Drop off mail-in ballots to avoid mail delays, says state department

LehighValleyNews.com | By Megan Frank

Published October 6, 2021 at 2:06 PM EDT

drop-boxes-for-mail-in-ballots — Photo | Yong Kim / Philadelphia Inquirer via Spotlight PA

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Department of State says voters who requested a mail-in ballot should consider turning it in sooner rather than later.

That’s because of widespread postal service delays.

Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid says all ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 2, regardless of mail delays. That’s why she says voters should consider dropping off mail-in ballots at their county elections office or drop box locations.

“Because of potential mail delays, certainly, if voters want to hand-deliver those ballots, or submit them to the drop-off locations, we would encourage that,” Degraffenreid said.

She says over 875,000 Pennsylvania voters have already requested mail-in ballots. The deadline to apply for one is Oct. 26, which is a tight turnaround for mail delivery.

“If a voter has their ballot and it’s, you know, getting really close, we would highly encourage them, certainly within that last week, to take the ballot in person,” Degraffenreid said.

If a voter opts not to mail their mail-in ballot, Degraffenreid said it can be surrendered or given back on Election Day at a voter’s polling location. Once the mail-in ballot is surrendered, the voter will be allowed to vote in person instead.

Each ballot has a unique barcode on it that corresponds to each voter. If a voter is not sure about the status of their mail-in ballot, they can check its status here: vote.pa.gov.

The state department provides a list of ballot drop off locations on its website. Here’s a list of Lehigh Valley ballot dropoff locations:

LEHIGH COUNTY

Lehigh County Government Center

17 S. 7th St.

Allentown

610-782-3194