has the way we vote changed over time the short answer is yes in 1972 roughly 95% of Voters went to the polls in person on Election Day fast forward to 2022 and about half of all voters cast their ballots in some way before the polls opened the change is due to the gradual rise of advanced voting which can be divided into two main categories the first option is what’s known as early voting voters still cast a ballot in person but do so before election day the second option is voting absentee or by mail today’s methods of advanced voting has roots that can be traced bed back a century ago in 1921 Louisiana formalized a system for early in-person voting voting by mail is even older but most voters didn’t start taking advantage of it until the 1970s a small but growing number of states conduct their elections almost entirely by mail those States automatically send every registered voter a ballot today there are only three states that don’t offer inperson early voting or no excuse absentee voting how are you going to be voting this election season let us know in the comments