Explainer | How are votes counted in the US presidential election?
The Post looks at the timeline and issues that may affect the American election result and transition to a new White House administration
(Editor’s note: This report has been updated to remove from the “other issues” section a rule that would have required Georgia election officials to hand-count ballots but was blocked in court. The section now contains a new development about North Carolina.)
Early voting
Forty-seven states, Washington DC, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands offer early in-person voting to all registered voters; some have been doing so since August.
Three states – Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire – do not offer early in-person voting, though they may provide these options to eligible absentee voters.
Early in-person voting may begin as early as 50 days ahead of Election Day – Tuesday, November 5 – or as late as Friday, November 1. The average start date for early voting is 27 days before the election.
Although most states have absentee voting, deadlines and rules on who can take part vary. Some states require notification about the reason for an absentee ballot request. In most states, an absentee ballot must be requested in each election, but some allow voters to sign up to have absentee ballots sent to them in each election.
