Thread by @nytimes

76% of U.S. voters will be eligible to receive a ballot in the mail — the most in history.

Mail voting is more accessible this fall than ever before in part because concerns about virus transmission at polling places have forced states to make changes.
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All states allow at least some mail voting and 24 states have expanded access to mail ballots for the 2020 general election. Mail voting is more accessible than ever in part because of concerns about virus transmission at polling places. nyti.ms/2PHyhnV

Most of the changes that states have made are temporary and have been made by state and local officials who have the power to make adjustments during emergencies like the pandemic. nyti.ms/2PHyhnV

Several states that made changes for the primaries are keeping them in place for the general election, while others are making separate adjustments for the fall.

More changes could come through legislation and other means. nyti.ms/2PHyhnV

During the primaries, states that made it easier to vote by mail saw higher turnout than ones that made fewer changes.

6 states required voters to have an excuse other than the virus to vote absentee. There, voter turnout stayed roughly the same as 2016. nyti.ms/2PHyhnV

Some states identified as solid or likely Democratic have implemented some of the most expansive mail voting programs. Some states identified as solid or likely Republican have continued to restrict access to mail voting. nyti.ms/2PHyhnV

If recent election trends hold and turnout increases, as experts predict, roughly 80 million mail ballots will flood elections offices this fall, more than double the number that were returned in 2016.

See more on the states’ election rules. nyti.ms/2PHyhnV