In the 2020 U.S. election, a striking number of voters opted for “non-traditional” voting methods, with the Census Bureau reporting nearly 70% of over 154 million voters casting their ballots either by mail (43%) or through early in-person voting (26%). This marked a major shift largely influenced by pandemic-related concerns that encouraged voters to steer clear of traditional Election Day voting in favor of more convenient and distanced options.
This shift led to record voter turnout in 2020, with 67% of eligible Americans participating. These alternative voting methods saw a 73% increase from 2016 as states prioritized public safety over the usual voting format. However, post-pandemic, the 2022 midterms still demonstrated an enduring preference for early and mail-in voting, with Pew Research indicating that 57% of voters chose these methods even as the immediate concerns of COVID-19 waned.
Now, as the 2024 election season unfolds, early data suggests mail-in voting may not reach 2020 levels, though it’s clear that more Americans will likely bypass the classic Election Day voting booth in favor of earlier options than in pre-2020 elections. As of late October 2024, more than 31 million Americans had already voted by mail or in-person early, according to University of Florida’s Election Lab, tracking a different pattern from 2020’s exceptional early voting turnout.
Certain nuances add complexity to state-by-state comparisons. For instance, states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia do not require party affiliation for registration, complicating precise cross-year data matching on early voting habits by party. Additionally, the 2020 and 2024 Election Lab datasets differ slightly in the states included, as only states requiring party affiliation are analyzed for party-based data trends.
In all, the high reliance on early and mail-in voting over recent cycles highlights a gradual but potentially lasting transformation in American voting preferences—one that shifts the focus from a single Election Day to a more extended voting period.
