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Vote-by-Mail in the United States

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“Vote by mail” (VBM) or “Mail voting” is a permanent part of the American election ecosystem. 

The rate of mail voting has tripled since 2000, and mail ballots now constitute a third of ballots returned (half in the pandemic election of 2020).  Importantly, a large percentage of ballots mailed to voters are returned in person.  This research documents the emergence and growth of mail balloting and details the unique administrative arrangements associated with this method of voting, related research and best practices, and areas where there is still more to learn.  (Voting by uniformed and overseas citizens—“UOCAVA” voters—is a special case not focused on in this report.)

  • Summary

    Major features and related best practices that have been subject to research include:

    • Profiles of who votes by mail
    • Impact on participation
    • Rejection rates and reasons for rejection
    • Public opinion
    • Costs

    This research has established important practices that increase the quality of the voter experience and/or confidence in elections, including:

    • Universal mail ballot delivery programs, if implemented well, have the potential to modestly increase participation overall, significantly increase participation for particular groups, and save money.
    • Implementing VBM cure laws could have a positive effect on turnout.
    • Drop boxes provide convenience and are a preferred return method in many states.  States and jurisdictions should take advantage of geo-spatial and demographic analysis tools to optimize locations and ensure equity of access.
    • Transparency and data accessibility provide avenues to engage and educate portions of the public who have lower levels of voter confidence or who view VBM more skeptically. 

    The following are some of the gaps and questions that would benefit from short-and long-term academic-election official research collaborations:

    • What arrangement of in-person and ballot return options make universal mail ballot delivery policies most successful? 
    • How does the composition of the electorate change under different mail voting policies?
    • What steps in the vote-by-mail chain impact voters of color, lower income voters, Indigenous voters, voters with language access needs, different age cohort, and voters with disabilities?
    • How well do security measures actually work?  Secrecy envelopes and signature matching are common tools for improving security, but we do not know how much they reduce fraud or increase public trust.  To what extent could security measures be barriers to voting?
    • Does extending the deadline for VBM ballots decrease the rejection rate of late delivered ballots? 
    • What factors and practices could lead to a more effective VBM curing process?  This could examine the various stages of ballot and signature challenges and curing.
    • What factors lead to ballots being rejected, and what are good mitigation strategies to reduce rejections?
    • How does the availability of ballot tracking impact voter confidence, turnout, rejection rates, and election integrity?
    • What are the key steps in the mail ballot chain that impact voters of color, lower income voters, Indigenous voters, voters with language access needs, different age cohorts, and those with disabilities?
    • How much does VBM affect participation in state, local, and special elections?
    • How much do policies that expand VBM cost?  
    • How can administrators communicate with voters to increase confidence in voting by mail and reduce problems that voters have?

Read the full white paper here: 

Voting by Mail

Contributors

This paper was written as part of the Mapping Election Administration and Election Science initiative. It was authored by: 

  • Paul Gronke (lead author)

  • Mindy S. Romero

  • Enrijeta Shino

  • Daniel M. Thompson