Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
Abstract
This Article examines how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the legal framework governing absentee and mail-in voting in the United States from 2020 through the 2024 election cycles. Through a comprehensive review of state statutes, election data, and litigation across multiple jurisdictions, the Article analyzes pre-pandemic absentee voting regimes, emergency modifications implemented during the 2020 election cycle, and post-pandemic developments in 2022 and 2024. It compares states that required an excuse for absentee voting with those adopting no-excuse or all-mail systems and evaluates the surge in mail-in ballot usage during the pandemic. The Article further surveys significant state-level lawsuits challenging absentee/mail-in voting procedures and assesses the evolving judicial responses. Concluding that pandemic-era expansions enhanced electoral access without undermining election integrity, the Article recommends broader adoption of no-excuse absentee/mail-in voting laws to promote voter participation while preserving public health and democratic legitimacy.
Recommended Citation
Tracey B. Carter, One's Health versus One's Right to Vote: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Changed the Legal Landscape of Absentee/Mail-in Voting in the United States from the 2020-2024 Election Cycles, 35 U. Fla. J.L. & Pub. Pol'y 1 (2024).
