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PENNSYLVANIA VOTE-BY-MAIL THREAD:
Pennsylvanians have started receiving their mail-in ballots and calls to our Voter Assistance Hotline are up! In this thread, I'm going to share everything you need to know to vote by mail in PA, same as if you called the hotline.
Pennsylvanians have started receiving their mail-in ballots and calls to our Voter Assistance Hotline are up! In this thread, I'm going to share everything you need to know to vote by mail in PA, same as if you called the hotline.
IF YOU VOTE BY MAIL IN PENNSYLVANIA, YOU MUST PUT YOUR BALLOT INSIDE THE SECRECY ENVELOPE BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE SECOND RETURN ENVELOPE! Your ballot will be invalidated if it arrives without the secrecy envelope!
To vote by mail in PA you have to request a ballot first. You can request a ballot online here: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/OnlineAbsenteeApplication/#/OnlineAbsenteeBegin. Another option is to print off the application form here, fill it out and mail it to your county election office: https://www.votespa.com/Register-to-Vote/Documents/PADOS_MailInApplication.pdf
Online application note: the first 3 questions ask about reasons why you might be requesting a mail ballot. Since PA is allowing no-excuse-required mail voting this year, you can select "No" on all three questions and still proceed with the application (it's easier that way!).
Not sure whether you've already applied to vote by mail? You can look up your status here: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/BallotTracking.aspx. If nothing comes up when you search, you should call your county office and/or submit another application.
We have fielded hundreds of calls from people who were sent multiple vote-by-mail APPLICATIONS--this is OK and does not mean your prior application was not processed! A bunch of 3rd parties are sending these out to make sure everyone who needs one, has one. It's a good thing!
The ballot status tracker (link here again: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/BallotTracking.aspx) will tell you if you've signed up successfully. If there is a date under "Application Processed," that means you're on their list.
Technically the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot in PA is October 27th; however, the REAL deadline is AS SOON AS POSSIBLE--if you want one, don't wait, do it today. The later you submit your request, the harder you make it for your county to send you a ballot on time.
Next, you may be wondering: when can I expect my ballot? Most Pennsylvania counties have just started mailing ballots this past week, so don't worry if yours hasn't arrived yet! Start by looking up your status in the tracker: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/BallotTracking.aspx
If there is a date under "Ballot Mailed On," that means your ballot is on its way to you! If that field is blank, they likely haven't mailed it yet--but it should be on its way soon.
According to our latest info, the following PA counties have STARTED mailing ballots as of this week (wk. of 9/28): Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Bradford, Cambria, Carbon, Chester, Clinton, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Franklin, Huntington, Jefferson, Lancaster, Lebanon
More PA counties that have STARTED mailing ballots as of this week (wk. of 9/28): Lycoming, McKean, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Venango, Warren, Wayne, Wyoming, York.
If your Pennsylvania county is not on the above list, that means they are either starting to mail ballots next week (wk. of 10/5), or we don't have good info for them yet.
Once your PA county puts your ballot in the mail, allow another 5-10 days for it to arrive in your mailbox. (Hopefully it arrives even sooner! But that's what's considered a reasonable window.)
My personal recommendation is for most Pennsylvania voters to hang tight until about Oct. 15th to see if your ballot arrives. If your ballot's not there but it's not October 15th yet, it's not time to worry--it is more than likely on its way.
When your PA mail ballot arrives, be careful opening it! Apparently some primary voters this year had issues where they accidentally ripped their ballots and had to request new ones.
Your ballot should come with instructions, the actual ballot with candidate names listed, and two envelopes: a white envelope that says "Official Mail-In Ballot" (the "secrecy envelope"), and a slightly larger return envelope. with space to sign your name and date on the outside.
Follow the instructions on your mail-in ballot carefully! At a high level, instructions for filling out a PA mail ballot are:
Step 1: Mark the ballot for your candidates of choice using BLUE OR BLACK INK; fill in the bubbles all the way and check BOTH SIDES of the ballot.
Step 1: Mark the ballot for your candidates of choice using BLUE OR BLACK INK; fill in the bubbles all the way and check BOTH SIDES of the ballot.
Step 2: PUT THE BALLOT INSIDE THE SECRECY ENVELOPE FIRST ! ! ! If you don't do this your ballot in Pennsylvania could be thrown out, per the PA State Supreme Court! Tell all your family and friends, it can't be repeated enough!!
Step 3: Put the secrecy envelope inside the slightly larger return envelope, and sign your name and date where it asks on the outside of the envelope.
To see those steps in action, check out this video from Kay Yu, the PA Dems Voter Protection Director!
To see those steps in action, check out this video from Kay Yu, the PA Dems Voter Protection Director!
RETURNING YOUR PENNSYLVANIA MAIL-IN BALLOT: You have three options!
Option 1: Take your completed ballot (in both envelopes!) directly to your county election office (look that up here: https://www.votespa.com/Resources/Pages/Contact-Your-Election-Officials.aspx). Note that you can only bring YOUR ballot, not someone else's.
Option 1: Take your completed ballot (in both envelopes!) directly to your county election office (look that up here: https://www.votespa.com/Resources/Pages/Contact-Your-Election-Officials.aspx). Note that you can only bring YOUR ballot, not someone else's.
Option 2: Take your completed PA ballot to an official election drop box (find the location & hours of the closest one to you here: https://iwillvote.com/votinginfo/pa ). Note that these are special election drop boxes with set hours of operation and NOT regular USPS blue boxes.
If you return your PA mail-in ballot to an official drop box, YOU must be the one to take it there--you can't have a family member or friend take it over for you. (This is not common knowledge--please spread the word on this important rule!)
However, if you're unable to physically return your PA ballot to a drop box due to illness/disability/etc., you can designate someone else to take it for you, by printing and completing this form: https://seventy.org/uploads/files/893197610249890532-designated-agent-form-june2020.pdf and including it INSIDE the OUTER return envelope.
Option 3 to return your PA mail-in ballot: send it back via USPS! Despite what you are hearing, the USPS has the capacity and resources to assure successful voting by mail this year, especially if you make a plan and send your ballot back as early as possible.
In Pennsylvania the State Supreme Court ruled that all ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by November 6th will be counted; HOWEVER, don't risk it by cutting it that close! Once you get your ballot, return it via a county office, drop box, or USPS as soon as possible!
What if you applied to vote by mail in PA, but would rather vote in person on Election Day? Once you get your mail-in ballot, hang on to it, and bring it with you to your polling place on E-Day. You will be able to sign something there to spoil your mail ballot and vote normally.
What if you applied to vote by mail in PA, but it's Election Day and the ballot hasn't come? Go to your regular polling place (look it up with your voter registration status here: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/voterregistrationstatus.aspx), and you will be able to vote on a provisional ballot.
What if you voted by mail in PA but it's Election Day and you're worried the county office didn't get your ballot, and there's no info in the tracker? You should go to your polling place and ask for a provisional ballot; they will count only the ballot that arrives first.
What if you lost your PA mail-in ballot/it arrived with wrong or missing materials/you made an error filling it out? Call your county office and ask them to reissue the ballot. If it's close to Election Day, vote provisionally at the polls on November 3rd.
I hope this answered a number of questions you may have had about Pennsylvania mail-in voting, but please reply below if you have more questions, or call our hotline at 1-833-PA-VOTES (1-833-728-6837). Thanks for being voters!
