November 3 is Just One of Many Election Days

If you live in a state or district with competitive races this election cycle, you have likely been flooded with messages in the mail, via text, on social media, and on the television. The onslaught from candidates vying for your vote will likely continue until Tuesday, November 3, the day set aside by the U.S. Constitution for federal elections.

But by the time Election Day arrives, about half the voters (and maybe even more) will have already cast their ballots.

Unlike most other countries with democratic elections, the United States holds its national elections on an ordinary weekday. Of the 104 countries included in a recent Pew Research Center analysis, 60 hold national elections on a weekend day, 16 have elections on a weekday that is set aside as a national holiday, and only 28 countries (including the U.S.) hold elections on regular weekdays.

This distinction makes a difference. Many voters, especially those who work full-time jobs, have difficulty making it to the polls on a non-holiday weekday. Wait times are unpredictable—in some precincts, waiting time in voting lines can last for an hour or more. Voters who juggle competing demands on their time can find it difficult to get to the polls and cast a ballot. Some voters are disabled; others are immobile. Transportation can be a hindrance as well.

Over the years, states have adapted their election laws to remove barriers to voting and make it easier for people to vote on their own timetable and in a manner that is most convenient for their circumstances. Effectively, we now have multiple “Election Days” in most states.

As discussed in my last post (by guest writer Tobias Link), voting by mail dates back more than a century and a half, when states made provisions for soldiers serving in the Civil War. Mail-in voting has expanded greatly in recent decades; eight states now send voters mail-in ballots by default.

All states provide at least one way for voters to cast their ballot early. Many offer the option for voting by mail—28 states allow no-excuse mail-in voting, and another 14 states require an excuse (such as travel, illness or disability, or residing away at college). All but three states (Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire) allow voters to cast their ballots in person ahead of Election Day. Each state has its own provisions for early voting, with varying start dates. Most include options to cast ballots on weekends.

Provisions to expand opportunities to cast ballots are popular with voters. In the 2024 election, 39.6% of people voted in person on Election Day, 30.7% of people voted early in person, and 29% of people voted by mail. In the last midterm election, 2022, 49.5% of people voted in person on Election Day, 18% of people voted early in person, and 31.8% of people voted by mail. If the trend continues, two-thirds or more of voters in this upcoming election will cast their ballots before Election Day.