Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt today reminded registered Pennsylvania voters who want to vote by mail that they have until Oct. 27 to apply for their ballot for the Nov. 3 general election.
“Voting by mail is a convenient, safe, and secure option for eligible Pennsylvanians,” Sec. Schmidt said. “Those who prefer to vote by mail should apply today to ensure they have time to receive, mark, and return their ballot by Election Day.”
Mail ballot applications must be received by a voter’s county elections board by 5 p.m. Oct. 27.
Upon receiving their mail ballot, voters should:
- Carefully read all instructions enclosed with the ballot.
- Fill out the ballot by following the instructions on how to mark candidate selections, being sure to check the front and back of the ballot.
- Seal the ballot in the yellow secrecy envelope marked “official election ballot.”
- Seal the yellow secrecy envelope in the outer return envelope.
- Sign and date the outer return envelope.
Completed mail ballots must be received by a voter’s county elections office by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, Election Day. Mail ballots received after that time cannot be counted. Some counties provide drop boxes or other drop-off sites for mail ballots.
Pennsylvanians can also request their mail ballot, complete it, and return it in one visit to their county elections office until close of business on Oct. 27. Voters are encouraged to check their county elections office’s hours and mail ballot availability before making the trip.
Voters who received an absentee or mail-in ballot may vote in person on Election Day if they bring their mail ballot materials with them to be surrendered.
Voters who requested a mail ballot and did not receive it or do not have it to surrender may vote by provisional ballot at their polling place on Election Day.
“No matter how you choose to vote – by mail ballot or in person at the polls on Election Day – what matters is making your voice heard,” Sec. Schmidt said.
Sec. Schmidt also reminded Pennsylvanians that the Oct. 19 deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election is in less than three weeks.
The Department’s voter information website, vote.pa.gov, is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese and offers a polling place locator and contact information for county elections offices. It also includes tips for first-time voters, mail-in and absentee voters, elderly and disabled voters, and members of the military.
Sec. Schmidt discussed election security in today’s weekly media briefing.