The first ballots of the 2024 election were cast in September as early voting began. From North Carolina to Pennsylvania, voters are beginning the process of selecting the candidates of their choice, including former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, to occupy seats of power.
Five states across the country began in-person early voting in September, and multiple battleground states will do the same in October.
Here’s everything you need to know about voter registration and early voting as Election Day approaches:
Voter registration
Voters have multiple options to register to cast their ballots in 2024. Along with registering to vote in person, many states allow online voter registration, mail-in voter registration, and same-day voter registration, which allows voters to go to their designated polling place, register to vote, and cast their ballots on the same day. In some states, same-day registration happens during early-voting periods, while a handful of states allow it on Election Day as well.
In addition, automatic voter registration exists in about half of all U.S. states. Voters are automatically registered when they visit certain government agencies, such as the DMV. North Dakota is the only state in the country that does not register voters. Residents simply need to bring a qualifying form of ID to the polls in order to cast a ballot.
You can check the status of your voter registration on vote.org.
Here are the types of voter registration offered in each state as well as the deadlines to sign up to cast your ballot in the presidential election:
Alabama
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 21 (mail-in registration must be received by Oct. 21)
Alaska
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 6 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 6)
Arizona
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7)
Arkansas
- Types of voter registration offered: By mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7)
California
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 21 for online and by mail (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 21), Election Day for in-person registration
Colorado
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 28 for online and by mail (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 28), Election Day for in-person registration
Connecticut
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 18 for online and by mail (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 18), Election Day for in-person registration
Delaware
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 12 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 12)
District of Columbia
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 15 for online and by mail (mail-in registration must be received by Oct. 15), Election Day for in-person registration
Florida
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7)
Georgia
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7)
Hawaii
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Postmarked by Oct. 28 for mail-in registration, Election Day for online and in-person registration
Idaho
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 11 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 11), Election Day for in-person registration
Illinois
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Postmarked by Oct. 8 for mail-in registration, Oct. 20 for online registration, Election Day for in-person registration
Indiana
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7)
Iowa
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 21 for online and by mail (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 21), Election Day for in-person registration
Kansas
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 15 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 15)
Kentucky
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7)
Louisiana
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 by mail and in person (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7), online by Oct. 15
Maine
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 15 by mail and online (mail-in registration must be received by Oct. 15), Election Day for in-person registration
Maryland
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 15 by mail and online (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 15), Election Day for in-person registration
Massachusetts
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 26 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 26)
Michigan
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 21 for online and by mail (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 26), Election Day for in-person registration
Minnesota
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 15 for online and by mail (mail-in registration must be received by Oct. 15), Election Day for in-person registration
Mississippi
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7)
Missouri
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 9 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 9)
Montana
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 for online and by mail (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7), Election Day for in-person registration
Nebraska
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 18 for online and by mail (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7), Oct. 25 for in-person registration
Nevada
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 8 by mail (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 8), online by Oct. 23, Election Day for in-person registration
New Hampshire
- Types of voter registration offered: By mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Election Day (mail-in registration must be received by Election Day)
New Jersey
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 15 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 15)
New Mexico
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 8 by mail and online (mail-in registration must be received by Oct. 26), Election Day for in-person registration
New York
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 26 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 26)
North Carolina
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 11 by mail and online (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 11), same-day registration allowed during early-voting period
North Dakota
Not required
Ohio
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7)
Oklahoma
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 11 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 11)
Oregon
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 15 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 15)
Pennsylvania
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 21 (mail-in registration must be received by Oct. 21)
Rhode Island
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 6 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 6)
South Carolina
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 14 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 14)
South Dakota
- Types of voter registration offered: By mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 21 (mail-in registration must be received by Oct. 21)
Tennessee
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 7)
Texas
- Types of voter registration offered: By mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 7 (mail-in registration must be received by Oct. 7)
Utah
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 25 for online and by mail (mail-in registration must be received by Oct. 25), Election Day for in-person registration
Vermont
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Election Day (mail-in registration must be received by Election Day)
Virginia
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 15 for online and by mail (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 15), Election Day for in-person registration
Washington
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 28 online and by mail (mail-in registration must be received by Oct. 28), Election Day for in-person registration
West Virginia
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 15 (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 15)
Wisconsin
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 16 online and by mail (mail-in registration must be postmarked by Oct. 16), Election Day for in-person registration
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Wyoming
- Types of voter registration offered: Online, by mail, in person
- Registration deadline: Oct. 21 (mail-in registration must be received by Oct. 21), Election Day for in-person registration
Early in-person voting
Early voting has made significant strides in popularity since the 2016 presidential election, when only roughly 40% of people voted early in the presidential race. As the country came out of the coronavirus pandemic during the 2020 election cycle, nearly 70% of the electorate cast their votes through either mail-in ballots or early in-person voting.
Below are the states that have early voting and when it takes place in 2024:
Alaska
Early-voting period: Begins 15 days before Election Day and runs through Election Day in most locations.
Arizona
Early-voting period: Begins 27 days before Election Day and runs through the Friday before Election Day.
Arkansas
Early-voting period: Begins 15 days before Election Day and runs through the Monday before Election Day.
California
Early-voting period: Begins 29 days before Election Day and runs through the day before Election Day.
Colorado
Early-voting period: Begins 15 days before Election Day and runs through Election Day.
Connecticut
Early-voting period: Begins 15 days before Election Day and ends two days before Election Day.
Delaware
Early-voting period: Begins at least 10 days before Election Day and ends the Sunday before Election Day.
District of Columbia
Early-voting period: Begins Oct. 28 and ends Nov. 3.
Florida
Early-voting period: Begins at least 10 days before Election Day. End dates vary by county.
Georgia
Early-voting period: Begins Oct. 15 and ends Nov. 1.
Hawaii
Early-voting period: Begins 10 business days before Election Day.
Idaho
Early-voting period: Start and end dates vary by county.
Illinois
Early-voting period: Begins 40 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
Indiana
Early-voting period: Begins 28 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
Iowa
Early-voting period: Begins 20 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
Kansas
Early-voting period: Begins up to 20 days before Election Day and ends up to the day before Election Day.
Kentucky
Early-voting period: Begins five days before Election Day and ends the Saturday before Election Day.
Louisiana
Early-voting period: Begins 18 days before Election Day and ends seven days before Election Day.
Maine
Early-voting period: Begins 30 days before Election Day and ends three business days before Election Day.
Maryland
Early-voting period: Begins the second Thursday before Election Day and ends the Thursday before Election Day.
Massachusetts
Early-voting period: Begins the 17th day before Election Day and ends the fourth business day before Election Day.
Michigan
Early-voting period: Begins the second Saturday before Election Day and ends the Sunday before Election Day.
Minnesota
Early-voting period: Begins 46 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
Mississippi
Early-voting period: Begins 45 days before Election Day and ends three days before Election Day.
Minnesota
Early-voting period: Begins the second Tuesday before Election Day at qualifying locations and ends the day before Election Day.
Montana
Early-voting period: Begins 30 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
Nebraska
Early-voting period: Begins 30 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
Nevada
Early-voting period: Begins 17 days before Election Day and ends four days before Election Day.
New Jersey
Early-voting period: Begins 10 days before Election Day and ends two days before Election Day.
New Mexico
Early-voting period: Begins 28 days before Election Day and ends the Saturday before Election Day.
New York
Early-voting period: Begins 10 days before Election Day and ends two days before Election Day.
North Carolina
Early-voting period: Begins at least 15 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
Ohio
Early-voting period: Begins 29 days before Election Day and ends the Sunday before Election Day.
Oklahoma
Early-voting period: Begins the Wednesday before Election Day and ends the Saturday before Election Day.
Rhode Island
Early-voting period: Begins 20 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
South Carolina
Early-voting period: Begins 15 days before Election Day and ends the Saturday before Election Day.
South Dakota
Early-voting period: Begins 46 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
Tennessee
Early-voting period: Begins 17 days before Election Day and ends four days before Election Day.
Utah
Early-voting period: Begins 14 days before Election Day and ends four days before Election Day.
Vermont
Early-voting period: Begins 45 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
Virginia
Early-voting period: Begins 45 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
Washington
Early-voting period: Begins 13 days before Election Day and ends three days before Election Day.
Wisconsin
Early-voting period: Begins no earlier than 14 days before Election Day and ends no later than the Sunday before Election Day.
Wyoming
Early-voting period: Begins 28 days before Election Day and ends the day before Election Day.
