Name: Still haven’t voted? Don’t send your ballot by mail.
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Still haven’t voted? Don’t send your ballot by mail.

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The deadline has passed to safely mail your ballot. Here’s what to do if you still need to vote.More than have already voted in the 2020 election, and if you’re not one of them: What are you waiting for?Whatever the reason, don’t wait any longer: .But less than one week out from Election Day, your voting plan needs to be realistic. Specifically, you should now plan to vote in person or drop off your mail ballot, if you already have one.To put it another way: It’s now probably cutting it too close to send your ballot through the mail.The United States Postal Service that “as a common-sense measure, you mail your complete ballot before Election Day, and at least one week prior to your state’s deadline.”. Some states require ballots to be received or postmarked before Election Day (). Others require that ballots be received by Election Day to be counted, including swing states like and .Some states require ballots to be postmarked by Election Day but have cutoffs on how late they can be received. For example, Pennsylvania requires a November 3 postmark, or they won’t be counted.()So if you haven’t dropped your stamped ballot in the mailbox yet, it’s time to come up with a new plan.The good news is there is still plenty of time for that! If you have a mail ballot in hand, you should still have the option to drop it off with election officials, at a polling place, designated drop-off location, or drop box before or on Election Day. And if you hadn’t thought about voting until today, it’s time for you to figure out how you’ll vote in person, either early or on Election Day.Voting by mail doesn’t have to mean literally voting by mail. Most states offer some kind of drop-off option.Many states allow you to drop off your ballot at your local election office. will let voters drop off their mail ballots at their polling station on Election Day. And about are offering some sort of drop boxes where voters can return ballots, though it may depend on the county where you live.Only two states — and — don’t allow for the hand delivery of ballots. doesn’t allow people to hand-deliver ballots but . , for some reason, makes a distinction between absentee voters (those who have a valid excuse) and people who just prefer to vote by mail. Only absentee voters can hand-deliver ballots; mail voters must send through the mail.But as always, , or call your local election officials, to find the best drop-off option.If you requested a mail ballot and haven’t received it, or if you have a mail ballot and haven’t turned it in yet, you can still vote in person. Many states, , require you to bring your mail ballot to the polling station and turn it in to poll workers. If you don’t have a ballot — you requested one but never got it, or you threw it out, or your dog chewed it up — that’s also okay. But, as in Pennsylvania, you may have to vote via provisional ballot, which will count as long as election officials can verify you didn’t already vote by mail. This is just a safeguard against people voting twice, .A few states, such as New York, automatically let your in-person vote override your mail vote, but definitely check your state’s rules first. Other states, ask that you bring in your ballot, but if you don’t have it, election officials will let only let you cast a ballot in person if they can verify you haven’t already submitted a vote by mail. Some states, like , may ask voters who don’t turn in their ballots to sign an affidavit canceling any mail ballot before they can vote.If you’ve sent in your ballot already, or are planning to drop it off as soon as you finish reading this, do sign up for ballot tracking, if it’s available where you live. Many other states let you track the progress of your ballot on a voter portal on a state or local election site. This will tell you whether election officials have received your ballot, and, in some cases, it will let you know whether it’s been rejected or accepted.If your ballot has been rejected, and many other states have . This process allows voters to fix any mismatched or missing signatures, or other possible mistakes that might otherwise prevent their vote from being counted. In many places, election officials are supposed to contact voters directly, but if anything seems amiss with your mail-in vote, you can always call the election office yourself.Voting in person is always an option for those who haven’t cast their ballots yet. If possible, you should do it now, or as soon as you can, rather than waiting until Election Day on November 3.About , and much of it is happening this week. The dates and times vary by state and county, . for early voting, but they could be far worse on Election Day, and if you for some reason can’t wait in line on November 3, you might miss your chance to vote at all.But if you can only vote in person on Election Day, then stick to that plan and do it!For those concerned about the Covid-19 risk of voting in person, , and about as risky as going to the grocery store. You should still take precautions, though, like wearing a mask, trying to stay 6 feet apart from others while standing in line and inside the polling place, and washing your hands or using hand sanitizer once you’ve voted.If you’re still worried, check with your local election officials to see what kinds of precautions they’re taking at your local site. This is another reason to vote early, and to try to do it during off hours, when the polls might be less crowded., voting by mail may be the safest option from a public health perspective, “but whether it’s simply too late for you to vote by mail or you prefer to vote in person to eliminate the possibility of any mistakes in your ballot being processed, you can vote safely in person.”There is still plenty of time to cast your ballot. The United States could see , but that still requires everyone who’s eligible to get out and vote. So go and do it, now.Millions turn to Vox to understand what’s happening in the news. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all.Understand how policy impacts people. Delivered Fridays.

The deadline has passed to safely mail your ballot. Here’s what to do if you still need to vote.More than have already voted in the 2020 election, and if you’re not one of them: What are you waiting for?Whatever the reason, don’t wait any longer: .But less than one week out from Election Day, your voting plan needs to be realistic. Specifically, you should now plan to vote in person or drop off your mail ballot, if you already have one.To put it another way: It’s now probably cutting it too close to send your ballot through the mail.The United States Postal Service that “as a common-sense...

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Jen Kirby

Vox is a liberal-leaning American news and opinion website owned by Vox Media. The website was founded in April 2014 by Ezra Klein, Matt Yglesias, and Melissa Bell, and is noted for its concept of explanatory journalism. Vox's media presence also includes a YouTube channel, several podcasts, and a show presented on Netflix.

Still haven’t voted? Don’t send your ballot by mail.

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