Vote by mail in Pennsylvania. What you need to know

This is the sixth election in Pennsylvania in which voters can choose candidates from the comfort of their homes.

Since the passage of the bipartisan 2019 law, which went into effect in the 2020 spring primaries, voters can use a mail-in ballot instead of going to a polling place.

Although mail-in ballots have faced numerous legal challenges, due to problems such as undated ballots and ballot boxes, voters will be able to use them again in the November general election.

As of Wednesday, about 544,920 Pennsylvania voters had requested mail-in ballots, about 6.2% of the state’s nearly 8.8 million registered voters. Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties, which make up the 7th Congressional District, have similar percentages. Carbon has 2,056 mail requests (4.7%); Lehigh, 13,119 (5.5%); and Northampton, 14,687 (6.6%).

In the eight-county region that includes the Lehigh Valley and the surrounding area, mail-in ballots were the choice of Democratic voters over Republicans by about a 2-to-1 margin. The only exception was Schuylkill County, where about 51.4% of inquiries came from Democrats compared to 34.8% from Republicans.

Voters can request a mail-in or mail-in ballot until 5 p.m. Tuesday. Mail-in ballots must arrive at county polling stations by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 8, whether mailed or physically delivered. Personal voting will take place on November 8 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Lehigh and Northampton County have installed drop boxes where voters can drop off their ballots in person. In most cases, voters can only return their ballot. The exception is people with disabilities, who can appoint another person to request and/or return their ballot. The appointment must be made in writing on a “designated agent form” that is returned to the county elections office. The form and additional information are available on the Pennsylvania Department of State website, vote.pa.gov/readytovote/.

Boxes in Lehigh County (weekday hours only unless otherwise noted):

• Lehigh County Government Center, 17 S. Seventh St., Allentown; open 24/7, main entrance
• Whitehall Township Municipal Building, 3219 MacArthur Road; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m
• Lehigh County Administration Lobby, 1053 Spruce Road, Lower Macungie Township; 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m
• Fountain Hill District Building, 941 Long St.; 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m
• Macungie District Building, 21 Locust St.; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m

Drop boxes in Northampton County (weekdays only):

• Government Center Rotunda, 669 Washington St., Easton; 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m
• Human Services Building, 2801 Emrick Blvd., Bethlehem Township; 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m
• Northampton County 911 Center, 100 Gracedale Ave., Upper Nazareth; 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m
• Bethlehem City Hall, 10 E. Church St.; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m

In Carbon County, voters must either mail their ballots or return them in person to the Registrar of Voters office at 44 Susquehanna St., First Floor, Jim Thorpe. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Voters can also mail their ballots through the US Postal Service. Election officials are urging voters who choose to mail in their ballots to do so as soon as possible. In the event of a breakdown that could slow down delivery, there may still be time for it to arrive by the deadline or to make alternative arrangements for the vote.

Be sure to follow all instructions, sign and date your ballot and place it in your secret ballot. “Bare” ballots or ballots not enclosed in a secrecy envelope will not be counted.

This decision was made by the Supreme Court of the state on Friday precincts could contact voters to correct errors on mail-in ballotsbut not all districts do so.

The court also reviews ballot envelopes that arrive without dates or with the wrong date sparked a 2021 Lehigh County judicial race that wasn’t decided until this year. The court agreed to an expedited hearing on the envelope issue, but has not yet made a decision.

The first call

Every day

Top local stories delivered weekday mornings

Contact your election office. In Lehigh County, call 610-782-3194; Northampton County, call 610-829-6260. More advice can be found on the Northampton County website: northamptoncounty.org; search by voter lists.

Northampton County officials said the elections office will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Monday and will be open from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. The office is located on the lower level of the Government Center at 669 Washington St., Easton.

State Department Voter Hotline: 877-868-3772; you can also go to vote.pa.gov or follow #ReadytoVotePA on social media.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Morning Call reporter Anthony Solomone can be reached at asalamone@mcall.com.