Thanks to the pandemic, this may well be the first election you’ve ever voted by mail. If that’s the case, you’ve probably got a healthy level of anxiety about whether or not your ballot will actually end up being counted (anxiety that’s been amplified by political operatives). We’d like to tell you not to worry, that millions of Americans have voted by mail since the Civil War, but recent Supreme Court decisions and inconsistent deadlines from state to state have many fearing whether their ballots will add to the final tally.
The good news is that most states offer a way for you to track your ballot and ensure it’s been received prior to any state deadlines. The bad news? There isn’t one universal way to track your ballot.
In short, the world of ballot tracking is every bit as dense as navigating America’s voting laws. Some states will rely on BallotTrax, some will require you to use a US Postal Service tracking number, and — most annoying of all — some will even require a call to your county clerk’s office.
To make the process a little easier, we linked each state’s name with the best method for tracking your ballot. Get some answers below!
Track your Vote-By-Mail ballot
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming