There are several voting changes that have been made across all 50 states in order to increase accessible voting options for all voters amidst social distancing guidelines. These changes are summarized below and are tracked within the spreadsheet in this page.

1) Delaying voter registration deadlines: Some states have extended their voter registration deadline. Being registered as a voter is a prerequisite to utilizing all of the following changes, so please make sure that you are registered!

2) Expanded earlier voting options: Some states have expanded polling locations and timelines for voting in-person before Election Day. If you have concerns about your schedule on November 3rd, you may utilize such a process to cast your vote well before Election Day.

3) Expanding absentee voting eligibility: Over 30 states are "no-excuse absentee voting" states, where no condition or specific requirement is needed by a voter in order to request an absentee ballot. Another 5 states are "universal vote-by-mail" states, where all registered voters are mailed a ballot. The remaining states normally require an "excuse" to be provided for obtaining an absentee ballot, such as being above a certain age. However, many such states have relaxed their absentee requirements to either a) allow all voters to request an absentee ballot or b) allow voters to cite social distancing or concerns over COVID-19 as a valid condition to obtain a ballot.

4) Mailing absentee ballots or absentee ballot applications to all registered voters: Some states that are normally not universal vote-by-mail states are mailing absentee ballots or absentee ballot applications to all voters, due to COVID-19. If you are a registered voter, you will be automatically mailed your ballot or ballot application. Some states 

5) Witness and/or notary signature requirements: Around 10 states require voters to obtain a mandatory signature from a witness (or in some cases, multiple witnesses) or a public notary in order for their absentee ballot to be verified. However, due to challenges obtaining signatures presented by COVID-19, some states have either relaxed or removed these requirements.

6) Extended deadlines for the receipt of absentee ballots: Some states have loosened the deadline by which absentee ballots must arrive at your appropriate election office in order to be counted. In some states, your ballot may still be counted even if it arrives days after Election Day. Please note that these requirements usually have both a deadline that your ballot must be postmarked by (ex. on Election Day or the day before Election Day) and a deadline your ballot must be received by, both of which you must ensure to meet.

7) Emergency absentee voting processes: In some cases, emergency absentee voting has been impacted by COVID-19-related election changes like the closure of county election offices or the temporary suspension of in-person ballot delivery teams due to hospital visitation restrictions. However, many states have come up with inventive solutions to preserve emergency voting amidst COVID, such as involving healthcare workers in emergency voting processes.

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NOTE: All of these changes are actively evolving due to pending legislation or judicial challenges. Whenever in doubt over a certain change on this page, please do not hesitate to consult your state's Board of Elections website or reach out to the relevant officials in order to get the most up-to-date information on voting in the time of COVID-19.

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Here is to a safe time voting.