Behind the scenes in a ballot printing facility
As the 2024 showdown between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump inches closer, a large chunk of the American populace is once again opting to vote via mail. According to figures from the University of Florida, over 66 million mail ballots have been requested and over 30 million have been returned.
While voting by mail has become more common since the pandemic, a few recent mishaps have shaken some voters’ faith in the system. Just this week, ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington were set ablaze, while in Miami, a stash of sealed ballots fell out of an election worker’s truck, stoking concern among voters.
If you already cast your vote by mail, or are planning to in the coming days, but are worried about it reaching its final destination, your state might allow you to track your ballot’s status online. Beyond reducing call volume to local election offices, these tracking systems can restore faith in the voting process, said national election expert Amber McReynolds.
“Voters, if they’re signed up for something like this, or even if they just call and look up the information, it actually does give them confidence that their ballot has been received and successfully processed,” McReynolds said.
Which states let you track your ballot?
All states —with the exception of Illinois, Missouri, and Wyoming— and Washington, D.C. offer some form of ballot tracking for mail-in and absentee ballots. Vote.org has links to each of the 47 states’ tracking tools as well as resources for people with questions about the status of a provisional ballot. Find your state’s lookup tool here.
Steps for tracking your ballot
So you dropped your absentee or mail-in ballot off. Now what?
The first step is to navigate to your state’s online portal, where you’ll be asked to provide basic information such as your first and last name, date of birth and zip code.
Tracking varies depending on states, so in some cases, voters will only be able to see basic information like when their ballot was mailed and when it was received on the online portal. In other cases, they will have the option to sign up for notifications via text, email or phone call through services like BallotTrax or Enhanced Voting. These systems offer more granular updates to the voter via text, email or calls throughout the ballot’s journey.
Another way to keep tabs on your ballot is to sign up for informed delivery through this U.S. postal service, which allows users to preview images of incoming mail and packages.
How is my ballot tracked?
Tracking ballots typically involves coordination between the USPS, election officials and the ballot printing and preparation vendor.
Like Enhanced Voting, another online tracking tool, BallotTrax uses what they call a unique intelligent mail barcodes (IMB) identifier that captures data about ballots’ whereabouts. The USPS barcodes —embedded on the envelopes— combined with voter registration data give the company a window into the life cycle of the ballot, allowing them to monitor it every step of the way and relay updates to voters, like when the ballot is out for delivery, for example. They do this without ever learning personal voting information.
“We never have access to the ballot itself and it remains anonymous throughout its lifecycle,” said Steve Olsen, the president of BallotTrax.
What can you do if you still haven’t received your ballot or if your ballot wasn’t received and counted?
Voters can turn to local elections officials if they experience any wrinkles in the voting process or have general questions about their options for voting. According to Vote.org, officials can offer advise on whether it’s possible to vote using a replacement mail ballot or if it’s best to cancel your mail ballot and vote in person on Election Day instead.
Those with questions can find contact information for their local election offices on vote.org.
What other resources exist?
Nonpartisan volunteers from the vote.org national hotline can answer general elections-related questions at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). Around 4,000 volunteers will be working on Election Day. Below is a sampling of questions they can address.
- Am I registered/is it too late to register?
- Am I eligible for early/absentee voting?
- How do I get a mail ballot?
- Where is my polling place?
- My mail ballot has not arrived and I will not be in the state on Election Day. What can I do to vote?
- Is my early voting location the same as my Election Day polling place?
- My mail ballot is missing the secrecy envelope, what do I do?
- I am a student going to school out of state, can I vote where I am in school?
- I was previously convicted of a crime, can I vote?
Mary Cunningham is a news associate at CBS News, based in New York. She has worked on both the broadcast side, with CBS News 24/7 streaming, and the digital side, writing stories for CBSNews.com. Her next assignment is working with the “60 Minutes” team.
