Time is running out for Pennsylvanians to request a mail ballot and submit it to vote in the Nov. 5 general election.
With the deadline to request a ballot 5 p.m. on Tuesday, elections officials recommend acting as soon as possible. Voters can request a ballot at their county elections office or online through the Department of State.
To get notifications when the ballot is sent out and then accepted on return, include an email address when requesting a mail-in ballot.
Mail voters need to ensure their ballots are in their county’s possession by 8 p.m. on Election Day. This can be done by mailing it or by delivering it in person to the county elections office.
Mail ballots can also be tracked using an online form that requires a voter’s first name, last name, date of birth and county.
Counties have different policies for notifying voters of errors on return envelopes. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently ruled that any voter who attempted to vote by mail but had the ballot rejected can then vote provisionally on Election Day.
Running out of time
Anne Norton, director of election services in Berks County, said the postal service has been good recently, both with getting ballots out to voters and returning them to the office after they’ve been filled out.
“It’s been just taking a couple days,” Norton said. “The turnaround has been really fast. The post office is doing a great job of getting those ballots back to us.”
The closer it gets to Election Day, the more mail-in voters should consider other options to make sure their vote is counted, such as hand-delivering the ballot to a drop box or the county election office.
Each county sets its own rules for drop boxes. In Berks County, Norton said there are three available. Their locations and addresses are available online.
Voters using a drop box or delivering the ballot in person to the office need to return their own ballot, with limited exceptions.
Voters with disabilities can designate another person to deliver their ballot. To do so, they must complete and return a designated agent form.
Canceling a by-mail request or voting provisionally
Those who requested a mail-in ballot can still vote in person, with some additional hurdles.
They will need to bring their ballot and the declaration envelope to their polling place, surrender their ballot and fill out some paperwork, then vote in person. The process will take a few extra minutes, depending on how crowded the polling place is.
Would-be voters who do not surrender the mail ballot and envelope can only vote provisionally at their polling place. Before the provisional ballot can be counted, the county election board will verify the person did not already vote by mail.
Voting ‘early in person’
More people than ever before are voting early in person in Lebanon County, according to election director Sean Drasher.
Pennsylvania technically does not have early in-person voting as it exists in other states, but there is a workaround.
Up until the Oct. 29 deadline, voters can request a mail-in ballot in their county election office, vote it then and there, and return it. Elections offices are not set up for lots of voters to use this method at any one time. Large groups trying to vote this way have created backlogs at election offices across the state and elections officials are working overtime to keep up with other work, Drasher said.
Important dates
— Oct. 29: Last day to apply for a mail-in ballot. It must be requested by 5 p.m. Counties must mail ballots to voters within 48 hours.
— Nov. 5: Election Day. The county election office must receive the completed mail ballot by 8 p.m.
Follow instructions or risk rejection
Voters should follow the provided instructions and mark their ballots accordingly.
Seal the ballot in the yellow envelope marked “official election ballot,” which should then be sealed in the pre-addressed outer return envelope. The outer envelope needs to be signed and dated with the day the form is completed, or it will not be counted, according to the state’s voter website.
