How many votes were mailed in 2016
According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), a total of 46.9 million absentee and mail-in ballots were cast in the 2016 presidential election. This represents about 21% of all votes cast in the election.
Here is the breakdown by state:
- Absentee ballots: 34.4 million
- Mail-in ballots: 12.5 million
It's worth noting that the terms "absentee ballot" and "mail-in ballot" are often used interchangeably, but technically, an absentee ballot is a ballot that is requested and returned by mail, while a mail-in ballot is a ballot that is automatically sent to all eligible voters in a state or locality.
The 2016 election was the first presidential election in which all states allowed some form of mail-in or absentee voting. Prior to 2016, some states allowed mail-in voting, while others allowed absentee voting, but not all states allowed either option.