Confused? Absentee Voting vs. Mail-in Voting

By TeaceFindlay

This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic which has been ravaging the world since late January, the Election, and the way we vote, have taken on a different look.

It is safe to say that being thoroughly informed in this year's Presidential Election has become increasingly difficult. With so much being said in the media, and so much being speculated, it is almost scary to take what you see and hear at face value. And that's why I'm here.

History has documented the early rise, and extended waits as Americans all over the country communed at Polling stations. It has almost become a tradition where many people carry coolers packed with drinks and pre-packed lunch boxes to maintain their energy during the long waits. Umbrella's in case of rain, light blankets for when the November chill sets in, and foldable chairs and cushions had also become the norm.

This year, though in-person voting is still very much available, our country has seen a necessary shift to Mail-in Voting to help deter the spread of Covid-19 and adhere to social distancing rules. 

As reported by CNN (https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/politics/mail-in-voting), 9 states, including the District of Columbia, will conduct their election primarily by mail, which entails automatically sending ballots to registered voters. An additional 36 states, allow no-excuse ballot requests by mail. However, the remaining 5 states, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Indiana require a legitimate reason (acceptable excuse commonly referred to as absentee voting), to be able to vote by mail.

Due to this, there has been a lot of confusion as these two terms, though being used interchangeably, have a very substantial difference. To help you relieve this confusion, you must be able to correctly define the terms; Absentee voting and Voting by mail/ Mail-in voting.

In simple terms, absentee voting is voting by mail with a legitimate reason that hinders your access to a polling station on Election day. Reasons such as being out of town, being ill or disabled, having to care for someone who is ill or disabled, being deployed, or being in jail or awaiting some sort of court date/trial are deemed acceptable.

Please note that each reason is valid but each state has its own policies which can make any of these reasons for absentee voting, invalid in said state.

With the Covid-19 pandemic still a threat to public health and safety, many US states have changed their policies on absentee voting leading to a new term; No-excuse absentee voting. The term indicates that you don't need to give a reason to want to vote by mail, but make no mistake, you still have to fill out an application to request the ballot before your state's deadline, unless you reside in a state where those applications or ballots are sent out automatically to registered voters.

Now that's cleared up . . .

Mail-in voting, being used interchangeably with the above term absentee voting, is the process of voting by mail without a reason. It is also referred to as mail-in ballot, vote by mail, no-excuse absentee voting, all-mail voting, and universal voting.

Depending on your state of residence, you will hear either one or more of these terms in reference to mail-in voting. State's which refer to Mail-in Voting as All mail or Universal voting, are typically those that send out ballots to all registered voters through the mail.

The most important thing to remember to avoid confusing Absentee Voting and Mail-in Voting is that one of them (Absentee voting) requires a valid excuse to be exempt from going to the polls on Election day while the other does not. However, please remember to check your State's policies as the procedure for obtaining your ballot through the mail may differ.

So how did we get here?

Well, many states adopted new Mail-in Voting policies during the Primaries earlier this year at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, however, while many policies were kept in place, many were also revised or all together thrown out depending on the state. That's why it's important to find out your state's policy, its deadline to request an application (for absentee voting and mail-in voting if one is necessary), and once approved, your ability to have your vote counted.

It is crucial to know when and how your State sees your Mail-in vote as valid. Some states accept ballots as long as it is postmarked on or before Election day, and provides a cut-off point of 7 days. This means that any ballot received by the Election Office 7 days after Election day, will NOT be counted. While other States allow for almost 3 weeks for a ballot to arrive at the Election Office to be counted, and some will only recognize ballots received on or before Election day (Once again, please check your State's Policies)

You can find a comprehensive list of States and their voting Policies here: https://time.com/5889969/how-to-vote-by-mail

Other helpful links:

https://www.usvotefoundation.org/vote/eoddomestic.htm

https://www.businessinsider.com/deadlines-for-absentee-and-mail-ballot-in-every-state-2020-7

I hope that this bit of information was helpful and has given you a better understanding of what those terms are, and how you can fill the necessary forms based on your State's Policies.