Early and mail ballots were the top choice for American voters in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, according to a new federal report.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission found a sharp increase in early in-person voting and continued support for mail voting, despite political attacks and legal challenges.
More than 158 million votes were cast, slightly lower than 2020 but still above 2016 levels. Around 30% of voters mailed their ballots, showing a sustained shift from Election Day voting.
Early in-person voting also surged. States like South Carolina and Delaware saw dramatic increases. Meanwhile, Election Day voting dropped to 37%, compared to 49% in 2022.
Trump’s executive order in March aimed to limit mail voting by requiring ballots to arrive by Election Day. Eighteen states and Puerto Rico currently accept late-arriving ballots if they are postmarked on time.
Oregon and Washington, both mail-voting states, filed lawsuits against the order. Officials worry it could disqualify hundreds of thousands of legitimate ballots.
Ballot drop boxes remain a flashpoint. They were used in 35 states and D.C. in 2024. Nearly 15 million mail ballots were returned this way, about 45% of all mail votes.
California, Kansas, Utah, and Nevada saw the largest increase in drop box usage.
Despite the rhetoric, early and mail ballots have become essential to how Americans vote.
