September 18, 2020: Laws in 33 states prevent state officials from counting absentee or mail-in ballots prior to Election Day.[1] This includes Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and other states thought to be swing states in Election 2020.[2]

Eight states have laws explicitly allowing the counting of absentee and mail-in ballots before Election Day arrives—Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Vermont.[1]

Nine other states leave it to the discretion of officials—Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah.[1]

This could have a significant impact on the reporting of election results in November and on public perceptions of the results. Polling shows that President Trump has a solid lead among voters who plan to cast their ballot in person. However, former Vice President Joe Biden has an even larger lead among those who plan to vote by mail.[3]

Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

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