Last day to apply for a mail or absentee election ballot in Pennsylvania
Today, Tuesday Oct. 27 is the deadline in Pennsylvanians to apply for a mail or absentee ballot for the Nov. 3 election.
Anyone that still has their mail ballot is should hand-deliver their voted ballot to their county election office or other officially designated site, including drop boxes, as soon as possible.
More than 3 million Pennsylvanians have applied to vote by mail this year. Counties will mail ballots to voters once the application is verified. The deadline to drop off their completed mail ballots is 8 p.m. on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
"If you haven't already, voters with mail ballots should immediately hand-deliver your ballot to your county-designated location," said Gov. Wolf. "Don't wait until election day. Hand-delivering your own ballot now will give you the peace of mind that your vote will be counted, and your voice will be heard in this historic election."
As soon as voters receive their mail ballot, they should:
- Read the instructions carefully.
- Fill out the ballot, being sure to follow instructions on how to mark selections.
- Seal the ballot in the white inner secrecy envelope that indicates "official ballot."
- Make sure not to make any stray marks on the envelope. Then seal the inner secrecy envelope in the pre-addressed outer return envelope which the voter must sign.
- Complete and sign the voter's declaration on the outside of the outer return envelope.
- For the ballot to be counted, it must be enclosed in both envelopes and the voter must sign the outer envelope.
Voters can find out information about the status of their ballot by contacting their county election office.
Gov. Wolf noted that counting so many mailed ballots may take extra time.
"Pennsylvania is well prepared, and we will have a fair election," said Gov. Wolf. "Counting more than 3 million mail ballots may take more time than in past elections. All of us will need to be patient as county officials work tirelessly to ensure that all votes are counted. This could take a few days, but we must have accurate results."
Anyone in Pennsylvania who applied for and received a mail ballot and then decide they want to vote at the polls, must bring their entire mail ballot packet with them to be voided, including both envelopes. They may then vote on their county's voting system.
If a voter applies for a mail ballot but does not return it and no longer has the mail ballot and envelopes, they may vote by provisional ballot at the polls on election day. Their county board of elections will then verify that they did not vote by mail before counting their provisional ballot.
Additionally, if a voter's absentee or mail ballot is rejected for a reason other than their qualification or eligibility to vote, such as a missing signature or naked ballot, they may vote by provisional ballot.
Under Pennsylvania law, each individual who fills out the ballot may only return their own mail ballot. The only exceptions to this are for voters with a disability who have designated someone in writing to deliver their ballot, or for voters who need an emergency absentee ballot. Voters with a disability have several options for how to cast their ballots this election.
For voters with limited English proficiency, mail ballot applications are available in Spanish or Vietnamese.
If a voter has questions or need translation services in other languages, they are encouraged to call the Department of State at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772).
