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82 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY

2024 Presidential Election Calendar

Take a look at important dates and voting deadlines in your state. States vary in when they send out mail ballots and when completed ballots need to be received. Election rules may still be changed by states. This calendar will be updated regularly.

Conventions

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for late August.

The Republican Party held its national convention in July at which it formally nominated former President Donald J. Trump and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as its presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Date Event
Aug. 19–22 Democratic National Convention

Democrats will convene in Chicago to formally nominate the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Debates

Mr. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, will face off in a prime-time matchup hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10. After President Biden’s exit from the race — spurred in part by his June 27 debate performance — Mr. Trump had initially canceled this date, but changed his mind.

Mr. Trump has proposed two other dates, to which Ms. Harris has not yet agreed.

Date Event
Sept. 4 Proposed Presidential Debate

Date proposed by Mr. Trump to debate Ms. Harris on Fox News. Ms. Harris had not agreed to this debate as of Aug. 8.

Sept. 10 Presidential Debate

Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump are scheduled to participate in a debate hosted by ABC News.

Sept. 25 Proposed Presidential Debate

Date proposed by Mr. Trump to debate Ms. Harris on NBC News. Ms. Harris had not agreed to this debate as of Aug. 8.

Oct. 1 Vice Presidential Debate

Mr. Vance and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota are scheduled to participate in a debate hosted by CBS News.

Vote by mail

A majority of voters live in states that allow voting by mail, though some states require an excuse — like travel, work or illness — to be eligible to receive a ballot. Many states have deadlines to request mail ballots that are less than two weeks before Election Day, but the Postal Service recommends that voters request them as early as possible and mail them at least one week before their state’s ballot return deadline.

To be counted, ballots in some states must be postmarked by a certain date, while some states require them to be received by a certain time (often by poll close time on Election Day). This deadline may be different for ballots returned in person, as opposed to through the mail. Check with your county officials for more details.

Each circle below represents one state.

Note: The mail ballot return deadline for 31 states is Nov. 5. Some states do not provide an exact date they start sending mail ballots to voters. The earliest date on which ballots are sent may vary from dates in the table. Dates shown above are for domestic voters in those states, deadlines for those in the military or living abroad may differ.

Mail voting period begins

Date States
Sept. 6 North Carolina
Sept. 11 Alabama
Sept. 16 Kentucky, Pennsylvania
Sept. 20 Minnesota, New York, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia
Sept. 21 Idaho, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas

Deadline to request ballot by mail

Date States
Oct. 15 Rhode Island
Oct. 16 District of Columbia
Oct. 21 Iowa, Oklahoma
Oct. 22 Kentucky, New Mexico
Oct. 23 Missouri

Deadline for mail ballots to be returned

States with return deadlines after Nov. 5 require ballots to be postmarked by Election Day.

Early voting

Starting in September, voters can visit a polling location or cast their absentee ballot in person in states that allow one or both methods. For many states, early voting rules vary by county, so check with local officials for details.

Early voting starts

Date States
Sept. 16 Pennsylvania
Sept. 18 Wyoming
Sept. 20 Minnesota, South Dakota, Virginia
Sept. 21 Vermont
Sept. 26 Illinois

Election Day

Date Event
Nov. 5 Election Day