins Wednesday before Election Day for general elections | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not permitted | 6.3% |
| Oregon | 70.6% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Not provided | Conducts elections entirely by mail | mailed to all statewide | Permitted | 99.3% |
| Pennsylvania | 71.2% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Not provided | 50 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not specified in statute | 27.3% |
| Rhode Island | 63.3% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 20 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 10.0% |
| South Carolina | 63.1% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 2 weeks before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not permitted | 3.8% |
| South Dakota | 63.7% | ID required | Not provided | In-person absentee voting begins 46 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Prohibited | 36.6% |
| Tennessee | 58.0% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 20 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not permitted | 2.8% |
| Texas | 57.0% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 17 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not permitted | 3.3% |
| Utah | 63.0% | ID required | Permitted | 14 days before Election Day | mailed to all statewide | Permitted | 91.5% |
| Vermont | 69.1% | ID not required if presented at the time of registration | Permitted | 45 days before Election Day | mailed to all statewide for general elections only | Permitted on municipal property | 64.7% |
| Virginia | 70.5% | ID required | Permitted | 45 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Permitted | 10.5% |
| Washington | 70.5% | ID required | Permitted | 18 days before Election Day | mailed to all statewide | Permitted | 98.5% |
| West Virginia | 54.8% | ID required | Not provided | Begins 13 before and ends 3 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not permitted | 2.9% |
| Wisconsin | 76.0% | ID required | Permitted | 14 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not specified in statute | 16.6% |
| Wyoming | 61.2% | ID required | Permitted | 40 days before Election Day | not mailed to all registered voters statewide | Not specified in statute | 14.1% |