Early In-Person Voting

Elections

Forty-six states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands offer early in-person voting (this includes states with all-mail elections). Four states—Alabama, Connecticut, Mississippi, and New Hampshire—do not offer pre-Election Day in-person voting options for all voters, though they may offer pre-Election Day in-person voting options for eligible absentee voters.

States may use different terminology to refer to early in-person voting, including early voting, in-person absentee voting and advanced voting. NCSL categorizes a state as having early in-person voting if it is available to all voters, and NCSL distinguishes between “early voting,” which functions similarly to Election Day voting, and “in-person absentee voting,” which is when a voter requests, completes and signs an absentee ballot in a polling place. From the voter’s perspective, however, the experiences of early voting and in-person absentee voting are essentially the same.

The time period for early in-person voting varies from state to state:

Length: Early voting periods range in length from three days to 46 days. The average number of early in-person voting days is 23.
Start date: Early in-person voting may begin as early as 55 days before the election, or as late as the Friday before the election. The average start date for early in-person voting is 30 days before the election.
End date: Early voting typically ends just a few days before Election Day.
Weekend early voting: Of the states that allow early in-person voting (this excludes the 7 all-mail states), 23 and the District of Columbia allow some weekend early voting.
- Saturday: 19 states, plus the District of Columbia provide for voting on Saturday. Seven additional states (California, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, North Carolina, North Dakota and Vermont) leave it up to county clerks who may choose to allow Saturday voting.
- Sunday: Six states (Alaska, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Ohio) allow for Sunday voting. Seven states (California, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, North Dakota and Virginia) leave it up to county clerks who may choose to be open on Sundays. Florida mandates early voting must begin, including Sunday, the 10th day and end the third day prior to the election for state and federal elections. Local election officials also have the discretion to allow early voting the Sunday prior to the election.

Statutes and further details are below and includes information about locations, days and hours if available. For the most part, this information applies to statewide general elections. Early voting periods for municipal or primary elections may be different.

For further information on pre-Election Day voting, including voting by mail, visit NCSL's webpage on Voting Outside the Polling Place or contact the Early Voting Information Center.

States & Territories with Early In-Person Voting
State/Territory	Early Voting Begins	Early Voting Ends	Locations	Hours and Days
Alaska AS §15.20.064, 15.20.045 and 6 AAC 25.500	Fifteen days before election	Day of election	Elections supervisors’ offices Other locations as designated by election director	Varies by location
Arizona ARS §16-541, 16-542	Twenty-seven days before election	Friday before election	Recorder’s office Any other locations in the county the recorder deems necessary	Not specified
Arkansas AR Code §7-5-418	Fifteen days before election	5 p.m. Monday before election	Offices of county clerk Other locations as determined by county board of election commissioners	Not specified
Delaware Del. Code Title 15, Chapter 54	At least 10 days before an election	Sunday before election	Designated by state election commissioner At least one per county and one additional in the City of Wilmington	At least eight hours per day. Polling sites must open at 7 a.m. on at least five days of early voting. Closing time is 7 p.m. Includes the Saturday and Sunday before the election
District of Columbia DC ST § 1-1001.09	Twelve days before election	Saturday before election	No fewer than 8 early voting centers, with at least one early voting center available in a central location within each election ward	8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday excluded
Florida Fla. Stat. §101.657	Ten days before election May be offered 11 to 15 days before an election that contains state and federal races, at the discretion of the elections supervisor	Three days before election May end two days before an election that contains state and federal races, at the discretion of the elections supervisor	Main or branch offices of elections supervisors Other sites designated by the elections supervisor (locations must provide all voters in that area with equal opportunity to vote)	No less than eight or more than 12 hours per day Election supervisors may choose to provide additional days of early voting, including weekends
Georgia GA Code §21-2-380 and §21-2-382	Fourth Monday prior to a primary or election; as soon as possible prior to a runoff	Friday immediately prior to a primary, election or runoff	Board of registrars’ offices Other sites as designated by boards of registrars (must be a government building generally accessible to the public)	Normal business hours on weekdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on the second Saturday prior to primary or election Election officials may provide for early voting beyond regular business hours
Idaho ID Code §34-1006 and 34-1002	Third Monday before election (in-person absentee)	5 p.m., Friday before election	Determined by county clerk	Not specified
Illinois 10 ILCS 5/19A-15 and 10 ILCS 5/19A-20	Fortieth day before election for temporary polling locations and 15th day before election for permanent locations	End of the day before election day	An election authority may establish permanent and temporary polling places for early voting at locations throughout the election authority’s jurisdiction, including but not limited to: Municipal clerk’s office Township clerk’s office Road district clerk’s office County or local public agency office Early voting locations must be provided at public universities	Permanent early voting locations must remain open from the 15tth day before an election during the hours of 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. or 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays. Beginning eight days before an election, they must remain open 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. or 9 a.m. -7 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m.-Noon on Saturdays and holidays, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sundays. Permanent early voting locations must stay open at least eight hours on any holiday and a total of at least 14 hours on the final weekend during the early voting period. Election authorities may decide the days and hours for temporary early voting locations, beginning the fortieth day before an election.
Indiana Ind. Code §3-11-4-1 and 3-11-10-26	Twenty-eight days before election (in-person absentee)	Noon, day before election	Office of circuit court clerk County election board may adopt a resolution to authorize the circuit court clerk to establish satellite offices for early voting	The office of the circuit court clerk must permit in-person absentee voting for at least seven hours on each of the two Saturdays preceding election day, but a county with fewer than 20,000 voters may reduce this to a minimum of four hours on each of the two Saturdays preceding election day
Iowa IA Code §53.10 and 53.11(b)	Twenty days before election (in-person absentee)	5 p.m., day before election	Commissioners’ offices Satellite locations may be established by commissioner Satellite location must be established upon receipt of a petition signed by at least 100 eligible electors requesting a specific location	A satellite station established by petition must be open at least one day for a minimum of six hours
Kansas KSA §25-1119, 25-1122a, 25-1123	Twenty days before election or Tuesday before election (varies by county)	Noon, day before election	Offices of county election officers County election officers may designate satellite locations	Not specified
Kentucky KRS 117.085	Thursday before election.	Saturday before election.	Offices of county clerks or any other locations designated by the county board of elections.	Not specified.
Louisiana LRS 18:1303 and 1309	Fourteen days before election	Seven days before election	Registrars’ offices Registrar may provide alternate location in the courthouse or a public building in the immediate vicinity thereof One branch office of the registrar, as long as it is in a public building	8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Saturday Holidays excluded
Maine Title 21-A §753B(2) and 753-B(8)	In-person absentee voting available as soon as absentee ballots are ready (30-45 days before election)	Three business days before election, unless the voter has an acceptable excuse.	Municipal clerks’ offices	During regular business hours on days when clerks’ offices are open
Maryland Election Law §10-301.1	On the second Thursday before an election	Thursday before an election	Established by State Board of Elections in collaboration with local boards Number required depends on county population and ranges from one to five per county	7 a.m.-8 p.m
Massachusetts M.G.L.A. 54 §25B	Seventeen days before election for state biennial elections; 10 days before election for presidential or state primaries.	Four days before an election	Early voting sites, which includes the local election office. Additional locations may be provided at the discretion of the city or town registrar.	Regular business hours and on weekends; hours vary by size of jurisdiction. City or town clerks may provide additional hours at their discretion.
Michigan Constitution Article II, Section 4 (as amended by Ballot Proposal 3 in 2018)	In-person absentee voting during the 40 days before an election	Day before election	At least one location	During regular business hours and for at least eight hours during the Saturday and/or Sunday immediately prior to the election. Local election officials have the authority to make in-person absentee voting available for additional times and places beyond what is required.
Minnesota M.S.A. §203B.081, 203B.085	Forty-six days before election (in-person absentee)	5 p.m. the day before election	Elections offices or any other location designated by county auditor	Monday through Friday regular business hours. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday before election; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on the day before Election Day.
Missouri RSMo Section 115.277	The second Tuesday before an election.	Not specified.	Locations designated by the election authority.	Not specified.
Montana M.C.A. §13-13-205	Thirty days before election (in-person absentee)	Day before election	Elections offices	Not specified
Nebraska N.R.S. §32-808, §32-938, 32-942	Thirty days before each election.	Election Day	County clerk or election commissioners’ offices	Not specified
New Jersey N.J.S.A.§19:63-6	Ten days before the election, but in-person absentee voting begins forty-five days before election.	Sunday before election	Each county board of elections shall designate at least three, but not more than five, public locations within each county, except that the county board shall designate at least five, but not more than seven public locations for early voting if the number of registered voters in the county is at least 150,000 but less than 300,000, and shall designate at least seven, but not more than 10 public locations for early voting if the number of registered voters in the county is 300,000 or more.	Not specified
New Mexico N. M. S. A. 1978, § 1-6-5.7	28 days before an election at a clerk's office; on the third Saturday before an election for alternate locations	Saturday before election	Clerks’ offices and: In counties with more than 150,000 voters, clerks must establish at least 15 additional locations; In counties with 50,000-150,000 voters, clerks must establish at least 4 additional locations; and in counties with 10,000-50,000 voters, clerks must establish at least one alternate location	Hours are set by the clerk, and must begin no earlier than 7 a.m. and end no later than 9 p.m. Each alternate location must be open for at least eight consecutive hours on each day of early voting, and may be closed on Sundays and Mondays
New York Election Law Title VI, §8-600	Tenth day before election	Second day before an election	At least one early voting location for every full increment of 50,000 registered voters in each county, but not more than seven are required. Counties with fewer than 50,000 registered voters shall have at least one early voting location. Counties and the city of New York may choose to establish more than the minimum required. Early voting sites shall be located so that voters have adequate and equitable access.	Open for at least eight hours between 7 a.m.-8 p.m. each weekday during the early voting period. At least one early voting site shall be open until 8 p.m. on at least two weekdays in each calendar week during the early voting period. Open for at least five hours between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on each Saturday, Sunday and legal holiday during the early voting period. Boards of elections may establish a greater number of hours for voting during the early voting period beyond what is required.
North Carolina N.C.G.S.A. §163-227.2	Third Thursday before election	3 p.m. on the last Saturday before election	Office of county board of elections The county board of elections may choose to offer additional locations, subject to approval by the state board of elections. All sites must be open during the same days and hours.	Monday through Friday during regular business hours at the county board of elections. A county board may conduct early voting on weekends. If the county board of elections opens early voting sites on Saturdays or Sundays during the early voting period, then all sites shall be open for the same number of hours uniformly throughout the county on those days. There are exceptions for counties with islands that contain no bridges to the mainland.
North Dakota NDCC §16.1-07-15	Fifteen days before election	Day before election	At the discretion of county auditor	The county auditor chooses and publishes the hours.
Ohio R.C. § 3509.051, § 3509.01	Twenty-nine days before election (in-person absentee)	2 p.m. Monday before election	Main office of board of elections Board may conduct voting at a branch office only under certain conditions	8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with some extended evening hours in the week prior to the election 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday 1-5 p.m. on the Sunday before Election Day
Oklahoma §26-14-115.4	Wednesday preceding an election (in-person absentee)	2 p.m. on the Saturday before election	At a location designated by the county election board. For counties of more than 25,000 registered voters or with an area of more than 1,500 square miles, more than one location may be designated	8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday
Pennsylvania 25 P.S. § 3146.2a	Fifty days before election (in-person absentee)	5 p.m. first Tuesday prior to day of election	Local board of elections	During regular business hours
Rhode Island §17-20-2.2	Twenty days before election (in-person absentee)	Day before election	At local boards of canvassers	During regular business hours
South Carolina SC Code § 7-13-25	Two weeks before Election Day	Day before election	At early voting centers	8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for statewide general elections; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for any elections that are not statewide general elections
South Dakota S.D.C.L. §12-19-1.2, 12-19-2.1	Forty-six days before election (in-person absentee)	5 p.m. the day before the election	Office of the person in charge of elections	Regular office hours
Tennessee Tenn. Code §2-6-102(a)(1)	Twenty days before election	Five days before election (seven days for a presidential preference primary)	County election commission office or other location(s) designated by the county election commission.	Offices must be open a minimum of three consecutive hours on weekdays and Saturdays between 8 a.m.-6 p.m. during the early voting period. On at least three days, offices must be open between 4:30-7 p.m., and on at least one Saturday from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in counties with a population of over 150,000.
Texas Tex. Elec. Code §85.001and 85.002	Seventeen days before election	Four days prior to election	In a room in the offices of the county clerk, or elsewhere as determined by the clerk Each county has one main early voting center	During business hours on weekdays unless: Fewer than 1,000 voters, in which case three hours per day, or more than 100,000 voters, in which case 12 hours per day during the last week
Virginia VA Code Ann. § 24.2-701.1	Forty-five days before election	5 p.m. Saturday before election	Office of the general registrar. Additional locations in public buildings may be provided at local discretion.	Regular business hours. A minimum of eight hours between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on the two Saturdays before the election. The electoral board or general registrar may provide early voting on the two Sundays before the election, as well.
West Virginia W.V. Code §3-3-3 And SB 581	Thirteen days before election	Three days before election	Courthouse or the annex next to the courthouse County commission may designate additional areas, subject to requirements prescribed by the Secretary of State	Must be open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays through EV period
Wisconsin Wis. Code §6.86(1)(b)	Fourteen days preceding the election (in-person absentee)	Sunday preceding the election	Clerks’ offices	A municipality shall specify the hours.
Wyoming Wyo. Stat. §22-9-105 and 125	Forty days before election (in-person absentee)	Day before election	County clerks’ offices Courthouse or other public building	Must be open regular hours on normal business days

Additionally, seven states have all-mail voting. Every eligible voter is sent a ballot that can be returned by mail, or dropped off at a voter center or similar location during the early voting period.

States With All-Mail Voting
State	Early Voting Begins	Early Voting Ends	Locations	Hours and Days
California Elec. Code § 3000.5, 3001, 3018	Twenty-nine days before election	Day of election	County election officials’ offices Satellite locations as determined by county election officials	Varies from county to county
Colorado C.R.S. §1-5-102	Voter service and polling centers must be open 15 days before an election.	Day of election	Determined by county election officials.	Every day but Sunday during the early voting period. Normal business hours (but may be expanded by county board of commissioners).
Hawaii HRS § 11-131	Ten business days prior to Election Day.	7 p.m. on Election Day	Voter Service Centers	Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Nevada N.R.S. §293.356 et seq.	Third Saturday preceding election	Friday before election	Permanent places for early voting as designated by county clerk Branch polling places for early voting as designated by county clerk There are special requirements for early voting sites on Native American reservations.	Monday through Friday for at least eight hours a day, to be established by the clerk. Any Saturday that falls within the early voting period for at least four hours, to be established by the clerk. A clerk may choose to offer Sunday hours as well.
Oregon §254.470, Secretary of State Rules	Dropsites must open the Friday before an election, but may open as soon as ballots are available (18 days before).	Day of election	Election offices or other staffed locations (libraries, city halls, etc.) or outdoor mailboxes (drive-by or walking traffic).	Normal business hours.
Utah Utah Code §20A-3-601	Fourteen days before election	Friday before election, though an election official may choose to extend the early voting period to the day before the election	In government offices as determined by election officer	At least four days per week, and on the last day of the EV period. The election officer may elect to conduct early voting on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday.
Vermont Tit. 17, §2531 thru 2537	Forty-five days before election	5 p.m. day before election	Offices of town clerks Clerks may make “mobile polling stations” available	Not specified
Washington RCW §29A.40.160	Vote centers must be open 18 days before an election.	8 p.m. on day of election.	Election offices or other locations designated by the county auditor.	Normal business hours.
U.S. Virgin Islands 18 V.I.C. §94a	14 days before an election.	3 days before an election.	Permanent main or branch office of the supervisor of elections for the district. The supervisor of elections may also designate public or government-owned facilities. However, these sites must be geographically located so as to provide all electors in the district an equal opportunity to cast a ballot, insofar as is practicable.	No less than eight hours and no more than 12 hours per day at each site.

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Our organization does not run elections and cannot provide legal advice. If you are a voter looking for assistance, please contact your local election official. You can find your local election official's website and contact information by using this database from the US Vote Foundation.

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