Expand AllClick here for a more accessible versionYou can
find the location of your county election office here. You can also drop off your ballot at a satellite office, which you can
find here.
Your application for a mail-in or absentee ballot must be received by your county election office by 5:00pm on October 27th, 2020. Apply for an absentee ballot and get a step-by-step guide to voting by mail at VotesPA.com.
After you receive your ballot, complete it according to the instructions. Remember to put your ballot in the secrecy envelope marked "Official Election Ballot," and place that envelope inside the larger mailing envelope. You must fill out the form on the mailing envelope and sign it.
You can then submit your ballot by:
The smaller secrecy envelope is intended to protect the anonymity of your vote. After you fill out your ballot, you must place it in the secrecy envelope and seal it.
The second, larger envelope is the mailing and declaration envelope. You must use it, even if you are dropping your ballot off at a drop box. Place your secrecy envelope (with your ballot inside) into the mailing and declaration envelope. You must seal it and sign the declaration before you can return your ballot.
Both of these envelopes must be used in order for your vote to count.
Find step-by-step instructions on how to use the envelopes.
If there is anything wrong with your ballot, including a missing secrecy envelope, contact your county election office so they can send you a replacement or provide other guidance on casting your ballot.
Yes, but to do so you must bring your mail-in ballot with you to be disposed of and sign a declaration that you did not submit a mail-in ballot.
Absentee ballots, submitted by mail, have been used by Pennsylvanians who are in the military, live overseas, are physically unable to come to the polls, or otherwise cannot vote in person on Election Day for over a century. The practice became widespread during the Civil War, when thousands of Pennsylvania voters cast their vote by mail.
Starting in 2020, Pennsylvania expanded the option to vote by mail to all voters.
Yes, if you vote using a mail-in ballot. Ballots begin to be mailed out a month before Election Day. You can mail it back or return it as soon as you get it.
You can also vote early in-person with a mail-in ballot at your county election office or a satellite location. At many of these locations, you can request, receive, and return your ballot at the same time until the deadline for mail ballot applications.
No, unless you have a disability that prevents you from delivering your mail ballot. If you have such a disability, you may designate an agent to deliver your ballot materials for you. You must designate the agent in writing using this form or a form provided by your county.
Ballots can't be discarded because signatures don't match.
You can track the status of your mail-in ballot online to see when it gets received. Due to high volume, it may take a few days for your ballot to be processed.
If you don't see an updated status within 4-5 days of dropping off your ballot, or believe your ballot was lost, contact your county election office.
Under current Pennsylvania law, your mail-in ballot can't be opened until Election Day. Therefore, if there's a problem with your mail-in ballot, you won't have the opportunity to correct it before the election. Still, as long as you followed all the instructions and mailed your completed and signed ballot by Election Day, you don't have to worry.