Voters favored casting early and mail ballots in last year's presidential election, report shows

ATLANTA – Casting mailed ballots remained fashionable among voters successful past year's statesmanlike election, adjacent arsenic President Donald Trump has tried to undercut the process done a wide-ranging enforcement order.

A report released Monday by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission besides recovered a surge successful aboriginal in-person voting and robust usage of ballot driblet boxes, which person been a people of conspiracy theorists since the 2020 election.

The findings, based connected information collected astatine the section level and submitted by states, exemplify the sustained popularity of alternate voting methods adjacent arsenic they person come nether attack successful caller years from Republicans.

“Notwithstanding the rhetoric from some, our predetermination process continues to bespeak the expectations voters person astir where, erstwhile and however to vote,” said David Levine, a erstwhile region predetermination authoritative successful Idaho who is present a elder chap astatine the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement. “Once voters effort voting earlier Election Day, they often proceed to bash truthful for aboriginal elections.”

Overall, much than 158 cardinal ballots were counted for the November 2024 statesmanlike election, according to the report. Turnout was 3 percent points little than successful 2020 but astir 4 percent points higher than during the 2016 statesmanlike election.

Mail voting is fashionable contempt rhetoric

Roughly 30% of voters past autumn utilized a message ballot, a diminution from the 43% who did truthful during the pandemic predetermination successful 2020 but higher than pre-pandemic elections, erstwhile message ballots typically accounted for astir 25% of votes cast.

The study noted that 4 states – Democratic-leaning Washington and Republican-leaning Indiana, South Dakota and Utah — saw higher percentages of message voting successful 2024 than 4 years earlier.

Trump has long complained, without providing evidence, that mail voting opens a pathway to fraud. The election enforcement order helium signed successful March, which is facing respective lawsuits, targets message voting by saying each ballots indispensable beryllium received by Election Day. Currently, 18 states and Puerto Rico accept mailed ballots received aft Election Day arsenic agelong they are postmarked connected oregon earlier that date.

Oregon and Washington, wherever elections are conducted astir wholly by mail, filed their ain lawsuit against the bid fearing that tens of thousands of their voters could beryllium disenfranchised if it is allowed to stand. During a quality league announcing the lawsuit, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said much than 300,000 ballots successful his authorities arrived aft Election Day successful 2024.

Popularity of aboriginal in-person voting surges

The study recovered the 2024 statesmanlike predetermination saw a driblet successful Election Day voting and a corresponding summation successful early, in-person voting. Election Day voting declined from 49% successful 2022 to astir 37% successful 2024, erstwhile 35% took vantage of voting early.

Republican-dominated South Carolina and Democratic-leaning Delaware had the largest increases successful early, in-person voting compared to 4 years ago.

Republicans past twelvemonth mounted a campaign to reverse years of blimpish disapproval of aboriginal voting methods and transportation their voters to formed ballots earlier Election Day, a strategy that helped Trump triumph a 2nd term.

Ballot driblet boxes utilized heavy wherever they are allowed

Since Trump's nonaccomplishment successful 2020, blimpish activists and conspiracy theorists person zeroed successful connected ballot driblet boxes arsenic a imaginable root of fraud despite nary grounds of that occurring successful that year's elections. Some Republican-led states person since blocked their usage oregon reduced their availability.

But they stay fashionable successful different parts of the country. The study recovered driblet boxes were successful usage successful 35 states positive the District of Columbia successful 2024. Of those, 21 states reported a full of astir 15 cardinal message ballots returned with the usage of a driblet box, accounting for astir 45% of each message ballots returned by voters.

Of the states that reported information connected ballot driblet boxes for 2022 and 2024, 4 states reported double-digit increases successful the percent of message ballots returned astatine driblet boxes: the Democratic stronghold of California, Republican-leaning Kansas and Utah, and plaything authorities Nevada.

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