Pa.’s top election official urges voters to plan for upcoming deadlines

As the deadlines to register to vote in the upcoming election and request mail ballots near, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt is urging Pennsylvanians to make sure they have a plan to cast their ballots by election day.

The last day to register before the Nov. 3 election is Oct. 19. People can do so at their county election office or online at vote.pa.gov

The deadline to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot is Oct. 27. Applications must be received by county election offices by 5 p.m.

“If you’re planning to vote by mail, please don’t wait,” Schmidt said at a press conference Wednesday.

Mail-in ballots must be received by county election officials by 8 p.m. on election day. Voters can return their completed ballots through mail, at a dropbox if one is available, or at their county election office or temporary satellite office.

The Department of State has a list of locations voters can return their completed mail ballots by county.

After voters mark their selections, mail ballots should be sealed in a yellow secrecy envelope. That secrecy envelope should be sealed in a pre-addressed outer return envelope that voters must sign and date.

As it stands, more than 50 counties have ballots available at their election offices for on-demand mail ballot voting. That’s a process where voters apply for a mai ballot in person, fill it out on the spot and then return it to an election official. 

The Department of State has an online list of counties currently offering the service.

As the election nears, Schmidt also warned voters to watch out for attempts to mislead them. 

“The closer we get to the election, the more mis- and disinformation voters are likely to encounter,” he said. “We urge voters to rely on trusted, official sources of election information, such as their county election office website or the Pennsylvania department of state voter website.”

Schmidt also warned of phishing scams asking voters to check their registration status and enter personal information. If voters want to check their registration ahead of the Oct. 19 deadline, they should visit vote.pa.gov.