While elections have been taking place in the United States for 232 years, this election year has been quite different for many citizens attempting to cast their ballot. 

The Pennsylvania primary election was set to take place on April 28, however, because of the novel coronavirus which rapidly spread across the state and the U.S., forced a five-week delay in voting in the state.

Gov. Tom Wolf signed Senate Bill 422 on March 27, allowing the county board of elections to begin processing and tabulating the state's mail ballots beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday, rather than after the polls close at 8 p.m. The measure also allows counties to temporarily consolidate polling places without court approval and eases other rules regarding location and staffing of polling places for the primary to respond to county concerns about a potential shortage of poll workers.

WHAT'S ON THE BALLOT IN MERCER COUNTY?

President of the United States

DEMOCRATIC

BERNIE SANDERS (Withdrew candidacy)

JOSEPH R. BIDEN

TULSI GABBARD (Withdrew candidacy)

ELIZABETH WARREN (Withdrew candidacy)

REPUBLICAN

DONALD J. TRUMP

ROQUE ROCKY DE LA FUENTE

BILL WELD

Attorney General

DEMOCRATIC

JOSH SHAPIRO, MONTGOMERY COUNTY

REPUBLICAN

HEATHER HEIDELBAUGH, ALLEGHENY COUNTY

Auditor General

DEMOCRATIC

SCOTT CONKLIN, CENTRE COUNTY

MICHAEL LAMB, ALLEGHENY COUNTY

TRACIE FOUNTAIN, DAUPHIN COUNTY

ROSE ROSIE MARIE DAVIS, MONROE COUNTY

NINA AHMAD, PHILADELPHIA COUNTY

CHRISTINA M. HARTMAN, LANCASTER COUNTY

REPUBLICAN

TIMOTHY DEFOOR, DAUPHIN COUNTY

State Treasurer

DEMOCRATIC

JOE TORSELLA, MONTGOMERY COUNTY

REPUBLICAN

STACY L. GARRITY, BRADFORD COUNTY

Representative in Congress, 16th District

DEMOCRATIC

KRISTY GNIBUS, ERIE COUNTY

REPUBLICAN

MIKE KELLY, BUTLER COUNTY

Representative in the General Assembly, 7th District

The following municipalities are in the 7th State House District: Cities of Farrell, Hermitage and Sharon; Townships of Lackawannock, Pymatuning, Shenango, South Pymatuning and West Salem; Boroughs of Clark, Sharpsville, West Middlesex and Wheatland; and Town of Greenville.

DEMOCRATIC

MARK LONGIETTI, HERMITAGE

Representative in the General Assembly, 8th District

The following municipalities are in the 8th State House District: Townships of Coolspring, Deer Creek, Fairview, Findley, French Creek, Jackson, Lake, Liberty, Mill Creek, New Vernon, Perry, Pine, Sandy Creek, Sandy Lake, Springfield, Wolf Creek  and Worth; and Boroughs of Fredonia, Grove City, Jackson Center, Mercer, New Lebanon, Sandy Lake, Sheakleyville and Stoneboro.

DEMOCRATIC

PHIL HEASLEY, BUTLER COUNTY

REPUBLICAN

SCOTT JAILLET, MERCER COUNTY

TIM BONNER, MERCER COUNTY

Representative in the General Assembly, 17th District

The following municipalities are in the 17th State House District: Townships of Delaware, East Lackawannock, Greene, Hempfield, Jefferson, Otter Creek, Salem, Sugar Grove and Wilmington; and Borough of Jamestown.

REPUBLICAN

PARKE WENTLING, MERCER COUNTY

Delegate to the Democratic National Convention, 16th District

Vote for not more than five

All municipalities within Mercer County

JORDAN LANDER, COMMITTED TO BERNIE SANDERS

RON DINICOLA, COMMITTED TO JOSEPH R. BIDEN

TYLER TITUS, COMMITTED TO ELIZABETH WARREN

ANGELA VALVANO, COMMITTED TO BERNIE SANDERS

REBECCA PRUVEADENTI, COMMITTED TO BERNIE SANDERS

DANE WINKLER, COMMITTED TO BERNIE SANDERS

MARGARET TAYLOR, COMMITTED TO BERNIE SANDERS

Alternate Delegate to the Democratic, National Convention, 16th District

BRYAN PIETRZAK, COMMITTED TO BERNIE SANDERS

Delegate to the Republican National Convention, 16th District

Vote for not more than three

All municipalities within Mercer County

TIM BUTLER

CAROLINE KYNE

LINDA PEZZINO

JOHN GRENCI

MARY KAYE SORIANO

THOMAS W. KING III

GALE E. MEASEL

LYNNE RYAN

Alternate Delegate to the Republican National Convention, 16th District

Vote for not more than three

All municipalities within Mercer County

JOHN GRENCI

SHEILA FITZGERALD STERRETT

ANN COLEMAN

NON-PARTISAN BALLOT

Wheatland Home Rule

The following municipality is voting on this question: Wheatland

Shall the Home Rule Charter contained in the report, dated December 4, 2019, of the Government Study Commission, prepared in accordance with the Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law, be adopted by the Borough of Wheatland?

YES

NO

Plain English Statement

A “Yes” vote means that you are voting to adopt the proposed Home Rule Charter for the Borough of Wheatland, which will change the existing form of government. A “No” vote means you favor retention of the present form of borough government.

HOW CAN I VOTE?

In-person voting is taking place at polling locations from 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. Tuesday.

While counties were required to notify voters of polling place consolidations or relocations for the June 2 election, but if you have questions, contact your county election office.

Mail-In and absentee ballots must be received by the county election office by 8 p.m. Tuesday. Some counties are offering drop-box locations ballots, but Mercer and Lawrence counties are not listed for having dropbox locations. Contact your local board of elections for additional information.

If you are a registered voter but your name is not on the roster at your polling place, you can request a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot means your vote is recorded while the county board of election verifies your eligibility to vote. Within seven days, the eligible provisional ballots are added to vote totals.

According to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania website, if you have voted at your polling location before, you do not need to bring ID to vote. Only voters who are voting for the first time in their election district need to show ID. Acceptable ID includes both photo and non-photo ID. 

If your polling location has been moved or consolidated because of the COVID-19 outbreak, you may want to have your identification with you.

Acceptable IDs for first-time voters include:

  • Driver’s license
  • U.S. passport
  • Military, student, or employee ID
  • Voter registration card
  • Firearm permit
  • Current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government check
  • Any ID issued by the commonwealth or federal government

An ID without your photo must have your address on it.

SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VOTERS, POLL WORKERS

If you will be voting in person Tuesday, please follow these steps to help ensure a safe and orderly voting experience for everyone:

  • Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth. This can be a cloth mask or scarf, like you would wear in a grocery store. 
  • The Board of elections strongly encourages voters to wear masks out of respect for their fellow voters and for the poll workers staffing the polling places. Voters who are not wearing a mask, however, will not be denied their right to vote. 
  • Bring your own blue- or black-ink pen to mark your ballot and limit your exposure to shared surfaces.
  • Practice good hand hygiene. You may want to bring hand sanitizer with you, if you have it, for your personal use.
  • Maintain social distance from poll workers and other voters. This means staying about 6 feet apart from other people while you are waiting in line, checking in and voting.
  • Follow instructions from poll workers and other election officials. They are there to help things run smoothly.
  • Be patient. This will be a new experience for everyone involved. You can help by being patient and understanding while you exercise your right to vote. 

    GUIDELINES FOR POLL PLACES

Polling locations should follow the social distancing of 6 feet between each person and disinfecting guidelines in effect during the pandemic. The Department will provide polling place protection kits to counties prior to the primary, which includes supplies such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and other cleaning sanitizers, as well as tape to mark the floor for distance markers.

Steps counties may take to protect voters:

  • Provide election officials with gloves, masks or other personal protective equipment.
  • Place sneeze guards or other physical barriers between poll workers and voters at the check-in table.
  • Designate work areas for poll workers following the 6 feet rule and encourage poll workers to follow proper hand hygiene.
  • Designate spaces for voters to stand while waiting to check-in, while waiting for an available voting station, and while waiting to scan their ballot. This can be done using signs, traffic cones, marking with tape and having instructions posted at the polling place.
  • Place hand sanitizer dispensers at the polling place entrance and exit for voters to use.

The Department of State provided guidance to counties about elections during COVID-19. The guidance clarifies the provisions of Act 12 of 2020, and provides recommendations from health experts in order to protect public health while providing access to voting.