The Quick Version
- Georgia’s early voting starts Tuesday, Oct. 13, and North Carolina’s starts Thursday, Oct. 15. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.
- Already open: Virginia (since Sept. 18), Illinois (Sept. 24), California (Oct. 5) and Ohio (Oct. 6). You can vote early there now.
- Voting by mail? Send it back a week early or use a drop box. Under a USPS rule, mail may not be postmarked the day you drop it off.
- Find your early voting site at CanIVote.org, built by state election officials, or on your county election office website.
Early voting 2026 is already underway in parts of the country. Virginia opened in-person voting for the Nov. 3 midterms on Sept. 18, and Illinois, California and Ohio have followed. Next up is Georgia, home to the third-largest Black population in the nation, where early voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 13, according to the state’s official election page.
Below is a table you can screenshot and send to the group chat: early voting and mail ballot deadlines for the 15 states with the largest Black populations, ranked using 2025 Census Bureau estimates compiled by BlackDemographics.com. Still need to register or check your status? Start with our midterms 2026 voter checklist first, then come back here.
Early voting 2026 dates in the 15 states with the most Black residents
Early voting windows below come from Ballotpedia’s 2026 early voting table and official state pages. Mail deadlines are based on the rules listed at Vote.org, checked against state election offices where posted. “Received” means election officials must have your ballot in hand by that time, not just a postmark.
| State (by Black population) | In-person early voting | Mail ballot request deadline | Mail ballot return deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Texas | Oct. 19 to Oct. 30 | Received by Oct. 23 (mail voting limited to eligible voters) | 7 p.m. Nov. 3, or postmarked Nov. 3 and received by 5 p.m. Nov. 4 |
| 2. Florida | Oct. 24 to Oct. 31; counties may add Oct. 19 to 23 and Nov. 1 | 5 p.m. Oct. 22 | Received by 7 p.m. Nov. 3 |
| 3. Georgia | Oct. 13 to Oct. 30 | Oct. 23 | Received by 7 p.m. Nov. 3 |
| 4. New York | Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 | Oct. 24 online or by mail; Nov. 2 in person | Postmarked Nov. 3, received by Nov. 10 |
| 5. California | County sites open since Oct. 5; vote centers open Oct. 24 in Voter’s Choice Act counties | Every registered voter is mailed a ballot | Postmarked Nov. 3, received by Nov. 10 |
| 6. North Carolina | Oct. 15 to Oct. 31 | 5 p.m. Oct. 20 | Received by 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 |
| 7. Maryland | Oct. 22 to Oct. 29 | Oct. 27 | Postmarked Nov. 3, received by 10 a.m. Nov. 13 |
| 8. Illinois | Open since Sept. 24, through Nov. 2 | Oct. 29 | Postmarked Nov. 3, received by Nov. 17 |
| 9. Virginia | Open since Sept. 18, through Oct. 31 | 5 p.m. Oct. 23 | Postmarked Nov. 3, received by noon Nov. 6 |
| 10. Pennsylvania | No standard early voting; request, fill out and return a mail ballot in one visit to your county office | 5 p.m. Oct. 27 | Received by 8 p.m. Nov. 3 |
| 11. Ohio | Open since Oct. 6, through Nov. 1 | Oct. 27 | Received by 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 |
| 12. New Jersey | Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 | Oct. 27 by mail | Postmarked Nov. 3, received by Nov. 9 |
| 13. Louisiana | Oct. 20 to Oct. 27 | 4:30 p.m. Oct. 30 (mail voting limited to eligible voters) | Received by 4:30 p.m. Nov. 2 |
| 14. Michigan | Oct. 24 to Nov. 1 | 5 p.m. Oct. 30 | Received by 8 p.m. Nov. 3 |
| 15. South Carolina | Oct. 19 to Oct. 31 | 5 p.m. Oct. 23 (mail voting limited to eligible voters) | Received by 7 p.m. Nov. 3 |
Dates are for the Nov. 3, 2026 general election. Hours and locations vary by county, and some sites close on Sundays. Texas, Louisiana and South Carolina allow mail voting only for voters who meet state rules, such as being 65 or older or having a disability.
What to know in the biggest states
- Texas: Early voting runs Oct. 19 to Oct. 30. Voting by mail is limited to certain voters, including people 65 and older and voters with a disability, per the state’s VoteTexas.gov guide. Everyone else votes in person.
- Florida: Every county must offer early voting Oct. 24 through Oct. 31, and counties can choose to add days as early as Oct. 19 or on Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the state’s 2026 election calendar. That same calendar sets 5 p.m. Oct. 22 as the deadline to request a mailed ballot.
- Georgia: Early voting starts Oct. 13, with Saturday voting beginning Oct. 17. Counties may also open on Sunday, Oct. 18, the kind of day churches often organize Souls to the Polls rides. Check your county before you go.
- New York: Early voting runs Oct. 24 through Nov. 1. The deadline to apply for an absentee or early mail ballot online or by mail is Oct. 24, per the State Board of Elections.
- California: Counties begin mailing every registered voter a ballot by Oct. 5, and early voting sites open that day, according to the Secretary of State. If you miss the Oct. 19 registration deadline, you can still conditionally register and vote a provisional ballot through Election Day.
- North Carolina: Early voting runs Oct. 15 to Oct. 31, and you can register and vote in the same visit during that window, the State Board of Elections says. Mail ballots must arrive by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
- Pennsylvania: There is no traditional early voting, but once your county’s ballots are ready, you can request, complete and turn in a mail ballot in a single trip to your county election office, according to Pennsylvania’s official voting site.
Mail ballots: the two rules that changed the math
1. The postmark is not the day you mail it. A U.S. Postal Service rule that took effect Dec. 24, 2025 says mail is postmarked when it reaches a processing facility, which may not be the day you drop it off, Votebeat reported. In states that count ballots arriving after Election Day, a ballot mailed on Nov. 3 could get a later postmark and be rejected. The safe move: mail it at least a week early, use an official drop box or hand it to your election office.
2. Grace periods survived the Supreme Court. On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 in Watson v. RNC that states may count mail ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrive afterward. Fourteen states plus Washington, D.C., have that kind of grace period, according to Votebeat. In mid-September, the Court also blocked the Trump administration from restricting mail ballots this November under proposed new Postal Service rules, clearing the way for people to vote by mail as they have in previous elections, Votebeat reported.
Notice in the table how many states, including Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan and South Carolina, need your ballot in hand by Election Night. In those states, a late ballot is not counted no matter when you mailed it.
How to find your early voting site
- Start official. CanIVote.org, created by state election officials, sends you to your state’s own polling place and early voting lookup.
- Check your county. Early voting locations and hours are set locally and often differ from Election Day polling places. Your county election office website has the current list.
- Bring what your state requires. ID rules vary, and our registration checklist covers what to bring.
- Know your ballot. See our guide to the midterm races and ballot measures that matter to Black voters so you are not reading it for the first time in the booth.
If something goes wrong at the polls
If you are told you are not on the rolls, your ID is questioned, or a line or machine problem is keeping people from voting, do not leave without asking for a provisional ballot. Then call the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). Help is also available in Spanish at 888-VE-Y-VOTA, in Asian languages at 888-API-VOTE and in Arabic at 844-YALLA-US.
Early voting exists so a double shift, a sick kid or a flat tire on Nov. 3 does not cost you your say. Pick your day, put it in your phone, and bring somebody with you.