With the Nov. 3 election fast approaching, voters are urged to hand-deliver mail ballots to ensure they are counted, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Secetary of State Kathy Boockvar said during a media briefing Thursday.
They spoke the day after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a statement leaving the door open for a potential post-election ruling discounting mail ballots that are received between 8 p.m. on Nov. 3 and 5 p.m. Nov. 6. The state has instructed counties to segregate these ballots in case.
Boockvar said changing court decisions are causing confusion and discouraged voters from basing plans on litigation outcome predictions.
“Don’t wait,” Boockvar said.
The drop off options for Luzerne County voters:
• A box inside the county’s Penn Place Building lobby at 20 N. Pennsylvania Ave. in Wilkes-Barre, which will be open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday, Monday and Election Day and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31.
• The counter at the Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre post offices, where the ballots will be segregated and picked up by county sheriff deputies daily. The Wilkes-Barre post office is at 300 S. Main St., while the Hazleton one is at 231 N. Wyoming St.
The county has issued 71,509 Nov. 3 general election mail ballots to voters who requested them before this week’s deadline. As of Thursday evening, 48,214 completed ballots had been returned, said county Election Director Shelby Watchilla.
Voters who received but did not return mail ballots can vote on the electronic ballot marking devices at the polls on Election Day if they bring in their never-returned, mail-in ballot, secrecy envelope and outer mailing envelope to be voided.
Those who don’t have those three items or requested but never received a ballot have the option to cast a hand-marked paper provisional ballot at the polls, officials said. Provisional ballots are marked by hand and reviewed last so the county can verify a mail ballot was not also received from that voter.
The state officials also stressed voter intimidation and discriminatory conduct are illegal under both state and federal law. Suspected violations should be reported immediately to the county election bureau or district attorney, the state said. Reports also can be made to the Pennsylvania Department of State at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772).
Wolf said more than 9 million voters are registered — an all-time record.
In total, 3.06 million mail ballots have been issued to voters who requested them statewide. Approximately 2.1 million had returned their ballots as of Thursday morning, he said.
Voters heading to the polls will use new paper-trail systems, he said.
Waits at the polls should be reduced due to the number of mail ballots, he said.
“We can expect a historic number of votes to be cast,” Wolf said.
Wolf said he set up a multi-agency state network in 2018 that includes law enforcement to monitor and respond to election-related concerns, and this group is working with federal agencies.
He urged patience in waiting for results due to the processing of mail ballots, saying the winners in close statewide races may not be known for days.
“Take a deep breath and stay calm,” he said. “We will have a fair election.”
After the polls close on election night, Boockvar said the state will regularly update reports on both the number of votes counted and those still awaiting tabulation.