It's just not one election that picks the president. It's 51. Every state and Washington D.C. has its own rules and deadlines for voting. And in most states, early voting is already underway.More than 4 in 10 voters cast their ballots by mail in 2020. That's according to an analysis from MIT's Election Data and Science Lab.Nearly 4 million mail-in ballots have already been cast in this election. That's only a fraction of the more than 53 million voters have requested so far – about a quarter of all expected voters. And the requests are split evenly between political parties so far. That's according to The New York Times.We discuss the role mail-in ballots could play in determining the outcome of the election. Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy