First votes of 2024 election are about to be cast
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Key states including Pennsylvania are set to begin early voting this month.
Why it matters: Election day is two months away, but tens of millions of voters won't wait that long.
Early voting 2024
Breaking it down: Five states begin in-person early voting in September: Pennsylvania (Sept. 16), Minnesota (Sept. 20), Virginia (Sept. 20), Vermont (Sept. 21), and Illinois (Sept. 26).
- Some states like Minnesota and Vermont will begin both in-person and absentee voting this month, whereas others have different timelines for the two early voting methods.
- North Carolina won't begin in-person voting until mid-October. Michigan will be the last swing state to begin early in-person voting, just over a week before Election Day.
- Federal law requires absentee ballots for overseas and military voters to be mailed out 45 days before the election — on Sept. 21.
RFK Jr.'s ballot scramble
Driving the news: North Carolina was scheduled to be the first state to mail absentee ballots on Sept. 6, but that was delayed after an appeals court ruled in favor of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s effort to remove his name from the ballot.
- The state's board of elections filed an appeal but is now preparing ballots without his name to avoid further delays.
- Separately, Kennedy won an appeal last Friday to have his name removed from the ballot in Michigan. Michigan's secretary of state plans to appeal, and the mailing of ballots could also be delayed there.
- Kennedy is still on the ballot in Wisconsin but is also challenging that in the courts.
- His move to get off of swing state ballots came after he suspended his campaign and endorsed former President Trump.
Key election dates in September
September also includes a number of key dates for the candidates.
- On Sept. 10, Trump and Vice President Harris will face off in their first presidential debate.
- The Trump campaign is also pushing for a VP debate on Sept. 18, but the two sides have only agreed to an Oct. 1 debate so far.
- Trump is due to be sentenced on Sept. 18 in his New York hush money case after being convicted on 34 felony counts in May.
- The crimes carry potential jail terms, but many legal analysts expect a less severe punishment.
- A New York state appellate court is also set to hear oral arguments for Trump's appeal of his whopping civil fraud judgement on Sept. 26.
Early voting exploded in 2020
By the numbers: More than 100 million Americans — two-thirds of the electorate — voted early in-person or by mail in 2020.
- That election took place in the midst of a pandemic, and many more people may opt to vote on Election Day this time around.
- Still, early voting is here to stay. Most states have kept the infrastructure in place, and many voters find it more convenient.
Go deeper: Harris ramps up strategy for sprint to the election
Editor's note: The chart and story have been updated to reflect that a court ruled on Sept. 6 that absentee ballots should not be mailed out that day as scheduled while RFK Jr.'s legal challenge to remove himself from the ballot plays out.
