It might feel like the presidential election is still a long way off. It’s not.
Election Day on Nov. 5 is less than two months away, and major dates, events and political developments will make it fly by.
The first mail ballots of the general election were sent out Wednesday, the day after the first debate between Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump. Early in-person voting will start as soon as Sept. 20 in some states.
Here’s a look at why the calendar will move quickly between now and Election Day.
The first batch of ballots typically sent out are ones to military and overseas voters. Under federal law, that must happen at least 45 days before an election — which this year is Sept. 21.
Some states start earlier.
Election offices in North Carolina had been scheduled to begin sending mail ballots to all voters who requested them on Sept. 6. But that has been delayed because presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. successfully sued to have his name removed from the state's ballot after he suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump. That allowed Alabama to become the first state to send out absentee ballots for the presidential election cycle.
Voter registration deadlines vary by state, with most falling between eight and 30 days before the election, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The deadline is Oct. 7 in Georgia, one of this year’s most prominent presidential battlegrounds.
Nearly all states offer some version of in-person voting, though the rules and dates vary considerably.
The first presidential debate between Harris and Trump is over, allowing the debate over whether there will be a second debate to begin.
Harris' pick for vice president, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Trump's, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, have agreed to an Oct. 1 debate hosted by CBS News in New York City.
Vance has challenged Walz to another vice presidential debate on Sept. 18, although it's not been set.
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