WILKES-BARRE — Acting Secretary of State Veronica W. Degraffenreid Monday said if mail ballot applications continue at the current pace, Pennsylvania could be on track to set a record for participation in a municipal primary.
The Pennsylvania Department of State announced that more than 587,000 voters already have applied for mail-in ballots for the May 18 municipal primary election, and more than 18,000 voters have applied for absentee ballots.
“These impressive application numbers show that mail-in voting has become a popular option for Pennsylvanians, valued for its convenience, accessibility and security,” DeGraffenreid said. “People like being able to vote from their own homes and on their own schedule.”
In Luzerne County, 19,136 voters had requested mail ballots as of Monday, said county Election Director Bob Morgan.
DeGraffenreid said voting by mail ballot without having to provide an excuse is relatively new to Pennsylvania. The bipartisan Act 77 of 2019, signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf, represented the first major reforms to the Pennsylvania election law in more than 80 years.
The Department of State said:
• Any eligible voter may apply for a mail-in ballot.
• Applications may be submitted online via the Department of State’s website.
• Paper applications in multiple languages are available for download.
• Once voters return their mail-in ballot application to their county board of elections, the county will send them a mail-in ballot as soon as the county’s ballots have been finalized and printed.
• When they receive their ballot in the mail, voters simply need to read the instructions and mark their ballot, then seal their ballot in the secrecy envelope that indicates “official election ballot,” seal the secrecy envelope inside the pre-addressed outer return envelope, sign and date the voter’s declaration on the outside of the outer return envelope and put a stamp on the envelope if needed.
DeGraffenreid said mail-in and absentee ballot applications must be received by a voter’s county board of elections by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11. Voted mail ballots must be received by the county board of elections by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, May 18.
For more information about voting in Pennsylvania, visit: votesPA.com.