HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania election officials said a redesigned provisional ballot envelope helped significantly reduce ballot rejections in the November 2025 election, a change they say allowed more voters to have their ballots counted.
Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced that counties using the updated envelope design saw an 11.3 percent decrease in provisional ballots rejected for envelope errors compared with the November 2024 election, after adjusting for voter turnout.
According to the Department of State, 4.40 percent of provisional ballots were rejected for envelope-related mistakes in November 2025, down from 4.96 percent a year earlier. Officials attributed the improvement to clearer instructions that show voters exactly which fields they must complete, including prominently marking the two required signature areas, while also clearly identifying sections reserved for election workers.
“Our goal remains ensuring every registered voter in our Commonwealth can cast their vote and have it counted in every election,” Schmidt said. “As with the changes to mail ballot materials two years ago, these improvements resulted in more registered voters being able to make their voices heard in November’s election.”
The envelope redesign was developed in collaboration with county election officials in Philadelphia, Berks, Butler, Mercer, and Greene counties, who had raised concerns about voter confusion and avoidable errors with the previous design. The department announced the update in July, ahead of the November election.
Omar Sabir, chairman of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, said the effort delivered measurable results.
“The purpose in leading the redesign effort was to reduce errors and have more votes counted, which is exactly what we achieved,” Sabir said. “An 11% decrease in ballot rejections shows the real impact that thoughtful design can have on protecting voting rights across Pennsylvania.”
State officials said the updated envelopes reflect the Shapiro administration’s broader push to modernize election materials and reduce technical errors that can prevent valid ballots from being counted, while maintaining security and clear procedures for poll workers.
The Department of State said it will continue working with counties to refine election materials and evaluate data from future elections to further reduce preventable ballot rejections.
For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.