MERCER, Pa. - With a deluge of mail-in ballots being requested by Pennsylvanians this upcoming election, the Mercer County Board of Elections is answering some commonly asked questions so voters can be sure their ballot is counted.

As of Wednesday, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said that 2.66 million mail ballot applications have been approved by counties. Ninety-seven percent of those ballots have been mailed out, or are about to be mailed out, to voters, according to Boockvar.

Answers to frequently asked questions prepared by the Mercer County Board of Elections:

Who can return a voter’s absentee/mail-in ballot?

A voter must return their own completed absentee or mail-in ballot. Unless you are a person with a disability, a third-party cannot deliver your ballot for you, and any ballots delivered by someone other than the voter are required to be set aside and cannot be counted. Individuals with a disability can complete the “AUTHORIZE A DESIGNATED AGENT” form and their agent can return your ballot. This form can be found at https://www.votespa.com/Voting-in-PA/Pages/Mail-and-Absentee-Ballot.aspx

Where and when can absentee/mail-in ballots be returned?

Ballots can be returned to the Mercer County Board of Elections, located in the Mercer County Courthouse. The entrance is located on South Diamond Street, Mercer, PA 16137. Our office hours are:

  • Monday through Friday: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
  • Election Day, November 3: 8:30 am – 8:00 pm

Can I vote absentee/by-mail in the Elections Office before Election Day?

Any registered voter can come to the Mercer County Courthouse and cast a mail-in ballot in person in our office during our office hours. Even if you requested a mail-in or absentee ballot, we can cancel your mail-in/absentee ballot and allow you to vote in person. The deadline to request an absentee/by mail ballot is October 27th, so a person who is not listed as an absentee/mail-in voter cannot vote in person after October 27th.

Can I vote in person on Election Day if I received an absentee/mail-in ballot and bring the ballot and envelopes with me to the polling place?

If a voter has not voted their absentee/mail-in ballot, they can take the original absentee/mail-in ballot and its outer envelope (the envelope with the “Voter declaration”) to their polling place on Election Day and surrender it to the Judge of Elections. The Judge will write “Spoiled” on the ballot and have the voter sign an affirmation stating that they have surrendered their ballot and would like to vote in person. The voter can then be checked in using the poll book and vote a regular ballot.

Can I vote in person on Election Day if I received an absentee/mail-in ballot but do not bring it with me to the polling location?

If a voter is shown in the district poll book as having requested an absentee/mail-in ballot but does not surrender their ballot to the Judge of Elections, the voter can vote a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots are counted after we have counted all election day and absentee/mail-in ballots, so we can ensure that no voter casts two ballots. If we receive both an absentee/mail-in ballot and a provisional ballot, the absentee/mail-in ballot would be counted, and the provisional ballot would not be counted.

Do I have to put my ballot inside the envelope that says, Office Election Ballot, and then put that inside the return envelope?

Yes, mail-in/absentee voters must place their ballot in the Official Election Ballot envelope and then place that ballot into the ballot return envelope. They should double-check that they signed the declaration on the return envelope. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that any ballot that is not returned in the Official Election Ballot secrecy envelope must be set aside and cannot be counted.