Hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots have not been returned with only days to go before Pennsylvania’s primary election – and it’s probably best to just forego the mail at this point.
Mail ballots must be received by county elections offices by 8 p.m. on election Tuesday. But at this point, the best bet for people to make sure their vote is counted is to either walk it in or drop it off at a ballot drop box, said Jonathan Marks, Pennsylvania’s Deputy Secretary for Elections and Commissions.
Some 910,000 people requested mail ballots for Tuesday’s election, Marks said. As of May 13, about 510,000 – around 56% – had been received by county elections offices, he said.
That number is expected to rise rapidly in the coming days, he noted, but it still means hundreds of thousands of mail ballots remain outstanding.
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Check out how to fill out your mail ballot right here.
If you already received your mail ballot but haven’t put it in the mail yet, you should fill it out and take it to your county elections office or put it in a designated ballot drop box within the county where you’re registered to vote, Marks said. (Check out the map below to find a drop box near you).
Decision 2022
Coverage of the 2022 elections
However, if you haven’t received your ballot yet, you should call your county elections office and let them know, Marks said.
If that’s the case, there are still ways you can vote.
If you don’t receive your mail ballot at all, you can fill out a provisional ballot at your polling place, Marks said.
There’s also a chance you receive your mail ballot right before Election Day. If that happens to you and you don’t want – or can’t – return it to your elections office or a ballot drop box, then you can bring it with you to your polling place on Election Day and a poll worker will take it and give you a traditional ballot, Marks said.
The bottom line is you still have options, so get your ballot in and make sure your vote counts.
