If you have already voted by mail-in ballot in the presidential/general election in Pennsylvania for 2024, you can skip this week’s column. If you have not yet voted and have delayed or have felt uncertain since there have been so many reports regarding how mail-in ballots should be perfectly completed then this column is for you. Also, there are a few tips regarding in-person voting if you decide to forego the mail-in and go directly to the polling place on Nov. 5.
What You Need to Know
First, you do not need to be afraid. This might seem to be an unusual statement since voting, especially for those who have been voting by mail before, should seem to be an almost routine process. However, with questions being raised for even the slightest discrepancies and Pennsylvania being constantly described as a “battleground” state, it is worth a refresher even for experienced voters. If you are voting by mail, here are some basic points.
• Have you requested and received your mail-in ballot? If you requested a ballot and have not received it yet, you can go to www.vote.pa.gov at any time and check your information. The site will track the status of your ballot throughout the process from voter registration through mailing of ballot and acknowledgement of receipt. If you have requested but not yet received your ballot and some time has elapsed you could also follow-up here or with your local Voter Services/Board of Elections office.
• If you have already received your mail-in ballot here is the process. If you have received your mail-in ballot, then here, in simple terms, is what to do.
— Complete your ballot in black or blue ink and, in accordance with the instructions, fold it and place it in the “Official Election Ballot” envelope (also sometimes referred to as the “privacy envelope”).
— Seal the privacy envelope with the ballot enclosed and place it in the “official ballot return envelope.”
— Indicate your return address on the front of the “official ballot return envelope” and be sure to sign on the reverse of that envelope the “voter’s declaration.”
• Also important is to write in the two digit month and two digit date of mailing on the “official ballot return envelope.” Dates have been a subject of controversy. The year is already indicated.
— Seal the “official ballot return envelope” and arrange for return. (See instructions below.)
On receipt, the receipt of your ballot will be noted on the tracking website previously indicated above. Mail-In ballots are not officially counted until Election Day.
• Arranging for Return. Mail-in ballot designation includes mailing by U.S. mail and also hand delivery by you to an authorized ballot box in your county or hand delivery by you to your Voter Services/Board of Elections office in your county. Locations and available dates and times for your county’s ballot boxes should be posted on the Internet.
Important — if delivering a completed mail-in ballot you must deliver it yourself. You cannot give it to someone else to deliver. The exception is for persons disabled under the Americans With Disabilities Act when, where if the person is unable to deliver himself/herself, a “Designated Agent” form must be used. Both the person indicating use of a Designated Agent and the Designated Agent must sign the form. It is best even if there is a disability, if at all possible, to deliver the ballot envelope/package to the designated ballot box or Voter Services/Board of Elections office by yourself and not to use a Designated Agent.
• Voting At the Polls on Election Day. If you are voting in person on Election Day at the polls you want to be sure of the current location. Polling places can sometimes change. If you may have recently moved you want to know where you should go. Have you changed your address for voting purposes? Your polling place will have a Judge of Elections and workers who can help. You might receive a provisional ballot where there are questions. If you requested a mail-in ballot but did not complete it bring the entire packet (not just the ballot) with you to the polls or Voter Services/Board of Elections in your county and you will receive instructions.
With all that said, you should be fine. Voting matters.
Janet Colliton, Esq. is a Certified Elder Law Attorney and limits her practice to elder law, retirement, life care, special needs, and estate planning and estate administration with offices at 790 East Market St., Suite 250, West Chester, 610-436-6674, [email protected]. She is a member of the National Academy and Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys and, with Jeffrey Jones, CSA, co-founder of Life Transition Services LLC, a service for families with long term care needs.
