Elections and Government Reform

Voting by mail

48 public statements from 2026 candidates

§1The range of views

Why this matters: Mail voting affects how easily people who work long hours, travel or have disabilities can vote, and how ballots are checked and counted.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Whether voters can mail in their ballots instead of voting in person, and who qualifies, under rules that differ from state to state.1

  1. Mail a ballot to every registered voter
  2. Let any voter request a mail ballot without giving a reason
  3. Allow mail ballots only for voters with a reason, such as illness, disability or travel
  4. End most mail voting, keeping it for military and overseas voters

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Mail a ballot to every registered voter (3)

  • Kevin Mullin CA-15
    His campaign website lists among his accomplishments in the California Assembly helping pass universal vote-by-mail, under which every California voter receives a postage-paid ballot, and co-writing the state's automatic voter registration law.2
  • John Hickenlooper CO Senate
    His campaign website says that as governor he helped create Colorado's universal vote-by-mail system and that he opposes efforts to end voting by mail.3
  • Tina Kotek OR Governor
    Her campaign website says she would safeguard Oregon's vote-by-mail system against federal overreach.4

Let any voter request a mail ballot without giving a reason (7)

  • Amanda N. Pusczek AL-4
    Her campaign website says she supports a national standard letting any voter vote absentee by mail in federal elections without giving a reason, and ending notary and witness requirements for mail ballots.5
  • Sam Liccardo CA-16
    His campaign website says federal standards should let every voter apply online for a mail ballot without unreasonable requirements such as notarization, and require early voting in every jurisdiction.6
  • Mike Sell FL-4
    His campaign's platform calls for no-excuse absentee and mail voting nationwide and supports the Voter Empowerment Act of 2026, which it says covers early voting, automatic registration and protections for voting by mail.7,8
  • Whitfield Harrington Jr IL Senate
    His campaign website says he supports absentee ballots for voters who request or need them but opposes mailing ballots to all voters.9
  • Lauren Jewett LA-1
    Her campaign website says she will expand no-excuse absentee and mail-in voting so that elderly and disabled voters are not required to justify voting by mail.10
  • Charlotte Magoon MI-2
    Her campaign website says she supports absentee voting without needing a reason.11
  • Abdul El-Sayed MI Senate
    His campaign website says he supports no-excuse absentee voting and early in-person voting.12

Allow mail ballots only for voters with a reason, such as illness, disability or travel (2)

  • Michael "Dr. Mike" Katz DE Senate
    His campaign website says mail voting should be limited to exceptions such as overseas military personnel, travelers and people with severe medical disabilities, with strict signature and identity checks.13
  • Joseph "Dr. Joe" Arminio DE-AL
    His campaign website says votes should be cast in person on Election Day except in circumstances such as illness or overseas deployment.14

End most mail voting, keeping it for military and overseas voters (2)

  • Clifton Brown CO-3
    His campaign website calls for ending mail-in voting and making Election Day a paid national holiday.15,16
  • Victor L. Scoggin TN Governor
    His campaign website says there should be no mail-in ballots except for military voters overseas.17

Statements that don't match one option (34)

  • Dave Bronson AK Governor
    His campaign website says absentee ballots should require a notarized signature and that all ballots must be received by Election Day.18
  • Jeff Frese CA-10
    His campaign website says voting by mail should be kept.19
  • Connie Chan CA-11
    Her campaign website says she supports automatic voter registration and expanding early voting, voting by mail and same-day registration nationwide.20
  • Angélica María Dueñas CA-29
    Her campaign website calls for paper ballots and in-person voting at precincts as the standard, with mail voting remaining available for students, people with disabilities and Americans living or serving overseas.21
  • Sarah McBride DE-AL
    Her campaign website says that in the state Senate she helped pass vote-by-mail, early voting and same-day registration protections.22
  • Amanda Marie Green FL-2
    Her campaign website says she will work to protect access to voting by mail and early voting.23
  • Kimberly Overman FL-12
    Her campaign platform says she supports protecting voting by mail and early voting.24
  • Robert People FL-15
    His campaign website says his priorities include protecting vote by mail.25
  • Mark Davis FL-16
    His policy platform calls for safeguarding early voting and reasonable access to voting by mail.26
  • Lois Frankel FL-23
    Her campaign website says she continues to defend vote-by-mail.27
  • Nikema Williams GA-5
    Her campaign website says she led a package of legislation to limit wait times at the polls, protect the right to vote by mail and give workers time off to vote.28
  • Keisha Lance Bottoms GA Governor
    Her campaign website says she supports protecting absentee voting, expanding early voting and making Election Day a state holiday.29
  • Delia Ramirez IL-3
    Her campaign website says the Freedom to Vote Act she co-sponsored would expand voting rights through automatic voter registration and voting by mail.30
  • Patty Garcia IL-4
    Her campaign website says she is in favor of increasing early and mail-in voting opportunities.31
  • Sean Casten IL-6
    His campaign website says he is a strong advocate for vote-by-mail, which it calls a safe and secure way to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to vote.32
  • Melissa L. Bean IL-8
    Her campaign website says she will protect and expand voting rights, including early and mail-in voting.33
  • Barb Regnitz IN-1
    Her campaign website says she supports same-day, in-person voting using verifiable, watermarked paper ballots and limiting mail-in ballots to rare, verified exceptions.34
  • Morgan McGarvey KY-3
    His campaign website says he supports expanding absentee voting, along with automatic voter registration, same-day registration, early voting, ballot dropboxes and making election day a federal holiday.35
  • Dan Koh MA-6
    His campaign website says he is in favor of the Freedom to Vote Act, which it describes as including a mandate for mail-in ballots in every state, expanded early voting and automatic, same-day and online voter registration.36
  • Moshe Y. Landman MD-6
    His campaign website says voting should be made easier and more accessible, including online and mail-in voting and shorter waits for in-person voting.37
  • Hillary Scholten MI-3
    Her campaign website says she supports federal legislation to expand vote-by-mail and early voting nationwide.38
  • Brenda K. Sanders MI-12
    Her campaign website says she believes mail-in voting has become something of a burden on elections, and that making Election Day a federal holiday would partly ease the need to handle and count millions of ballots by hand.39
  • Ilhan Omar MN-5
    Its elections page calls for more federal money for early in-person voting and for absentee voting.40
  • Bob Onder MO-3
    His campaign website says that in 2022 he led the Missouri Senate's negotiations on HB1878, an election reform package, and in doing so stopped proposals to expand early voting, mail-in voting and drop boxes.41
  • Bethany E Mann MO-3
    Her campaign website says the Post Office should be strengthened and protected so that voters who cannot get to the polls on Election Day because of work, illness, travel or caregiving can vote by mail with confidence.42
  • Josh Smead MO-6
    His campaign website lists fighting attempts to ban mail-in voting.43
  • Addison McDowell NC-6
    His campaign website says restrictions on absentee voting should be tightened so that all ballots are received by Election Day, with signature verification used to prevent fraud.44
  • Damon Galdo NJ-1
    His campaign website says he would strengthen the security of mail-in ballots.45,46
  • Ramon Mora Jr. NJ-2
    The same item lists expanding vote-by-mail.47
  • Adam Hamawy NJ-12
    His campaign website says he supports expanding early voting and voting by mail.48
  • Teresa F. Benitez-Thompson NV-2
    Her campaign website says she supports expanding mail voting and early voting rather than restricting them.49
  • Jeff Merkley OR Senate
    His campaign website supports required early voting periods, vote-by-mail and same-day registration, and his voters' pamphlet statement calls for expanding vote-by-mail and requiring paper ballots.50,51
  • Ken Krawchuk PA Governor
    His campaign website calls for eliminating mail-in ballots in favor of in-person voting.52
  • Lauren Pinkston TN Governor
    Her campaign website says she would remove barriers that keep new voters, including students and military members, from voting absentee.53