Mail-in Voting Overview

Get an overview of the mail-in ballot process with these resources:

The "What Happens to My Ballot?" video from the Pennsylvania Department of State shows how the ballots are processed once they are received by your county Elections Division.

"The Life & Times of a Pennsylvania Mail-in Ballot" infographic shows the mail-in process from the voter's point of view, from the voter's decision to apply for a ballot through Election Day.

This video from the PA Department of State shows how your mail-in ballot is verified, opened and recorded by your county Elections Division.

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How the US Postal Service Handles Official Election Mail
Mail-in ballots and other official election materials are separated from other mail and given priority treatment at the USPS, especially in the days right before an election. Learn more about the process in this post from the Thinking about Elections blog.

Applying for a Mail-in or Absentee Ballot

How to Apply for a Mail-in or Absentee Ballot

ANY REGISTERED VOTER CAN VOTE USING A MAIL-IN BALLOT.
No excuse is needed. You may vote by mail simply because you prefer to.

You can apply

online at Vote.PA.gov
by mail using a paper application. Download and print a paper application here, or call your County Elections Office to request a copy.

in person at your County Elections Office

Allegheny County Elections Division

542 Forbes Ave., Suite 609

Pittsburgh, PA 15219-2953

(412) 350-4500

Complete instructions and forms are available at vote.pa.gov .
Not in Allegheny County? Find the Elections Office for your Pennsylvania County here.

INSTRUCTIONS--Mail-in_Absentee_Ballot_App_9.21.22.png

Instructions for completing your Mail-in Ballot APPLICATION online or on paper.

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Instructions for Mail-in Ballot APPLICATION

Ballot Application Q & A

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Why does the application ask me for a reason for requesting a Mail-in Ballot if I don't need one?

The Pennsylvania Constitution requires that an absentee ballot be provided in case of illness or absence from the district. Until the PA Constitution is amended, the separate absentee category and its qualifying questions has to remain. Just answer "no" to the qualifying questions, and you will continue to the "no excuse" mail-in application.

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I can't remember if I already applied for a mail-in ballot. What should I do?

You can find out if you already applied successfully for a mail-in ballot by checking your voter registration record at this link: PA Voter Status Check

If you apply for a mail-in ballot twice, your second application will be denied because it is a duplicate, but there is no penalty for applying twice.

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My ballot request was approved weeks ago. Why haven't I received it?

Ballots are not printed until about a month before Election Day. This is because candidates have to qualify for the ballot by filing official paperwork and petitions. The County Elections Office does not know who will be on the final ballot until the deadlines for these filings is past, and legal challenges are settled. As soon as candidates are finalized, ballots will be printed and mailed.

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I already applied for a ballot, but I keep getting applications in the mail. Does this mean that my first application was rejected?

No. Many outside groups send mail ballot applications to voters. These groups include political candidates and parties, and other groups who want to increase voter turnout. The County Elections Office does not send or control this mail, and these outside groups do not know whether or not you have already applied. If you do not want the application, just throw it out.

The Annual Ballot Request and Permanent List

When you apply for a Pennsylvania Mail-In Ballot you can choose to make an "Annual Voting Request." If you opt in you are signing up for 2 things:

1. BALLOTS for each election in the coming year: The May Primary, November General Election, and any Special Elections that may occur through the 3rd Monday in February of the following year. You will not need to apply again until next February.

2. an APPLICATION in the mail every year in February, so that you can apply for your annual ballots again. You will receive an application every February until you remove yourself from the Permanent list.

Are you on the Permanent List? Find out here.
Do you want to remove your name from the Permanent List and cancel your Annual Ballot Request? Cancel Here.

Annual / Permanent List Explainer.

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Completing and Returning Your Ballot

Voting with Your Mail-in Ballot

Your candidate choices are the most important part of completing your mail-in ballot.

Voting at home allows you the time you need to research unfamiliar names or questions on your ballot using vote411.org or other resources.

Once you have made your decisions, follow the directions carefully, making sure to:

•mark your ballot using blue or black pen. Pencil is also permitted.

•follow the directions below to prepare your ballot for mailing using the 2 envelopes provided.

Mailing Your Ballot

Follow the Instructions Carefully to Make Sure Your Ballot is Counted!

The Inner Envelope

After filling out your ballot,

1. Place it inside the yellow, inner envelope.
2. Seal the envelope.

Do not sign or write on this envelope.

The Outer Envelope

Place the sealed yellow envelope inside the outer envelope.

Then,

1. Sign your name.
2. Date the envelope with the current date.
3. Seal the envelope.

Mailing

Mail your ballot right away. The ballot must be received by the County Elections Office by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. The postmark does not count.

Don't Forget the Stamp!
In Allegheny County, the outer envelope requires one First Class or "Forever" stamp.

Returning Your Mail-in Ballot in Person

Instead of returning your ballot by mail, you may drop off your own ballot at the County Elections office. Drop off is available during normal business hours, in addition to any extended hours announced by the County Elections Division.

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What About Drop Boxes?

In Allegheny County, there is a drop box location in the lobby of the County Office building during normal office hours. Extended hours are normally available for at least one week leading up to Election Day, but this schedule is decided by the Board of Elections and announced a few weeks before each Election Day. When the schedule is available, it will be posted at the top of this webpage.

Decisions about drop boxes, satellite offices, and extended hours are made by county officials and will be different in each county. Voters in other counties should check with their own County Elections Office for satellite office and drop box information.

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Can I Drop Off a Ballot for a Friend or Family Member?

A. No. You may not return another person's ballot, even for members of your own household, UNLESS

that person is disabled and has completed this form authorizing you to do so:Designated Agent - Disability .
that person is using an emergency absentee ballot and has completed this form authorizing you to do so: Designated Agent - Emergency

Tracking Your Ballot

Email Notifications from Allegheny County

If you provided an email address on your ballot application, you will receive a notice by email when:

your ballot request is approved
your ballot is (ready to be) mailed
your returned ballot is received at the Elections Division

The email notifications from Allegheny County give a clearer explanation than the State ballot tracker, so providing an email address with your ballot application is recommended.

Using the PA Ballot Tracker

If you applied for a mail-in or absentee ballot, you can track it online here: PA Ballot Tracker

Understanding Your Ballot Tracker Results

There are several fields on the PA Ballot Tracker that are confusing to many voters.

ballot tracker screenshot

Learn the meaning of your ballot tracking results:

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Ballot Type

You can safely ignore this field. It is used internally by the elections division to categorize your ballot as mail-in or absentee, and to record whether you applied online or on paper. You can ignore this even if the status says "NOT VERIFIED." This does not mean that your application or ballot has been rejected. See a longer explanation below.

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Ballot Mailed On

Ballot Mailed On: The date given in this field is the date that the County Elections Division printed your envelope, and NOT the date the ballot actually went to the Post Office. It may be a week or more before your ballot is actually in the mail.

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Status "pending"

Status "pending": Once your ballot application has been approved, your status will be "pending" until you receive and return your ballot to the County Elections Division.

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Status "recorded"

Status "recorded": "Recorded" means that the County Elections Division has received your returned ballot. It does not mean that the vote has already been counted. The envelopes will remain sealed until Election Day when they are opened and scanned to cast your vote.

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*Why should I NOT WORRY if my "Ballot Type" is listed as "NOT VERIFIED"?

The "Ballot Type" field in the Ballot Tracker is used internally by the County Elections Office to record how your application was received. It refers to your application for a mail-in ballot, and not the mail-in ballot you returned. If you already received your mail-in ballot, or a notice that your application was approved, this issue has already been resolved at the Elections Office.

So, what does it mean? "Not verified" means that when your application was received, it could not be verified by the State's automatic matching process which uses your PA drivers license record to verify your identity. Applications that use the last 4 digits of a voter's Social Security Number instead of a PA Driver's license or PennDOT ID number can't be verified using this automated system. And sometimes the punctuation, hyphenation, or spelling on a voter's application is slightly different than it appears on their PA Driver's license or PennDOT ID. (For example, "Phil" instead of "Philip," or "St" instead of "Street", misspelling the name of your county...)

Your County Elections Division resolves these issues BEFORE your application is approved and your ballot is sent to you. If they cannot resolve the issue, they send the voter a letter, requesting further information.

But, What If...??? Fixing Mail-in Mistakes

Problems Before You Return Your Ballot

What If...your mail-in ballot or envelopes are missing, or become damaged in some way, or you make an error in completing your ballot, or you changed your mind and want to vote in person...? You can:

1) Vote at your polling place on Election Day.

If you have your mail-in ballot and both envelopes, take them with you and turn them in to vote on a regular ballot.

If you lost, discarded, or never received your mail-in ballot and envelopes, you may vote at your polling place using a provisional ballot. The provisional ballot will be counted once the County determines that you did not already vote using your mail-in ballot.

OR
2) Request a replacement from the Allegheny County Elections Division during regular office hours, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, Monday-Friday, up through Election Day.

Contact the Elections Division

by phone (412-350-4500),
email (electionscontact@alleghenycounty.us)
or in-person (County Office Building, 542 Forbes Avenue)

Problems After Your Ballot is Returned

"Curing" Your Ballot in Allegheny County

When the Allegheny County Elections Division receives a mail-in ballot that cannot be accepted due to an error in completing the envelopes, they attempt to notify voters to allow them to correct the errors and "cure" their ballots. This process varies from county to county.

In Allegheny County, when a ballot is received unsigned, undated or without the inner "Secrecy Envelope," the Elections Division updates the Pennsylvania voter database to indicate that the ballot was "Declined." This will trigger an email notice to the voter, if the voter provided an email address on their ballot application.

If there is no email address, the county may send a notice by mail. A few days before the election, when it is too late to contact voters by mail, the county may publish a list of names of voters who made errors completing their envelopes. This allows political parties and "get-out-the-vote" groups to contact voters and let them know they need to correct their ballots.

If your mail-in ballot was declined, you have two options:

1) Vote at your polling place on Election Day using a provisional ballot.

The provisional ballot will be counted once the County determines that you did not already vote using your mail-in ballot.

OR
2) Request a replacement from the Allegheny County Elections Division during regular office hours, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, Monday-Friday, up through Election Day.

If you are notified that your mail-in ballot has been rejected for errors made in completing the envelopes, or you do not have confirmation that your mail-in ballot was received, you have the right to vote in your polling place on Election Day using a provisional ballot.

Recent decisions by the Pennsylvania and US Supreme Courts have determined that provisional ballots must be counted in the case that a mail-in ballot was not voted successfully.

"Over-the-Counter" Voting

Over-the-Counter Voting

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What is Over the Counter Voting?

Over-the-Counter Voting is basically Mail-in Voting minus the mail. A registered voter can visit the County Elections Office, (or a county satellite office, if available,) and request, complete, and submit a Mail-in Ballot in the same visit. The official name for "Over-the-Counter" voting is "In-person Absentee" voting.

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When is OTC Voting Available?

OTC Voting becomes available as soon as ballots are available, usually about 3 or 4 weeks before Election Day.

OTC Voting ends one week before Election Day because this is the last day to request a Mail-in Ballot.

The hours are the regular office hours for your County Elections Office, unless the County Elections Office announces extended hours. (OTC voting is not available during extended hours in the final week before Election Day because it is past the deadline to request a mail-in ballot.)

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Will There Be Satellite Sites for OTC This Year?

The County Elections Board makes this decision about a month before each election. This is a county-level decision, and satellite site hours and availability are different from county to county. In recent years, there have been no satellite offices in Allegheny County.

Allegheny County announced several Satellite Office and Ballot Drop locations for the 2025 Primary. You can find the schedule here. Click to Enlarge:

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Is OTC Voting the same as Early Voting?

Technically, no. Your OTC ballot is a mail-in ballot and it will be stored with the other mail-in ballots until Election Day when they are all opened and tallied. True "early voting" using the same machines and procedures found in your local polling place is not available in Pennsylvania. However, OTC voting functions as an early, in-person, voting option.

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OTC Voting and "Rolls to the Polls"

Because OTC voting allows voters from any precinct to vote at the same county office location, it is practical to carpool and vote with friends and community group members who are from multiple precincts. (Be aware that OTC voting is not available in the final week before Election Day.)

Overview of Pennsylvania's voting options.

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3 Voting Options in PA