By Susie Armitage - Pro Publica
This report was originally published by ProPublica.
If you've received a vote-by-mail ballot, but have changed your mind and prefer to vote in person, there's good news - you probably can.
Details
vary from state to state
.
In some, you will be allowed to cast a regular ballot and in others a “provisional” ballot, which will be counted once election officials determine that you have not yet voted.
You may have to take your vote-by-mail ballot with you to the polling place or elections office and give it to the poll workers to have it voided, or destroy it yourself, and you may be asked to sign an affidavit in which declare that you have not already voted by mail.
However, many election officials across the country encourage voters who vote by mail
to stick to their original voting plan
.
"I advise people who have received an absentee ballot to proceed to cast their vote on that ballot," said Jason Hancock, Idaho Under Secretary of State. "Voiding ballots and casting new ones adds to the cost and administrative burden. to hold an election and may delay the voting process for everyone behind the voter in line at the polls. "
Within
six days of the election
, voters can deposit their vote-by-mail ballots in their county or city ballot drop boxes.
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When you arrive at your polling place or polling place, poll workers will likely check a database to see if you mailed a ballot, but these systems are not in place everywhere.
Be prepared to explain your situation and bring your vote-by-mail ballot with you just in case.
Guide for each state
These guidelines can change and even in each county or city there can be important differences.
Check with your local elections office to confirm the process in your area before coming to vote.
If your experience differs from the information listed below, please let us know and be sure to sign up for our Electionland project to let us know if you experience any problems at the polls.
Alabama
If you change your mind and want to vote in person, you should wait for your vote to be cast with a provisional ballot.
Alaska
According to the Division of Elections: "You must destroy and throw away your absentee ballot if you choose to vote in person."
Arizona
Expect to vote a provisional ballot.
Arkansas
If you bring your absentee ballot package to the county clerk's office to have it voided, you will be able to cast your vote in person with a regular ballot.
"If [the voter] does not have the ballot package, they would have to cast their vote with a provisional ballot until the county board of election commissioners can determine if the other ballot has been received," said Chris Powell, press secretary from the Arkansas Secretary of State.
California
If you did not receive your vote-by-mail ballot, or you do not have it with you, or elections officials cannot verify that you have not already mailed it, you will vote a provisional ballot.
Colorado
Coloradans have primarily voted by mail since 2013, but if you don't have your vote-by-mail ballot, you can still vote in person.
Connecticut
As long as you haven't sent your vote-by-mail ballot, you can vote in person, but you must discard the unused or postal ballot, explained Gina Atanasoff, secretary of state press secretary.
Delaware
According to the Department of Elections: “When you arrive at your polling place, an official or poll worker will confirm through the voting book or register if your Vote By Mail (VBM) ballot has been received by the department.
Your VBM ballot that was not received will be voided, and you will be allowed to vote in person at the polling place. "
D.C.
All registered voters were sent a vote-by-mail ballot.
According to the board of elections: “You can dispose of the 2020 general election ballot that you received in the mail.
We will provide you with a ballot at the polling place. "You can also take your ballot with you and ask the poll workers to discard it.
A poll worker receives an early vote from a voter in Dallas, Texas.
AP / AP
Florida
If you have your vote-by-mail ballot, take it with you to the polls.
The poll workers will override it and instruct you to cast your vote with a regular ballot.
If you do not have your vote-by-mail ballot, they will check to see if the elections office received it before allowing you to vote.
If they cannot confirm that you have already sent the vote-by-mail ballot, but you have not yet voted, you may cast your vote with a provisional ballot.
Georgia
According to the secretary of state: “If you have not received your absentee ballot after submitting your application, please contact your county clerk of elections to evaluate your options.
If there is not enough time to receive a new absentee ballot, or if for some reason another cannot be sent to you, you may vote in person.
If you are trying to vote in person because you never received the requested absentee ballot, you will need to sign a document that attests that you are voting only once.
If you request and return an absentee ballot, you cannot change your mind and vote in person.
Once you turn in your absentee ballot, you will have cast your vote. "
Hawaii
All active registered voters were sent vote-by-mail ballots, but if you prefer to vote in person, you can do so at any voter service center in your county.
Idaho
If you are on time, take your vote-by-mail ballot to the county clerk's office before Election Day to have it voided, said Assistant Secretary of State Jason Hancock.
If not, take it to the polls to have a poll worker void and give you a new ballot so you can vote in person.
Illinois
According to the board of elections: “If you have already received your vote-by-mail ballot, take it with you to an early voting location or your polling place on Election Day and give it to an election judge.
Your vote-by-mail ballot will be voided and you will receive a regular ballot.
If you have not yet received your vote-by-mail ballot, you will be asked to sign an affidavit certifying that you have not received it.
At that time you will be issued a regular ballot.
If you received your vote-by-mail ballot, but lost it, you can sign an affidavit certifying that you have not yet voted in this election.
In that case, you will be issued a provisional ballot. "
Indiana
If you have your vote-by-mail ballot, give it to a poll worker so they can cast your vote on a regular ballot.
If you never received the vote-by-mail ballot, you will sign an affidavit at your polling place so that you can vote a regular ballot.
If you sent in your completed vote-by-mail ballot, but it was rejected, go to your county board of elections before 5 p.m. on Election Day to request an ABS-21 form and then go to your polling place to cast your vote, informs the Elections Division.
Iowa
According to the secretary of state, “If you have not submitted your absentee ballot by Election Day, you have the following options: Submit your absentee ballot to the county auditor's office before the polls close on election day;
turn in your absentee ballot at the polls and cast your vote with a regular ballot;
or vote a provisional ballot at the polls if you are unable to turn in your absentee ballot. "
Kansas
Expect to vote a provisional ballot.
Kentucky
You can vote in person if you did not receive your vote-by-mail ballot by October 28.
According to the emergency administrative regulation issued for the November 3 elections: “If a voter has applied for, but has not received their absentee ballot by October 28, 2020, they may appear at a county polling place to vote in person. "Your absentee ballot request will be canceled in the system and you will sign an oath before voting.
Louisiana
According to the secretary of state: “You can vote in person during early voting or on Election Day, as long as you have not turned in your absentee ballot to the voter registry.
Just destroy your absentee ballot after you have voted in person during early voting or on Election Day. "
Maine
If voters received an absentee ballot, they “should either vote with it or visit their [county] clerk to return it and be removed from the absentee voter list.
Voters will not be able to receive a second ballot to vote in person before Election Day if they already received one at home, ”said Kristen Schulze Muszynski, director of communications for the Maine secretary of state.
For more details, see the state guide to absentee voting.
Although the state does not want voters to "waste their vote-by-mail ballot," Muszynski said that if a voter shows up on November 3 and has not yet submitted an absentee ballot, they will be allowed to cast a regular vote in person.
“If people plan to do this, we ask that they return their vote-by-mail ballot to the clerk before Election Day.
They should not wait to get their ballot to the polls and deposit it then. "
Maryland
Expect to vote a provisional ballot.
Massachusetts
According to the commonwealth secretary: “You can vote in person as long as you have not already voted by mail.
If you choose not to send your vote-by-mail ballot, you can vote in person on Election Day or during early voting.
You can also vote in person if you mail your ballot and it does not arrive at your elections office by Election Day or if your vote-by-mail ballot is rejected for any reason. "
Michigan
Bring your vote-by-mail ballot to your district's polling place on Election Day to “hand it over” in exchange for a new in-person ballot.
If your ballot is lost or destroyed, you can sign a statement to that effect and vote at the polling place in your precinct.
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Minnesota
According to the secretary of state: “As long as your absentee ballot has not been counted by your election officials, you may vote in person at your polling place on Election Day or at your local early voting location.
You can track the status of your absentee ballot to see when it was mailed to you and when it was received by elections officials.
After voting in person, the personal identification number on your original absentee ballot will be invalidated, so that if it is received by the elections office the officials will not count it.
If you plan to vote in person, please do not carry your absentee ballot with you.
Your election official will provide you with a new ballot to complete that day. "
Mississippi
Expect to vote with an affidavit ballot.
Missouri
Contact your local election authority.
Montana
Most counties are conducting these elections primarily by mail, with ballots sent to all active registered voters;
other counties are holding elections at polling stations, with the option of requesting an absentee ballot.
For guidance on voting in person in a county where voting by mail takes place or if you requested an absentee ballot in a county where elections are held at a polling place, contact your county elections office.
Nebraska
Expect to vote a provisional ballot.
Nevada
All active registered voters were mailed a ballot.
"Voters who choose not to vote by mail can do so in person by delivering their vote-by-mail ballot or by signing an affidavit saying they will not vote or have not voted by vote-by-mail ballot," said Jennifer Russell, Information Officer Nevada Secretary of State Public.
New Hampshire
You can vote at the polls as long as you have not sent your vote-by-mail ballot.
Destroy the unused vote-by-mail ballot.
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New Jersey
New Jersey is holding these elections primarily by mail for the first time.
If you prefer to vote in person, you can go to your polling place on Election Day and cast your vote with a provisional ballot.
New Mexico
You can vote in person at your polling place after signing an affidavit stating that you did not vote, and will not vote, with your vote-by-mail ballot.
If your absentee ballot did not arrive, you may also receive a replacement absentee ballot at your polling place on Election Day.
New York
You can vote in person during early voting or on Election Day.
North Carolina
According to the state board of elections: “You can still vote in person as long as you have not sent in your absentee ballot.
Your absentee ballot will be destroyed after you cast your vote in person.
You can simply discard your absentee ballot;
You don't have to take it with you to the polling place. "
North Dakota
To vote in person, bring your unused vote-by-mail ballot to the polling place, where it will be voided by a poll worker.
If you don't have it with you, you can still vote in person as long as you haven't already mailed your vote-by-mail ballot.
Ohio
Expect to vote a provisional ballot.
Oklahoma
Destroy your absentee ballot and accompanying materials.
Before exercising your right to vote at the polling place or early voting location, you will sign an affidavit stating that you did not vote by mail ballot you requested.
Oregon
"We have been voting exclusively by mail for more than 20 years," said Andrea Chiapella, legislative and communications director for the Oregon secretary of state. "We do not have voting centers, but you can go to your county elections office. and cast your vote using a private booth if you wish. "
Pennsylvania
According to the Pennsylvania State Department: “If you did not send your vote-by-mail ballot or absentee ballot and wish to vote in person, you have two options: bring your ballot and the outer pre-addressed reply envelope to your center. voting to be annulled.
After you turn in your ballot and envelope and sign a statement, you will be able to cast your vote with a regular ballot.
If you do not turn in your ballot and reply envelope, you will only be able to vote a provisional ballot at your polling place.
Your county board of elections will verify that you did not vote by mail before counting your provisional ballot. "
Rhode Island
Expect to vote a provisional ballot.
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South Carolina
According to the South Carolina Election Commission: "You must first turn in your unused absentee ballot to your county voter registration office or extension office before you can cast your vote in person."
South Dakota
Voters who wish to vote in person "are advised not to vote with the ballot they received in the mail and can go to their county auditor to vote until November 2, or do so at their polling place on Election Day" said Rachel Soulek, a public information specialist for the South Dakota secretary of state. "They don't need to bring the ballot with them. They should destroy the ballot."
Tennessee
Expect to vote a provisional ballot.
“If a person requests a vote-by-mail ballot, they should have completed and mailed that ballot before Election Day,” said Julia Bruck, communications director for the Tennessee secretary of state. “However, if someone does not has received their ballot in time to cast the vote-by-mail, there is a safe path for the voter. The person can cast their vote with a provisional ballot. The provisional ballot will only be counted if the vote-by-mail ballot has not been received or has not been counted. "
Texas
You can take your vote-by-mail ballot to the polling place or early voting location, deliver it, and then cast your vote with a regular ballot.
If you do not have your vote-by-mail ballot with you when you arrive at the polls, you can cast your vote with a provisional ballot.
Utah
All active registered voters were automatically sent a vote-by-mail ballot.
According to the Utah elections office: “If you received a vote-by-mail ballot but prefer to vote in person, please bring your vote-by-mail ballot with you to the polling place to 'give it up' when you vote.
Although not required, this helps local election officials process ballots more efficiently. "
Vermont
According to the Elections Division, if you decide to vote in person, “you should bring your ballot with you.
However, even if you don't, you will be allowed to cast your vote if you complete an affidavit stating that you have not yet voted. "
Virginia
According to the elections department: “If you have requested or received a vote-by-mail ballot but prefer to vote in person, please bring your unopened ballot with you when you go to vote.
If you lose or did not receive your ballot, you can vote in person early at your voter registration office or cast your vote with a provisional ballot at your polling place on Election Day. "
Washington
Washington conducts all elections by mail, but you can still vote in person at your nearest polling place.
W.V.
If you take your vote-by-mail ballot to the polls and ask to have it voided, you will be able to vote a regular ballot.
If you do not turn in the vote-by-mail ballot, you must cast your vote with a provisional ballot.
Wisconsin
“Voters who have received an absentee ballot will have a watermark in their name in the voting book indicating that they have been issued a vote-by-mail ballot, prompting poll workers to ask if they have already they have delivered it.
If the answer is no, the voter can vote.
If the voter has already sent in their ballot, that will also be noted in the voting book and poll workers will not cast a new ballot, "reports Reid Magney, public information officer for the Wisconsin Election Commission.
Wyoming
“Ideally, the voter would turn in their absentee ballot when they report to the polling place,” said Monique Meese, director of communications and policy for the Wyoming secretary of state. “However, if they don't carry their ballot with them voting, they will be provided a provisional ballot and allowed to vote. Before counting that provisional ballot, an official will ensure that the absentee ballot has not been received. Essentially, the first ballot received in the system is the one that counts, and requesting an absentee ballot does not prevent you from changing your mind and voting in person. "
Translation by Candice Carmel, edition by Ivette Leyva.
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