{"id":351441,"date":"2020-03-17T09:36:44","date_gmt":"2020-03-17T14:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/voting\/how-u-s-elections-work\/ballot-harvesting-what-is-it-how-does-it-work.html"},"modified":"2026-04-28T14:15:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T19:15:51","slug":"ballot-harvesting-what-is-it-how-does-it-work","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/voting\/how-u-s-elections-work\/ballot-harvesting-what-is-it-how-does-it-work.html","title":{"rendered":"What Is Ballot Harvesting?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What Is Ballot Harvesting?<\/h1>\n\n
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\n By Susan Buckner, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Catherine Hodder, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last reviewed\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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“Ballot harvesting<\/span>” is collecting completed absentee ballots<\/span> from voters and delivering them to polling places<\/span> or election offices<\/span>. These efforts often focus on helping elderly voters or people who live in remote areas ensure their ballot gets in on time.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

An increasing number of states have made mail-in and absentee voting<\/span> more accessible to citizens. This allows more people to vote by\u00a0absentee ballot<\/span>. Not every voter can easily deliver their absentee ballot<\/span> to an official polling station or postal facility, so ballot collection<\/span> is allowed by law in most states.<\/p>\n

In all states that allow mail-in and absentee ballots<\/span>, each ballot is marked with a unique barcode. The barcode allows voters to track their vote\u2019s status and also prevents a voter from voting more than once in any election. If a voter wants to use a provisional ballot<\/a> to correct a voting error on an\u00a0absentee ballot<\/span>, the barcode allows\u00a0election officials<\/span>\u00a0to easily void the\u00a0mailed ballot<\/span>.<\/p>\n

The use of barcodes prevents the type of individual voter fraud that the media and politicians fear could result from ballot harvesting<\/span>. Despite claims, there\u2019s no evidence of widespread voter fraud using ballot harvesting<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Who Can Return an Absentee Ballot<\/span>?<\/h2>\n

Some voters can have someone else submit their absentee ballot<\/span> for them, such as:<\/p>\n