Table 8: How States Verify Absentee Ballot Applications

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Voting Outside the Polling Place Report
This table is part of NCSL’s Voting Outside the Polling Place report.

Absentee/mail ballot applications require voters to provide identifying information—name, address, date of birth and often a signature, driver’s license number or the final four digits of the voter’s social security number. A few states may require additional information at the time of application, such as a copy of ID or notary signature, to confirm the voter’s identity and eligibility. Fourteen states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also require voters to provide an excuse to qualify for an absentee/mail ballot. For more information on eligible excuses, see Table 2: Excuses to Vote Absentee.

When election officials receive an application from a voter, they use that information to verify the voter’s identity and eligibility before sending out the ballot. This is done in a variety of ways, but most commonly by verifying the applicant’s information in the statewide voter registration database. States may also conduct signature verification at this stage to compare the voter’s signature on the application with the voter registration signature. This step is meant to ensure that it is in fact the voter who is requesting the absentee/mail ballot.

Twenty-four states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands compare an applicant’s information and eligibility against the voter registration record:

Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Texas, Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Eleven states conduct signature verification in addition to checking information and eligibility against the voter registration record:

Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Tennessee.

Alabama, Kentucky, South Dakota and Wisconsin require voters to provide a copy of ID. (Voters in South Dakota may submit a notarized oath in lieu of a copy of photo ID.) In Wisconsin, the ballot application information is checked against the enclosed ID; Alabama, Kentucky and South Dakota verify the provided information against the voter registration record.

Mississippi requires a notarized application. No further verification is done at the time of application.

South Carolina requires voters to sign an oath. No further verification is done at the time of application.

Alaska, Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota and Washington, D.C., issue the ballot upon receipt of the application. These states and others verify the voter’s identity upon receipt of the ballot.

How States Verify Absentee Ballot Applications
State	What Additional Information Must Voters Provide?	How Is the Application Verified?
Alabama Ala. Code § 17-11-5, § 17-9-30(b)	Excuse and copy of ID.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Alaska Alaska Stat. § 15.20.081	None.	None; ballot issued upon receipt of application.
Arizona Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16-542	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
Arkansas Ark. Code Ann. § 7-5-404	Excuse.	Signature, information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
California	N/A	N/A
Colorado	N/A	N/A
Connecticut Conn. Gen Stat § 9-140	Excuse.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Delaware Del. Code Ann. tit. 15 § 5503, § 5504	Excuse.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
District of Columbia D.C. Mun. Regs. Tit. 3, § 720.7	None.	None; ballot issued upon receipt of application.
Florida Fla. Stat §101.62	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Georgia Ga. Code Ann. § 21-2-381	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
Hawaii	N/A	N/A
Idaho Idaho Code § 34-1002, § 34-1003	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
Illinois 10 ILCS 5/19-4	None.	Signature, information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
Indiana Ind. Code § 3-11-4-17.5		Signature, information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
Iowa Iowa Code § 53.2	None.	Signature, information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Kansas Kan. Stat. Ann. § 25-1122	None.	Signature, information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
Kentucky Ky. Rev. Stat. § 117.085	Excuse and copy of ID.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Louisiana La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18:1307	Excuse.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration and documentation provided by the applicant as to the reason for the request.
Maine Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A, § 753-A	None.	None; ballot issued upon receipt of application.
Maryland Md. Elec. Law Code § 9-305, § 9-306	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Massachusetts Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 54 § 91	None.	Signature, information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
Michigan Mich. Comp Laws § 168.761	None.	Signature, information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
Minnesota Minn. Stat § 203B.04	None.	None; ballot issued upon receipt of application.
Mississippi Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-715	Excuse and notarized application (only a witness signature is needed if the voter is temporarily or permanently disabled).	Notarized application taken as proof of voter’s identity.
Missouri Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.279, § 115.287	Excuse.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Montana Mont. Code Ann. § 13-13-213	None.	Signature, information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
Nebraska Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. §32-947	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Nevada	N/A	N/A
New Hampshire N.H. Rev. Stat. § 657:12	Excuse.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
New Jersey N.J. Rev. Stat. § 19:63-8	None.	Signature, information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
New Mexico N.M. Stat § 1-6-5	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
New York N.Y. Election Law § 8-402(1)	Excuse.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
North Carolina N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-230.2	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
North Dakota N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-07-08	None.	None; ballot issued upon receipt of application.
Ohio Ohio Rev. Code § 3509.04	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Oklahoma 26 Okla. Stat. § 26-14-106	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Oregon	N/A	N/A
Pennsylvania 25 Pa. Stat. § 3146.2b	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
Puerto Rico P.R. Code Ann. tit. 16, § 4735	Excuse and signed oath.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Rhode Island R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-20-10	None.	Signature, information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 7-15-340	Excuse and signed oath.	Signed oath taken as proof of voter’s identity. Any person who fraudulently applies for an absentee ballot is guilty of a felony.
South Dakota S.D. Codified Laws § 12-19-2 et seq.	Signed and notarized oath or copy of photo ID.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Tennessee Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-6-202	Excuse.	Signature, information and eligibility checked against voter registration record.
Texas Tex. Elec. Code § 86.001	Excuse.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Utah	N/A	N/A
Vermont	N/A	N/A
Virgin Islands 18 V.I.C. § 664	Excuse.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Virginia Va. Code § 24.2-706	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Washington	N/A	N/A
West Virginia W. Va. Code § 3-3-5	Excuse.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.
Wisconsin Wis. Stat. § 6.87(1)	Copy of ID.	Ballot application information verified with enclosed ID.
Wyoming Wyo. Stat § 22-9-106	None.	Information and eligibility checked against voter registration.

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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Summary Table 8: How States Verify Absentee Ballot Applications

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