In every weather thread, someone'll comment "make sure to vote early!"
Look at this map:
Most of the east coast doesn't have it.
Breaking it down:
Early voting states |
No-excuse absentee voting |
Excuse-required absentee voting |
DC
Florida
Georgia
Maine
Maryland
North Carolina
Vermont |
New Jersey |
Connecticut
Delaware
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New York
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Virginia |
Here's what I found at elections.ny.gov:
- Qualifications to Vote by Absentee Ballot
- Absent from your county or, if a resident of New York City absent from said city, on Election Day.
- Unable to appear at the polls due to temporary or permanent illness or disability; or because you are the primary care giver of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled.
- A patient or inmate in a Veterans' Administration Hospital.
- Detained in jail awaiting Grand Jury action or confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony.
And here's Massachusetts:
Massachusetts allows voters to vote by absentee ballot if they:
- will be absent from your city or town on election day, and/or
- have a physical disability that prevents your voting at the polling place, and/or
- cannot vote at the polls due to religious beliefs.
You may have an absentee ballot mailed to you or you may vote at your city or town hall by making arrangements with your local election official.
To be counted, a completed ballot must be received by the time the polls close on Election Day to be counted.
Although the deadline to apply for absentee ballots is noon the day before the election, we highly recommend submitting the application as soon as practicable.
I'm not going to check all these states right now, but I suspect they're similar. Absentee ballots generally are intended for those who absolutely can't make it to the polls on election day -- those who know they'll be away from home, and those for whom physically getting to the polls is predictably impossible for health-related reasons.
And here's the part of the diary where I Advocate For Change! and direct you to a petition or something -- but I can't find any of the organizations (which I know are out there) who have been working on this. Voting Reform advocates have been focused on more immediate matters, and this is (of course) a long-term statewide effort sort of thing.
Something to concentrate on after the General Elections coming up.
Edit: looks like there's still time to make arrangements in New Jersey (from nj.gov):
Vote By Mail Applications
In New Jersey, any voter can now vote by mail in any election. You do not need a reason to Vote by Mail. Don't feel like going to the polls? Simply vote by mail. Now there is "no excuse" not to vote!
A voter may vote by mail by completing the Application for Vote by Mail Ballot (see below), and returning the application to their County Clerk.
To receive your ballot by mail, the application must be received by the County Clerk 7 days prior to the election.
A voter may also apply in person to the County Clerk until 3:00 p.m., the day before the election.
The County Clerk cannot accept faxed or emailed copies of a Application for Vote by Mail Ballot, unless you are a Military or Overseas Voter, since an original signature is required.