2022 Primaries: Find Out if Ballot Drop Boxes are Available in Your State

Ballot Drop Boxes are Safe and Easy to Use. Here’s How to Find Out If Voting by Drop Box is Available in Your State.

The widespread ability to vote absentee using a ballot drop box is one of the innovative voting options that Americans were presented with in 2020. As a response to the need to maintain social distancing and avoid turning a long line at the polling station into a “super spreader” event, drop boxes were a huge success. They also proved very popular with busy voters who preferred in-person options for dropping off their ballots.

In states that vote primarily by mail, ballot drop boxes have been around for years: What was innovative was the degree to which they were used, particularly as part of a plan to limit in-person voting by sending out large numbers of vote-at-home and absentee ballots to registered voters.

The good news is that that the success of the ballot drop box in the 2020 general election will carry over into the currently ongoing 2022 primary elections and the midterm election in November.

Here’s some important information about ballot drop boxes to help you decide whether you should use a drop box to return a vote-by-mail or absentee ballot.

• Official ballot drop boxes are provided by local election offices as an option for returning a completed mail-in or absentee ballot.
   
• They are often located outside near parking lots in public areas adjacent to government buildings, and in many states these drop boxes will be accessible 24/7.
   
• Other states or local districts locate them inside local election offices, which means they are only available during office hours.
   
• Drop boxes are typically similar in size to the blue USPS mail collection boxes that are abundant in our communities, but they are clearly marked as official ballot drop boxes.
   
• If you have any doubt about whether a drop box is an official one or not, don’t use it.

Access to ballot drop boxes varies according to jurisdiction, and the rules may have changed since the general election in 2020. Check your State Voter Information on the U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote) website.
 

• If you live in CA, CT, HI, IL, KY, MD, ME, NV, VA or VT, you’ll be happy to know that box balloting opportunities are increasingly available to you.
   
• Other states have made significant changes to ballot drop boxes recently, among them FL, GA, IA TX, and IN.
   
• All-mail voting states: CA, CO, HI, OR, UT, WA provide excellent drop box options
• Regardless of where you live, if you’re interested using this option to send in your ballot, check US Vote's Ballot Return Options Chart to see option available in your state.
   
• You may wish to contact your Local Election Office to or check their website for further information about your local drop boxes

Using ballot drop boxes is an excellent way to make sure your ballot arrives in the hands of your local election officials in time to be counted.

And they help you to vote in a safe and secure manner; no need to worry about putting your ballot in the mail or making sure it has the right postage. Happy voting!