The University of Virginia’s Centre for Politics had this really interesting report on absentee voting and its turnout in 2020. Here is an excerpt.

The 2020 presidential election was remarkable in many respects. First and foremost, despite taking place in the midst of a deadly pandemic that would result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans, the 2020 election resulted in the highest rate of turnout in over a century. According to Michael McDonald of the University of Florida, 159.7 million Americans cast ballots in 2020 — an increase of roughly 20 million over the 2016 presidential election. The estimated 66.7% turnout of eligible voters easily eclipsed the post-World War II record of 63.8% set in 1960.

According to many observers, one of the key factors contributing to the record turnout in 2020 was a dramatic increase in the availability of absentee voting in many states. Liberalized absentee voting rules made it possible for millions of Americans to fill out their ballots at home and place them in a mailbox or a drop-box rather than risking exposure to the deadly coronavirus by voting in person. According to a survey of over 18,000 registered voters conducted by MIT political scientist Charles Stewart III, between 2016 and 2020, the percentage of votes cast by absentee ballot in the United States increased from 21% to 46%.

Read the full report through this link.