What is Early Voting? First in-person votes for US election cast in 3 key states

Early voting for the 2024 presidential election began Friday, September 20, in three key states. Virginia became the first state to open in-person voting sites, which will remain open until November 2. Meanwhile, Minnesota and South Dakota are allowing voters to hand in their absentee ballots in person instead of mailing them. Here’s all you need to know about Early Voting as voters line up to cast their ballots ahead of D-day:
With Election Day still 44 days away, in-person voting has begun in several states, allowing Americans a relaxed voting experience. Early Voting is a process by which citizens can cast their ballots in person weeks or even months ahead of the D-day. According to data from the Virginia Department of Elections, roughly 40% of the total vote was cast in person during Early Voting in the last presidential election.
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Absentee Voting also allows voters to cast their ballots early by mail or drop-off. As it is currently underway in Minnesota and South Dakota, citizens can cast their votes by dropping off their absentee ballots in person at an election office or other designated location instead of mailing them. In addition to the three key states, voters who previously requested an absentee ballot should be on the lookout for a mail.
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The states of Idaho, Maryland, New York and West Virginia are required to fulfil the requests for absentee ballots by Friday. Meanwhile, North Carolina must also send out absentee ballots to military and overseas voters on Friday. Additionally, Delaware, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee, and some counties in Oklahoma are required to send absentee ballots to their voters by Saturday, according to the respective states’ election offices, reported ABC News.