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Uhm. Okay.
PA voters, I will try to give you the short version of what you should know about voting by mail *and then* showing up to the polling place to try to vote in person. https://twitter.com/JonathanTamari/status/1301675737393623041
PA voters, I will try to give you the short version of what you should know about voting by mail *and then* showing up to the polling place to try to vote in person. https://twitter.com/JonathanTamari/status/1301675737393623041
Mail ballots must be received by county elections offices by 8 pm Election Day.
SCENARIO 1: You mail your ballot in. It is received by shortly before E-Day.
It will say so in the poll books. Poll workers should stop you from voting — your ballot was received. That’s your vote.
SCENARIO 1: You mail your ballot in. It is received by shortly before E-Day.
It will say so in the poll books. Poll workers should stop you from voting — your ballot was received. That’s your vote.
SCENARIO 2: You mail your ballot. It is received close to or on Election Day.
The poll books will say you requested a ballot.
You will be given a provisional ballot at the polls — a paper ballot that is set aside and ONLY counted if no mail ballot is received from you.
The poll books will say you requested a ballot.
You will be given a provisional ballot at the polls — a paper ballot that is set aside and ONLY counted if no mail ballot is received from you.
That means: If you turn in your mail ballot and it is ultimately received on time, your mail ballot is the one that is counted. That’s your vote.
And then the provisional ballot you turned in at the polls does not count.
And then the provisional ballot you turned in at the polls does not count.
SCENARIO 3: You requested a ballot but do not mail it. You bring it to the polls.
You can hand over your mail ballot to be voided and sign a form saying you are voting in person instead. Then, like other in-person voters, you use the usual voting machines. That’s your vote.
You can hand over your mail ballot to be voided and sign a form saying you are voting in person instead. Then, like other in-person voters, you use the usual voting machines. That’s your vote.
SCENARIO 4: You requested a ballot but do not mail it. You do not bring it to the polls.
Basically, scenario 2 happens: The poll worker sees you have requested a mail ballot and should only allow you to use a provisional ballot that is only counted if no mail ballot is received.
Basically, scenario 2 happens: The poll worker sees you have requested a mail ballot and should only allow you to use a provisional ballot that is only counted if no mail ballot is received.
What you SHOULD NOT do is:
SCENARIO 5: You mail your ballot. You somehow also cast a normal vote on the machines at your polling place.
You have voted twice. Don’t do this. Seriously.
SCENARIO 5: You mail your ballot. You somehow also cast a normal vote on the machines at your polling place.
You have voted twice. Don’t do this. Seriously.
Key things to remember:
If you request a mail ballot and do anything other than hand it over, the only way you should be voting in person is on a provisional ballot.
And if that provisional ballot is counted, it is because your mail ballot was not received.
If you request a mail ballot and do anything other than hand it over, the only way you should be voting in person is on a provisional ballot.
And if that provisional ballot is counted, it is because your mail ballot was not received.
Want to know more about how to vote in PA this election? Check out our guide: http://Inquirer.com/howtovote
Still have questions? Ask me! I cover voting rights and elections for the Philadelphia Inquirer and want to help you vote: http://inquirer.com/votingquestions
Still have questions? Ask me! I cover voting rights and elections for the Philadelphia Inquirer and want to help you vote: http://inquirer.com/votingquestions
One really, really, really important caveat: This is the system as it is RIGHT NOW.
There are active efforts, in courts and in the legislature, to change various pieces of this, including what happens if you request a ballot and then show up. https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/pennsylvania-2020-election-rules-legislation-lawsuits-20200902.html
There are active efforts, in courts and in the legislature, to change various pieces of this, including what happens if you request a ballot and then show up. https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/pennsylvania-2020-election-rules-legislation-lawsuits-20200902.html
Please make sure to check the rules as you prepare to vote.
We’ll keep updating our information at http://Inquirer.com/howtovote .
And if rules change, you better believe we’ll cover it. You can find our full PA 2020 coverage at http://Inquirer.com/elections
We’ll keep updating our information at http://Inquirer.com/howtovote .
And if rules change, you better believe we’ll cover it. You can find our full PA 2020 coverage at http://Inquirer.com/elections
A few other important things to help you with your mail ballot:
1. You can apply online now for your mail ballot: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/OnlineAbsenteeApplication/#/OnlineAbsenteeBegin
1. You can apply online now for your mail ballot: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/OnlineAbsenteeApplication/#/OnlineAbsenteeBegin
2. You can check the status of your mail ballot online, including whether your request was processed, whether the ballot was mailed to you, etc: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/BallotTracking.aspx
Check that to see whether your ballot was received before you take an unnecessary trip to the polls on 11/3.
Check that to see whether your ballot was received before you take an unnecessary trip to the polls on 11/3.
3. If you use a provisional ballot at the polls, you can check whether it was accepted: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/ProvisionalBallotSearch.aspx
(bookmark that for after 11/3, if you for some reason plan on needing to use a provisional ballot)
(bookmark that for after 11/3, if you for some reason plan on needing to use a provisional ballot)
4. Here is a good way to vote by mail AND ensure it is counted without having to worry or waste time with trying to also vote in person:
Vote by mail early. Request the ballot now, and mail it back as soon as you are ready. Check the status and relax when you see it is received.
Vote by mail early. Request the ballot now, and mail it back as soon as you are ready. Check the status and relax when you see it is received.
If it gets close to Election Day and you think you might not have enough time to mail your ballot back — and remember, it must be *received by the elections office* by 8 pm E-Day — check whether your county has a drop box.
Or hand-deliver it to your county elections office.
Or hand-deliver it to your county elections office.
Also: If you are worried about voter fraud — a pretty unnecessary anxiety — you SHOULD NOT try to vote twice. No, not just in case.
Vote once and make sure it counts.
Why? Mistakes happen. Elections are complicated, with many moving parts. Things can slip through the cracks.
Vote once and make sure it counts.
Why? Mistakes happen. Elections are complicated, with many moving parts. Things can slip through the cracks.
If that happens, you could end up with what happened in Philly in the primary: A few people — including a Republican Party official — ended up voting twice. (To be clear: NOT as any sort of conspiracy to rig the election.)
Don’t do this. Only vote once. https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/pa-primary-election-mail-ballots-double-voting-20200616.html
Don’t do this. Only vote once. https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/pa-primary-election-mail-ballots-double-voting-20200616.html
Nope! First ballots should be going out within a few weeks, the rough estimate is mid- to late September. (The ballot isn’t actually finalized yet, there is at least one current challenge to a candidate’s eligibility.) https://twitter.com/boogiewitstu/status/1301690616976420864
Please don’t spread mis- and disinformation about dead voters in Philly and whatever other weird voter fraud fantasies you may have.
You can ask Al Schmidt, Philly’s Republican elections official, who seems tired of these untrue “dead voter” claims: https://twitter.com/Commish_Schmidt/status/1301697795460653056
You can ask Al Schmidt, Philly’s Republican elections official, who seems tired of these untrue “dead voter” claims: https://twitter.com/Commish_Schmidt/status/1301697795460653056
