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All states have their own rules and deadlines for ballots cast before Election Day, by mail or in person.

Early voting got , when many states made the practice more available, as the nation voted amid the coronavirus pandemic. Voters made use of it, too, with an unprecedented 103.2 million people casting early ballots in the presidential election, eager to avoid long lines and crowded polling stations, or simply drop off their ballots in official collection boxes

Now, as the early voting period winds down for , a look at when things are slated to wrap up:

IN-PERSON VOTING

Every state offers — some by mail, some in person, some both. For places with in-person early voting, the windows in which someone can cast an early ballot vary from more than a month to just over a week.

Early voting and in-person absentee voting starts as early as nearly six weeks ahead of Election Day itself in places such as , , , , , and .

In a lot of places, in-person, early voting is open right up to Election Day itself. Others, including , , , and accept voters until the day before the election.

Some, like , , — where the practice is new this year — and wrap up the process the Saturday before Election Day. And closes its early polls a week before Election Day itself.

MAILING IN THE VOTES

In a number of states, voters can .

Most places require that mail-in ballots be postmarked by Election Day, but many states will accept them in the weeks following the election. Illinois accepts mail-in ballots two weeks after the election, while Maryland and Ohio will accept ballots up to 10 days post-election.

In automatically, most votes are cast this way, although there are some in-person voting centers. Ballots can be dropped off up until the polls close.

Michigan requires its mail-in ballots to be received by the time polls close, as do other states including Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

WHEN DO EARLY VOTES GET COUNTED?

Before early mail-in votes can be counted, they have to be processed. This means that elections officials open up any paper ballots, verify signatures and sort them into correct piles.

When all of that can start varies state-to-state. Some places can get a head start, while others have to wait until Election Day itself, and chaotic.

Some states can start processing ballots as early as three weeks before Election Day. Counting can even start ahead of poll closings, too.

In New Jersey, early mail votes can be processed before Election Day and counted before the polls close.In Washington, D.C., these votes can’t be processed until Election Day and can’t be counted until after the polls close.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at

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