33 States Not Allowed to Count Absentee or Mail-In Ballots Early

September 18, 2020: Laws in 33 states prevent state officials from counting absentee or mail-in ballots prior to Election Day.[1] This includes Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and other states thought to be swing states in Election 2020.[2]

Eight states have laws explicitly allowing the counting of absentee and mail-in ballots before Election Day arrives — Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina and Vermont.[1]

Nine other states leave it to the discretion of officials — Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah.[1]

This could have a significant impact on the reporting of election results in November and on public perceptions of the results. Polling shows that President Trump has a solid lead among voters who plan to cast their ballot in person. However, former Vice President Joe Biden has an even larger lead among those who plan to vote by mail.[3]

Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author. Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author. Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read Scott Rasmussen’s Reports — More Here.

Footnotes:

1. Ballotpedia, "When states can begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots, 2020," accessed September 17, 2020
2. RealClear Politics, "2020 Electoral College Map," accessed September 17, 2020