“Part of what we see in the upward trend is that more states will offer early voting options.” 
 
 Since the 2012 elections, in which 32 percent of voters cast ballots early, two states have made significant changes that give voters more access to early ballots: New Jersey now allows voters to obtain an absentee ballot without an excuse, four years after Hurricane Sandy shut down voting in some coastal cities. States can choose to provide three ways for voters to cast a ballot before Election Day: 
 
 Early Voting: In 38 states (including 3 that mail ballots to all voters) and the District of Columbia, any qualified voter may cast a ballot in person during a designated period prior to Election Day. Alabama elections officials will begin putting ballots in the mail on Sept. 15. Early voting allows voters to visit an election official’s office or, in some states, other satellite voting locations, and cast a vote in person without offering an excuse for why the voter is unable to vote on Election Day. The time period for early voting varies from state to state: 
 
 The date on which early voting begins may be as early as 45 days before the election, or as late as the Friday before the election. Early voting typically ends just a few days before Election Day. On September 23, voters in Minnesota will be the first with a chance to cast their ballots early, at in-person locations around the state. Arizona has some counties that have online absentee ballot applications, and in Detroit, Michigan, voters can request an absentee ballot through a smartphone app. The following 28 states and D.C. offer "no-excuse" absentee voting: 
 
 No-Excuse Absentee Voting Alaska Kansas North Carolina Arizona Maine North Dakota California Maryland Ohio District of Columbia Michigan Oklahoma Florida Minnesota South Dakota Georgia Montana Utah Hawaii Nebraska Vermont Idaho Nevada Wisconsin Illinois New Jersey Wyoming Iowa New Mexico 
 
 Source: National Conference of State Legislatures 
 
 Permanent Absentee Voting 
 
 Some states permit voters to join a permanent absentee voting list. Military Voters 
 
 All states permit members of the military who are stationed overseas, their dependents, and other U.S. citizens living abroad to vote by absentee ballot.
– Determining the fate of the US presidency officially kicks off Friday. North Carolina is the first of 37 states and DC to open up advance balloting so voters can, as the AP puts it, "be done with the 2016 presidential race." North Carolinians can now send in absentee ballots by mail for any reason (they'll be able to cast their vote in person starting Oct. 20). Alabama will be next to follow suit, with ballots mailed out during the week of Sept. 15, per the Hill, and all 50 states will mail out ballots to service members and registered expatriates the week of Sept. 19. Meanwhile, in-person voting will get its start in Minnesota on Sept. 23. Why early voting can be important, other than offering convenience for the voter: These types of ballots make up anywhere between 50% to 75% of the overall votes cast in certain battleground states, including North Carolina, Florida, and Arizona. Plus, decent returns can provide momentum. "If one campaign does significantly better in harvesting early votes, that campaign will have a substantial advantage as Election Day approaches," Paul Gronke, director of the Early Voting Information Center, tells the AP. A University of South Florida political scientist who follows early voting trends tells the Hill that more than a third of voters are expected to go the early route this year. (Check out the Hill for an early-voting calendar.)