HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania election officials on Tuesday rolled out a standardized toolkit designed to help counties process voters who apply for, complete, and return mail ballots during a single visit as counties begin distributing ballots for the Nov. 3 election.
The Department of State’s toolkit includes a streamlined mail ballot application intended to accommodate different county procedures for what the state calls on-demand mail ballot voting. Pennsylvania does not offer traditional early voting, but eligible voters can use the mail-ballot process in person once their county has finalized and made ballots available.
The revised application allows voters to declare that they want their ballot delivered to them at the county office where they submit the form. It also provides space for county election officials to make notations based on their own procedures.
The state developed the form in consultation with election officials in Beaver, Dauphin, Elk, Mercer, Philadelphia and York counties. The toolkit also includes signs counties can use to manage the process.
“Voting on demand by mail ballot is a convenient option that allows eligible Pennsylvanians to make their voices heard on their own schedule,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt stated. “They can apply for, receive, mark, and return their ballot all in one trip.”
The deadline to apply for a mail ballot or use the on-demand mail ballot process is Oct. 27. Eligible voters may complete the process at their county elections office or an authorized satellite location where the service is available.
Voters may instead apply for a mail ballot by Oct. 27 and return the completed ballot through the U.S. mail or deliver it to their county elections office or an authorized satellite location. County election offices must receive completed mail ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Pennsylvanians may also vote at their polling place on Election Day, when polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters in line by 8 p.m. are permitted to cast a ballot.
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