How Do Absentee and Mail-In Voting Differ?

With President Trump’s recent attacks on mail-in voting, many people have been wondering about the difference between absentee and mail-in ballots. Here’s an overview of absentee and mail-in voting and how they may differ. An absentee ballot has historically referred to ballots sent to individuals who will be outside of their local voting jurisdiction on Election Day. Voters in 34 states and Washington, D.C., may now request absentee ballots even if they are physically able to vote in person. The universal mail-in voting President Trump has attacked refers to ballots that are sent out to every eligible voter whether they request one or not. Though Trump has claimed mail-in voting may lead to fraudulent ballots, a ‘Washington Post’ analysis found minuscule rates of fraud.

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