What is an absentee ballot?

An absentee ballot lets a registered voter cast their vote without appearing in person at their assigned polling place on Election Day. The practice traces to the Civil War, when several Northern states allowed soldiers to vote by mail in the 1864 presidential election rather than leave their units. Over the following century, states gradually broadened absentee eligibility from military personnel to civilians who could document a qualifying reason for absence, and most states have since moved to no-excuse absentee voting. Several states -- including Oregon, Colorado, and Washington -- now conduct all elections primarily by mail, automatically sending a ballot to every registered voter.

Federal law establishes a baseline of absentee voting rights for specific voters. The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA, enacted 1986, Pub. L. 99-410) gives active-duty service members, their eligible dependents, and U.S. citizens residing outside the United States the right to register and vote absentee in any federal election, including the 2028 presidential election. The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act (2009) strengthened UOCAVA by requiring states to transmit absentee ballots to UOCAVA voters at least 45 days before a federal election -- for the November 7, 2028 general election, that transmission deadline falls on or before September 23, 2028. UOCAVA voters may use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), a single form that both registers the voter and requests their absentee ballot, submitted through the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP).

Outside the UOCAVA community, absentee voting rules are set by each state. In states with no-excuse absentee or all-mail voting -- a majority of states as of 2026 -- any registered voter may request a mail ballot without providing a reason. In the remaining states, voters must qualify under an enumerated excuse: common examples include being absent from the county or precinct on Election Day, a physical illness or disability, a religious belief that prevents voting on Election Day, serving as an election worker in a different precinct, or providing ongoing care for another person. Each state election website publishes its specific excuses, request deadlines, and return deadlines; voters should check well in advance of the 2028 primary and general election seasons.

To vote absentee in 2028, a registered voter generally follows four steps: (1) submit a request by the state's application deadline, typically 7 to 30 days before Election Day; (2) upon receiving the ballot package -- which includes the ballot, a secrecy envelope, and a signed return envelope -- mark the ballot privately; (3) seal the marked ballot inside the secrecy envelope, then inside the signed return envelope, following all signature and any witness requirements printed on the envelope; (4) return the ballot by the state's deadline, either by mail or by deposit at an official drop box or county office. Most states require absentee ballots to be received, not merely postmarked, by the close of polls on Election Day; some states accept ballots postmarked by Election Day if received within a set grace period. A validly returned absentee ballot is counted during the official canvass and carries exactly the same legal weight as a ballot cast in person.