Verified dates, all 50 states
2026 Election Calendar
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Voting starts weeks earlier: the first early in-person voting opens September 18, most states open in mid to late October, registration closes in early to mid October in most states, and 21 states register voters on election day itself. Every date below is a published date from Ballotpedia or a Secretary of State, compiled September 7, 2026.
Confirm with your county or state election office before acting on any date. Free to cite with attribution.
The national timeline
Every registration deadline, early voting start, and mail ballot request deadline in date order. Each date is a trigger for a campaign action: registration drives end, voter ID must be complete, ballot chasing begins.
- Early voting opensMinnesota, South Dakota, Virginia
- Early voting opensVermont
- Early voting opensIllinois, North Dakota
- Registration deadlineSouth Carolina
- Early voting opensMaine
- Registration deadlineAlaska, Rhode Island
- Early voting opensCalifornia, Montana, Nebraska
- Registration deadlineArizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas
- Early voting opensIndiana, New Mexico, Ohio, Wyoming
- Registration deadlineIllinois, Nevada, New Mexico
- Early voting opensArizona
- Registration deadlineMissouri
- Registration deadlineOklahoma
- Registration deadlineDelaware
- Early voting opensGeorgia, Idaho
- Mail ballot request deadlineRhode Island
- Registration deadlineKansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, West Virginia
- Early voting opensIowa, Kansas, Rhode Island, Tennessee
- Registration deadlineWisconsin
- Early voting opensNorth Carolina
- Early voting opensWashington
- Registration deadlineConnecticut
- Early voting opensMassachusetts, Nevada
- Early voting opensAlaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, South Carolina, Texas
- Mail ballot request deadlineIowa, Oklahoma
- Registration deadlineAlabama, California, Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Wyoming
- Early voting opensHawaii, Louisiana, Missouri, Utah, Wisconsin
- Mail ballot request deadlineKentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina
- Early voting opensWest Virginia
- Mail ballot request deadlineMissouri
- Early voting opensDelaware, Maryland
- Mail ballot request deadlineFlorida, Indiana
- Mail ballot request deadlineArizona, Georgia, Idaho, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia
- Registration deadlineIdaho, Nebraska, Utah, Virginia
- Early voting opensFlorida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York
- Mail ballot request deadlineAlaska, New York, Tennessee
- Registration deadlineMassachusetts, New York
- Registration deadlineColorado, Hawaii, Washington
- Mail ballot request deadlineAlabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania
- Early voting opensOklahoma
- Mail ballot request deadlineWest Virginia
- Early voting opensKentucky
- Mail ballot request deadlineIllinois, Maine, Wisconsin
- Mail ballot request deadlineDelaware, Louisiana, Michigan
- Registration deadlineNorth Carolina
- Mail ballot request deadlineConnecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
- Registration deadlineVermont
All 50 states
| State | Registration deadline | Same day | Early voting | Mail ballot request by | All mail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Oct 19 | No | Excuse-only absentee | Oct 27 | No |
| Alaska | Oct 4 | No | Oct 19 to Nov 3 | Oct 24 | No |
| Arizona | Oct 5 | No | Oct 7 to Oct 30 | Oct 23 | No |
| Arkansas | Oct 5 | No | Oct 19 to Nov 2 | Oct 27 | No |
| California | Election day (by mail Oct 19) | Yes | Oct 5 to Nov 2 | Not needed | Yes |
| Colorado | Election day (by mail Oct 26) | Yes | Oct 19 to Nov 3 | Not needed | Yes |
| Connecticut | Election day (by mail Oct 16) | Yes | Oct 19 to Nov 1 | Nov 2 | No |
| Delaware | Oct 10 | No | Oct 22 to Nov 1 | Oct 30 | No |
| Florida | Oct 5 | No | Oct 24 to Oct 31 | Oct 22 | No |
| Georgia | Oct 5 | No | Oct 13 to Oct 30 | Oct 23 | No |
| Hawaii | Election day (by mail Oct 26) | Yes | Oct 20 to Nov 3 | Not needed | Yes |
| Idaho | Election day (by mail Oct 23) | Yes | Oct 13 to Oct 30 | Oct 23 | No |
| Illinois | Election day (by mail Oct 6) | Yes | Sep 24 to Nov 2 | Oct 29 | No |
| Indiana | Oct 5 | No | Oct 6 to Nov 2 | Oct 22 | No |
| Iowa | Election day (by mail Oct 19) | Yes | Oct 14 to Nov 2 | Oct 19 | No |
| Kansas | Oct 13 | No | Oct 14 to Nov 2 | Oct 27 | No |
| Kentucky | Oct 5 | No | Oct 29 to Oct 31 | Oct 20 | No |
| Louisiana | Oct 5 | No | Oct 20 to Oct 27 | Oct 30 | No |
| Maine | Election day (by mail Oct 13) | Yes | Oct 4 to Oct 29 | Oct 29 | No |
| Maryland | Election day (by mail Oct 13) | Yes | Oct 22 to Oct 29 | Oct 27 | No |
| Massachusetts | Oct 24 | No | Oct 17 to Oct 30 | Oct 27 | No |
| Michigan | Election day (by mail Oct 19) | Yes | Oct 24 to Nov 1 | Oct 30 | No |
| Minnesota | Election day (by mail Oct 13) | Yes | Sep 18 to Nov 2 | Nov 2 | No |
| Mississippi | Oct 5 | No | Excuse-only absentee | See state | No |
| Missouri | Oct 7 | No | Oct 20 to Nov 2 | Oct 21 | No |
| Montana | Election day (by mail Oct 5) | Yes | Oct 5 to Nov 2 | Nov 2 | No |
| Nebraska | Oct 23 | No | Oct 5 to Nov 2 | Oct 23 | No |
| Nevada | Election day (by mail Oct 6) | Yes | Oct 17 to Oct 30 | Not needed | Yes |
| New Hampshire | Election day | Yes | Excuse-only absentee | Nov 2 | No |
| New Jersey | Oct 13 | No | Oct 24 to Nov 1 | Oct 27 | No |
| New Mexico | Election day (by mail Oct 6) | Yes | Oct 6 to Oct 31 | Oct 20 | No |
| New York | Oct 24 | No | Oct 24 to Nov 1 | Oct 24 | No |
| North Carolina | Oct 31 | No | Oct 15 to Oct 31 | Oct 20 | No |
| North Dakota | No registration | Sep 24 to Nov 2 | Nov 2 | No | |
| Ohio | Oct 5 | No | Oct 6 to Nov 1 | Oct 27 | No |
| Oklahoma | Oct 9 | No | Oct 28 to Oct 31 | Oct 19 | No |
| Oregon | Oct 13 | No | Ballots mailed to all voters | Not needed | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | Oct 19 | No | Varies, through Oct 27 | Oct 27 | No |
| Rhode Island | Oct 4 | No | Oct 14 to Nov 2 | Oct 13 | No |
| South Carolina | Oct 2 | No | Oct 19 to Oct 31 | Oct 23 | No |
| South Dakota | Oct 19 | No | Sep 18 to Nov 2 | Nov 2 | No |
| Tennessee | Oct 5 | No | Oct 14 to Oct 29 | Oct 24 | No |
| Texas | Oct 5 | No | Oct 19 to Oct 30 | Oct 23 | No |
| Utah | Election day (by mail Oct 23) | Yes | Oct 20 to Oct 30 | Not needed | Yes |
| Vermont | Election day (by mail Nov 3) | Yes | Sep 19 to Nov 2 | Not needed | Yes |
| Virginia | Election day (by mail Oct 23) | Yes | Sep 18 to Oct 31 | Oct 23 | No |
| Washington | Election day (by mail Oct 26) | Yes | Oct 16 to Nov 3 | Not needed | Yes |
| West Virginia | Oct 13 | No | Oct 21 to Oct 31 | Oct 28 | No |
| Wisconsin | Election day (by mail Oct 14) | Yes | Oct 20 to Nov 1 | Oct 29 | No |
| Wyoming | Election day (by mail Oct 19) | Yes | Oct 6 to Nov 2 | Nov 2 | No |
Sources: ballotpedia.org/Voter_registration_deadlines,_2026; ballotpedia.org/Early_voting_dates,_2026; ballotpedia.org/Absentee/mail-in_ballot_request_deadlines,_2026; Secretary of State calendars for Texas, Pennsylvania, Maine, Vermont, and North Dakota. Each state page carries the state's own source link and any note where sources disagree.
What each date means for a campaign
Registration deadline
The last day to add voters to the file. Registration drives, new-mover outreach, and college programs must finish here. After this date the universe is fixed and every dollar goes to persuasion and turnout.
Early voting opens
Every early voting day is an election day. Voter identification calls should be complete before this date so the support universe is known, and GOTV calling starts the day ballots become available, not the weekend before November 3. Size the program.
Mail ballot request deadline
The end of the ballot chase window for voters who have not yet requested a ballot. In all-mail states the chase is about return, not request. After this date, unreturned supporters move to the in-person early vote and election day lists.
Calendar questions
When is the 2026 general election?+
Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in every state. Early in-person voting and mail voting open weeks earlier in most states, so for most campaigns the election is a window of several weeks, not a single day.
When does early voting start in 2026?+
The first early in-person voting opens September 18 in Minnesota and South Dakota and Virginia. Most states open early voting in the second half of October. Eight states (California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington) mail a ballot to every registered voter and do not run a separate early voting period in the same way.
What is the voter registration deadline for the 2026 election?+
It varies by state, from early October to election day itself. 21 states allow same-day registration at the polls or during early voting. Most other states close registration in the first three weeks of October; 15 distinct October deadlines appear on the calendar below. North Dakota has no voter registration at all.
How should a campaign use these dates?+
Work backward from the earliest date, not the last one. Registration drives must finish before the state deadline. Voter identification calls should be complete before early voting opens so the GOTV universe is set the day ballots become available. Ballot chasing runs from the first day of early or mail voting through the mail request deadline, and election day calling covers only the voters who have not yet voted.
How were these dates verified?+
Compiled on September 7, 2026 from Ballotpedia's 2026 registration, early voting, and absentee deadline tables, cross-checked against Secretary of State calendars for Texas, Pennsylvania, Maine, Vermont, and North Dakota and the CEIR 2026 early and mail voting dataset. Where sources disagree the state entry says so. Always confirm with your county or state election office before acting on a date.
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