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Summary Table 11: Receipt and Postmark Deadlines for Absentee/Mail Ballots

Updated March 24, 2025
Related Topic: Elections

Absentee/mail ballots are typically returned by mail or hand delivery, and the most common deadline for absentee/mail ballots to be returned by any method is by the close of polls on Election Day.

No states allow hand-delivered ballots to be returned after Election Day, but five require hand-delivered ballots to be received before Election Day: Arkansas, Connecticut, Louisiana, North Dakota and Vermont.

Thirty two states require absentee/mail ballots returned by mail to be received on or before Election Day. Eighteen states, plus Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C., however, will accept and count a mailed ballot if it is received after Election Day but postmarked on or before (sometimes only before) Election Day. Because what constitutes a postmark is changing and less mail gets truly postmarked, many states will accept an Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) as evidence.

The table below shows which states require mailed ballots to be received by Election Day or postmarked by Election Day and provides deadline details for each state.

Note: This table does not include the receipt and postmark deadlines for voters subject to the Uniform and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, which may differ from the deadlines for domestic absentee voters.

State Statute Mail Receipt by Election Day Postmarked by Election Day Absentee/Mail Ballot Deadline Details
Alabama Ala. Code § 17-11-18 ✓  

Must be received by noon on Election Day.
Alaska

Alaska Stat. §15.20.081(e) and (h) 

   ✓

Must be received within 10 days if postmarked on or before Election Day.
Arizona

Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16-548 

 ✓  

Must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Arkansas Ark. Stat. Ann. § 7-5-411 ✓  

Must be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Hand-delivered ballots must be received at the county clerk’s office by the close of business the Friday before Election Day.
California Cal. Elec. Code § 3020   ✓

Must be received no later than seven days after Election Day.
Colorado Colo. Rev. Stat. § 1-7.5-107(4)(b)(II) ✓  

Must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Connecticut Conn. Gen. Stat. 45-9-140b ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day. Hand-delivered ballots must be received the day before an election if delivered by the voter and by the close of polls on Election Day if delivered by a designated agent.
Delaware Del. Code Ann. § 15-55-5508 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
District of Columbia

D.C. Code Ann § 1-1001.05(a)(10A)

   ✓

Must be received within seven days of the election if postmarked on or before Election Day.
Florida Fla. Stat. § 101.67 ✓  

Must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Georgia Ga. Code § 21-2-386(F) ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
Hawaii Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 11-104 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
Idaho Idaho Code § 34-1005 ✓  

Must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Illinois Ill. Rev. Stat. CH 10 § 5/19-8, 5/18A-15   ✓

Must be received within 14 days of the election if postmarked on or before Election Day.

Indiana 

Ind. Code § 3-11.5-4-7 

             ✓ 

  

Must be received by 6 p.m. on Election Day. 
Iowa Iowa Code § 53.17(2) ✓  

Must be received before the close of polls on Election Day.
Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 25-1132   ✓

Must be received within three days of the election if postmarked before the close of polls on Election Day.
Kentucky Ky. Rev. Stat. 117.086 ✓  

Must be received before the close of polls on Election Day.
Louisiana LA. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18:1311 ✓  

All absentee ballots, regardless of return method, must be received the day before the election.
Maine Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. 21-A § 755 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
Maryland MD Code, Election Law, § 9-309, Board of Elections   ✓

Must be received within 10 days by 10 a.m. if postmarked on or before Election Day.
Massachusetts Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. 54 § 93    ✓

Must be received by 5 p.m. on the third day after he election if postmarked on or before Election Day.
Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws 168.764a ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
Minnesota Minn. Stat. 203B.08 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day. Hand-delivered ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Mississippi Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-637   ✓

Must be received within five business days of the election if postmarked on or before Election Day.

Note: A federal court ruled in 2024 that mail/absentee ballots received after Election Day cannot be counted for federal elections. This ruling does not impact state or local races.
Missouri Mo. Rev. Stat. 115.293 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
Montana Mont. Code Ann. 13-13-232 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
Nebraska Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-950 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
Nevada Nev. Rev. Stat. AB 321, § 8   ✓

Must be received by 5 p.m. on the fourth day following the election if postmarked by Election Day. Ballots with unclear postmarks received by the third day following the election are deemed to have been postmarked on or before Election Day.
New Hampshire N.H. Rev Stat. Ann. § 657:22 ✓  

Must be received by 5 p.m. on Election Day.
New Jersey N.J. Rev. Stat. § 19:63-22   ✓

Must be received within 144 hours (six days) of the close of the polls if postmarked on or before Election Day. Mail-delivered ballots without postmarks that arrive within 48 hours of the close of the polls will be considered valid.
New Mexico N.M. Stat. Ann. 1-6-10(B) ✓  

Must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
New York N.Y. McKinney's Election Law § 8-412    ✓

Must be received within seven days of the election if postmarked by Election Day.
North Carolina N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-231     ✓  

Must be received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. 
North Dakota N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-07-09, 16.1-15-25    ✓

Hand-delivered ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on the day before Election Day.
Ohio Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3509.05    ✓

Must be received within four days of the election if postmarked by the day before Election Day.
Oklahoma Okla. Stat. 26 § 14-104 ✓  

Must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Oregon

Or. Rev. Stat. § 253.070

   ✓

Must be received within seven days of the election if postmarked on or before Election Day.
Pennsylvania Pa. Cons. Stat. 25 § 3146.8 ✓  

Must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Puerto Rico P.R. Code Ann. 16 § 4736    ✓ Must be received on or before on or before the last day of the general canvass (canvass timing unspecified) if postmarked on or before Election Day.
Rhode Island R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-8  ✓  

Must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 7-15-420 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
South Dakota S.D. Codified Laws Ann. 12-19-12 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
Tennessee Tenn. Code Ann. 2-6-304 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
Texas Tex. Election Code Ann. § 86.007   ✓

Must be received by 5 p.m. on the day after the election if postmarked on or before Election Day.
Utah Utah Code Ann. § 20A-3a-204   ✓

Must be received before noon on the day of the official canvass (which takes place between seven and 14 days after the election) if postmarked by the day before Election Day.
Vermont Vt. Stat. Ann 17. Elections § 2543 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day. Ballots hand-delivered to a drop box or the town clerk’s office must be received before the close of business on the day before the election; ballots hand-delivered to the voter’s polling place must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.
Virgin Islands

V.I. Code Ann. 18 § 665

   ✓ Must be received within 10 days of Election Day.
Virginia Va. Code 24.2-709   ✓

Must be received before noon on the third day after the election if postmarked by Election Day.
Washington Wash. Rev. Code § 29A.40.091    ✓

Ballots received after the election with postmarks before Election Day are counted; receipt deadline not specified.
West Virginia W. Va. Code § 3-3-5, § 3-5-17   ✓

Must be received before the canvass (which begins on the fifth day after the election) if postmarked on or before Election Day.
Wisconsin Wis. Stat. 6.87(6) ✓  

Must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Wyoming Wyo. Stat. 22-9-119 ✓  

Must be received by the close of polls on Election Day.

Note: This page should be used for general informational purposes only.

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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