NCSL - National Conference of State Legislatures
03/10/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/10/2026 12:52
Table 1: States with No-Excuse Absentee Voting
Related Topic: Elections
Twenty-eight states offer "no-excuse" absentee voting, which means that any voter can request and cast an absentee/mail ballot, no excuse or reason necessary.
Eight states and Washington, D.C., conduct elections entirely by mail (California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington), which means voters do not need to request a ballot, and instead automatically receive one.
The remaining states require a voter to provide an excuse to qualify for an absentee/mail ballot. See Table 2: Excuses to Vote Absentee for details.
No-Excuse Absentee Voting
Created with Highcharts 12.5.0Chart context menuNo-Excuse Absentee VotingALAKASAZARCACOCTDEDCFLGAGUHIIDILINIAKSKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDMPOHOKORPAPRRISCSDTNTXVIUTVTVAWAWVWIWYCopyright (c) 2022 Highsoft AS, Based on data from Natural EarthHighcharts.com © Natural Earth
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States with No-Excuse Absentee Voting
| State | Statute | Details |
| Alaska | Alaska Stat. § 15.20.010 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Arizona | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 16-541 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| California | Cali. Elec Code § 3000.5 | All-mail elections |
| Colorado | Colo. Rev. Stat. §1-5-401 | All-mail elections |
| District of Columbia | D.C. Code § 1-1001.05 | All-mail elections |
| Florida | Flor. Stat. § 101.62 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Georgia | Georgia Code § 21-2-380 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Stat. §11-101 | All-mail elections |
| Idaho | Idaho Code §34-1001 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Illinois | 10 ILCS 5/19-1 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Iowa | Iowa Code § 53.1 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Kansas | Kan. Stat. Ann.§ 25-1119(a) | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Maine | 21-A ME Rev Stat § 751 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Maryland | Md. Elec Law §9-304 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Massachusetts | M.G.L.A. 54 § 25B | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Michigan | M.C.L.A. 168.759 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Minnesota | Minn. Stat. § 203B.02 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Montana | Mont. Code § 13-13-201 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Nebraska | Neb. Rev. Stat. Ann. §32-938 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Nevada | NRS §293 | All-mail elections |
| New Jersey | N.J. Rev. Stat. § 19:63-3 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| New Mexico | N.M. Stat. § 1-6-3 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| New York | N.Y. Election Law § 8-700 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| North Carolina | N.C. Gen Stat § 163-226 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| North Dakota | N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-07-01 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Ohio | Ohio Rev Code § 3509.02 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Oklahoma | 26 OK Stat § 14-105 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Oregon | Ore. Rev. Stat. §254.465 | All-mail elections |
| Pennsylvania | 25 P.S. § 3150.11 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Rhode Island | R.I. Gen Laws § 17-20-2 |
No-excuse absentee voting (Rhode Island lists several excuses to vote absentee, but also specifies "No specific reason necessary." Since any Rhode Islander can request an absentee ballot, NCSL has categorized it as no excuse required.) |
| South Dakota | S.D. Cod. Laws § 12-19-1 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Utah | Utah Code Ann. §20A-3a-302 | All-mail elections |
| Vermont | 17 VSA § 2537a | All-mail elections (general elections only) |
| Virginia | VA Code Ann. § 24.2-700 | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Washington | Rev. Code of Wash. 29A.40.010 | All-mail elections |
| Wisconsin | Wis. Stat. § 6.86 (1)(ac) | No-excuse absentee voting |
| Wyoming | WY Stat § 22-9-102 | No-excuse absentee voting |
Note: This page should be used for general informational purposes only.
Our organization does not run elections and cannot provide legal advice. If you are a voter looking for assistance, please contact your local election official. You can find your local election official's website and contact information by using this database from the US Vote Foundation.
NCSL - National Conference of State Legislatures published this content on March 10, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 10, 2026 at 18:52 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]