ABSENTEE VOTING HISTORY & VOTE-BY-MAIL INFO

FUN FACT FRIDAY: A Brief History of Absentee & Vote-By-Mail Voting

Historically, less than 10 percent of American voters requested absentee ballots to be sent to them by mail. However, by 2020, during the height of COVID, vote by mail reached a high of 43% of all ballots cast.

Absentee Voting originated during the War of 1812 when Pennsylvania allowed out-of-state soldiers to vote in absentia. During the American Civil War, both Union and Confederate soldiers had their votes counted from the battlefield. For Abraham Lincoln’s 1864 election victory over George McClellan, this proved to be a big success as “Honest Abe” carried over 75% of the military votes from the Union Army (likely few “write-ins” on the Confederate side. And, to be clear, voting by mail was not yet in place on either side.)

Still to this day, boards of elections in all U.S. counties allow active duty servicemen and servicewomen to receive absentee ballots. By the 1980s, some states, such as California, did not require any reason for eligible voters to request voting by mail — simply requesting an absentee ballot to be sent by mail was sufficient. In 2000, Oregon became the first state to shift to an “all mail” voting system. However, each state makes its determination on how its electorate should vote. As of 2024, there were 28 states (including the District of Columbia) that adopted “no excuse required” provisions for voters to receive vote-by-mail requests.

Many states (e.g., New York, Texas, and many southern states, among others), however, still require and record an eligible voter’s declared and acceptable reason to have a mailed ballot sent. Here is New York’s list of eligible reasons:

__ absence from a county or New York City on election day
__ temporary illness or physical disability
__ permanent illness or physical disability
__ detention in jail/prison, awaiting trial, awaiting action
__ duties related to the primary care of one or more individuals who are ill or physically disabled
__ resident of patient of a Veterans Health Administration Hospital
__ detention in jail/prison, awaiting trial, awaiting action by a grand jury, or in prison for a conviction of a crime or offense which was not a felony

Want information to receive a New York State Absentee Ballot Application? Here’s the link to “Request a Ballot Voting by Early Mail Ballot or Absentee Ballot”

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