HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania voters could have additional time for their mail-in ballots to be counted under proposed legislation that would extend the current Election Day receipt deadline by seven days.
What This Means for You
- Mail-in ballots could be counted up to seven days after Election Day
- The change would align deadlines with military and overseas voters
- Ballots would still need to be submitted on time to be eligible
State Reps. Chris Pielli, D-Chester, and Tina Davis, D-Bucks, introduced the proposal to address concerns that some ballots are arriving too late to be counted under current law.
Why Lawmakers Say the Change Is Needed
Current law requires county election offices to receive mail-in ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Lawmakers said changes in U.S. Postal Service operations, including the use of regional sorting facilities for postmarks instead of local post offices, can delay delivery of ballots that were mailed on time.
Pielli said the proposal is intended to ensure ballots submitted before the deadline are not excluded due to delivery delays.
“By aligning the deadline for all voters with the existing standard for military and overseas ballots, we create a simple, uniform window that guarantees every timely cast vote is actually counted,” Pielli said.
How the Proposal Would Work
The legislation would allow counties to accept and process mail-in and absentee ballots for up to seven days after an election.
This would match the current timeline used for military and overseas ballots, which are already permitted additional time for receipt.
“Every voter who submits a ballot on time deserves to have it counted,” Davis said.
Next Steps
The bill has been introduced and is awaiting assignment to a committee for consideration.
If advanced, it would move through the legislative process before any potential changes to Pennsylvania election law could take effect.
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