A Quick History on The Mail-In Ballot: Don't Let Anyone Tell You It's A Scam

Lead Mail-In-Ballot History x Pull Up & Vote

Throughout U.S. history, there has always been voters who were unable to vote in person at their respective precincts due to absence or deployment. This proved especially problematic in the era before the Civil War, because voting by  “viva voce” was the norm. This meant that each voter would file onto a raised platform and proclaim their chosen candidate before an election clerk who recorded the vote with a tick mark. Hence, no presence meant no voice with which to vote. Because land-owning white males exercised their voting rights at will and very little military personnel served away from home, states did not deem it necessary to mess with the viva voce tradition. Few jurisdictions permitted voting by proxy; most required in-person voting in the district of residence. Overall voter security and integrity grew with the debut of paper ballots in the early 1800s, pre-printed tickets including party candidate names in the mid-1800s, and universal ballots in 1888.

Though Pennsylvania permitted absentee voting by soldiers during the War of 1812, the Civil War marked widespread proliferation of vote-by-mail allowances out of concern for the outcome of midterm elections during the war. As many soldiers were unable to vote, several states changed their laws to allow soldiers to vote absentee, by proxy, or at satellite polling sites within military camps.

By the late 1800s, states adopted civilian absentee ballot laws to accommodate voters who were either critically ill, severely disabled or away from home on Election Day. Very few civilian absentee ballots were issued, however, because of a lack of infrastructure to support large-scale distribution. With the passage of the 15th and 19th amendments in 1870 and 1920, respectively, more citizens were given suffrage, but absentee voting still wasn’t an urgent necessity.

Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman urged passage of the Soldier Voting Act of 1942, which permitted overseas military personnel to forward their ballot from abroad during World War II. Amended in 1944, the act expired at the war’s end. The Federal Voting Assistance Act of 1955, the 1986 Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, and the 2009 Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act all eased suffrage for servicemen, servicewomen, and their families.

As for civilian absentee voting, Washington state was the first to offer no-excuse absentee voting in 1974, followed by California in 1978. Today, 29 states and the District of Columbia authorize no-excuse absentee or mail-in voting.  Oregon made all vote-by-mail for all elections permanent in 2000, followed by Washington, Hawaii, Utah and Colorado. Several states have also instituted all-mail ballots during local, municipal or designated primary elections.

According to a 2017 study conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice, there is a 0.000004% to 0.00009% rate of voting fraud in the United States. When the Trump administration launched a voting integrity commission following Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud, the now-disbanded commission found no evidence to uphold those claims. 

Instances of specific mail-in voter fraud have been scant at best. In 2018, a consultant for Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris allegedly posted absentee ballots during the November midterm election. Arizona State University collated a voter fraud database of millions of votes cast between 2000 and 2012 and found 491 cases of postal ballot fraud. Per the Brookings Institution findings of fraud cases for vote-by-mail states, a study of nearly 50 million votes cast between 1982 and 2019 revealed 29 cases of fraud.

Mail-in voting’s proven track record of security is precisely why, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, nine states and the District of Columbia have forwarded mail-in ballots to all registered voters, while 34 other states have adopted no-excuse absentee voting for all registered voters in the 2020 election. A number of safeguards, including bar codes, ballot signature comparison, and witnessed and notarized signatures, prevent voter impersonation and ballot theft.

President Trump may tout that “absentee ballots” differ from “mail-in ballots,” but there is no substantive or legal difference between the two. Only registered voters can vote by absentee/mail-in ballot; therefore, it is important to confirm one’s voter registration status.  

As every state’s regulations vary, it’s integral to understand each’s unique mail-in voting requirements and deadlines. While certain states will automatically send mail-in/absentee ballot applications to all registered voters, other states require voters to independently procure an absentee ballot application. Some still require an excuse outside of COVID-19 to be eligible for absentee voting. 

Nearly 10% more voters are projected to vote in the 2020 election than in the 2016 election—an increase of 11 million. Coupled with pandemic fears and USPS budget cuts, slower mail delivery may interfere with the process.  The USPS urges voters to request and submit mail-in ballots as early as possible to ensure all votes are received and counted. Mail-in ballots may also be submitted in person to local election offices, polling places, and at official ballot dropboxes. 

Voters are being warned via social media that two stamps are needed for mail-in ballots, but that is inaccurate. According to an August post on Reuters, a USPS spokeswoman clarifies on the misleading implication made by the internets. While "proper postage is required by federal law," the postal service is still instructed to deliver these ballots if they lack appropriate postage. "It is the Postal Service's policy not to delay the delivery of completed absentee or vote-by-mail ballots," the spokeswoman confired to the news publication.

USPS spokeswoman told Reuters that “proper postage is required by federal law” and that election officials are meant to inform voters of “the amount of first-class postage required to return their ballots.” USPS is, however, instructed to deliver these ballots even if they lack appropriate postage. The spokeswoman confirmed that if a ballot is mailed “with insufficient or unpaid postage, it is the Postal Service’s policy not to delay the delivery of completed absentee or vote-by-mail ballots.”

Finally, it’s paramount that voters adhere to all instructions on their mail-in ballots. Any deviation from those instructions could result in ballot rejection. Some states will notify and enable voters to correct and resubmit their ballots; others will not.  Washington, D.C., and 47 states will offer mail-in ballot tracking services.

To learn more about voting requirements, deadlines and services, visit the U.S. vote foundation.

Don’t forget that you can do your part by visiting Complex’s Pull Up & Vote site—where you can double-check your registration, register to vote if you haven’t, and request a mail-in ballot.