First 2024 Election Mail Ballots Scheduled to Go out This Week

Mail-in ballots sit in trays before being sorted at the Santa Clara County registrar of voters office in San Jose, Calif., on Oct. 13, 2020. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

While there are about 60 days until Election Day on Nov. 5, the first mail-in ballots are slated to reach voters starting this week.

The first batch of ballots are typically sent out to military and overseas voters. Under federal law, that must happen at least 45 days before an election—which this year is Sept. 21.

However, some states start earlier. North Carolina, considered a key battleground state this season, will begin sending mail ballots to all voters who request them, including military personnel and overseas voters, on Sept. 6, according to the State Board of Elections.

“The county boards of elections will begin to mail absentee ballots to eligible voters who requested one for the 2024 general election,” the site says.

Voter registration deadlines vary by state, with most falling between eight and 30 days before the election, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The deadline is Oct. 7 in Georgia, one of this year’s most prominent presidential battlegrounds.

Aside from the mail ballots, all early states offer some version of in-person voting, though the rules and dates vary considerably. Early in-person voting will start as soon as Sept. 20 in some states.

In Pennsylvania, another crucial state, ballots will be mailed out 50 days before the general election, coming on Sept. 16, the conference website says.

Other than Pennsylvania, the states that begin mailing ballots to voters more than 45 days before the election are Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, according to the organization.

Meanwhile, Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming will start mailing ballots to voters 45 days before the election.

In North Carolina, Robert F. Kennedy, who endorsed former President Donald Trump for president last month, will remain on the ballot, the State Board of Elections announced.

“Approximately 2 million ballots statewide have already been printed with Kennedy’s name on them, and the first ballots will be sent to absentee voters in eight days,” the board said on Aug. 29.

The first presidential debate is set for Sept. 10 between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s nominee. Her running mate, Tim Walz, and Trump’s, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), have agreed to an Oct. 1 debate hosted by CBS News in New York City.

It’s not clear whether any other debates will be held. Last week, Trump publicly suggested he might pull out of the ABC debate, citing his own concerns about bias at the network, but said in a follow-up post on Truth Social that he will attend the debate. He also suggested that a debate be held on Fox News, but the Harris camp declined that offer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.