Explaining election day: How America votes

Voting methods in the US have evolved significantly over the years, offering voters multiple options for participation. Voters can now choose to vote in person on Election Day, vote early in person, or cast their ballots by mail. While absentee voting has been available since the nation’s founding, the prevalence of early voting and mail-in voting has surged since the early 1970s, when around 95% of votes were cast in person on Election Day. The shift accelerated in 2020, when nearly 70% of voters opted for early voting due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This change also led to a politicisation of voting methods, which had previously enjoyed bipartisan support. By the 2022 election, the voting landscape has levelled out, with roughly half of voters casting ballots on Election Day and the other half voting early, continuing the trend toward diverse voting practices.