STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO VOTING BY MAIL IN EASTTOWN
Any qualified voter in Easttown Township can request a “no-excuse” mail-in ballot. Voting by mail is a safe, secure, and flexible way to ensure that your voice is counted and your voice is heard in this crucial election. If you will be unable, or prefer not to vote in person at the voting booth, you may easily vote with a no-excuse required Mail-In Ballot. Voters who are often traveling, have medical conditions, or find that getting to the voting booth on Election Day is difficult due to child care or work conflicts, should consider signing up for the convenience of mail-in balloting.
In 2020, 2021 and 2022, thousands of Easttown Democratic voters easily voted by mail during the Spring Primary and November General Election without any problems. We are recommending that ALL EASTTOWN DEMOCRATS vote by mail in 2023 since it’s so easy.
CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION STATUS – All registered voters in Pennsylvania may apply to vote by mail. To make sure you’re registered, visit the official PA website and confirm that you are registered.
APPLY FOR YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT – Visit VotesPa.com/ApplyMailBallot to fill out an application. Mail-In Ballots must be requested by 5PM on the Tuesday before an election. Due to possible processing and mail delays, you should request mail-in ballots as soon as possible.
FILL OUT YOUR BALLOT – Use a black or blue pen to make your voting selections. Fill in the oval next the candidate completely or your vote may not count. DO NOT USE AN X OR CIRCLE THE CANDIDATE’S NAME TO MARK YOUR SELECTION. Avoid making any stray marks on your ballot. See Easttown Township Sample Ballot.
USE BOTH OF THE OFFICIAL SUPPLIED ENVELOPES OR YOUR VOTE WON’T COUNT – Be sure to enclose and seal your ballot in the smaller supplied official ballot secrecy envelope AND then be sure to sign the larger supplied official outer mailing return envelope in the specified signature location OR ELSE YOUR BALLOT WILL BE REJECTED AND NOT COUNTED. We urge you to complete your mail-in ballot as soon as you receive it. Watch 30 second video about returning your ballot properly.
RETURN YOUR BALLOT TO A DROPBOX OR BY MAIL – Voters in Easttown Township have two options: beginning on May 2nd, they can drop off a mail-in ballot at the secure drop box at the Easttown Library, located at 720 First Ave, Berwyn, M-F 9AM-6PM, Sat/Sun 10AM-2PM, and Tuesday, Election Day 9AM-8PM, or by regular USPS mail. If using the drop box, you may only drop off your own BALLOT. You cannot collect, drop off, or deliver ballots for anyone else including your own family members. You may not drop off your spouse’s or children’s ballots. Other drop locations in Chester County. If you will be mailing your ballot by USPS, be sure to mail it by May 2nd to avoid any possible postal delays. All mail in ballots must be postmarked and received by Voter Services no later than 8PM, May 16, 2023.
CHECK YOUR BALLOT STATUS – Check PA Voter Services to track your mail-in application and ballot. Under the “Status” column, there are four different statuses that can appear:
No Record: This means that you haven’t applied yet or that your ballot has yet to be processed. It may take up to 10-14 business days from the time you submit your application for processing. If you provided your email address on the application, you will receive an email indicating that your application was processed.
Pending: This means that your application was received and approved, but that your ballot has not been mailed yet.
Processed: This means that your application was received and approved, and your ballot has been mailed.
Vote Recorded: This means your ballot was received by Voter Services and your vote has been recorded.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. I voted in the primary via mail and I want to vote in the general election in person. Can I do this?
A. Yes, if you did NOT sign-up as a permanent mail voter in the primary. Then you would need to vote in person unless you request another mail-in ballot.
Q. I did sign-up as a permanent mail-in voter in the primary. I intend to do so but what if I am uncertain near the date of the election? Can I vote in person instead?
A. Yes! As a matter of fact, you can bring your mail in ballot with you to the polling place. They will destroy that ballot and allow you to vote in person. This is NOT a provisional vote. Your vote would be provisional if you show up to vote in person without your mail in ballot AND you are listed as a mail in voter. You will be allowed to vote but your vote would be checked to ensure that you did not vote twice.
Q. Will my mail in vote count if it is postmarked on November 8th but received later?
A. NO, NO, NO! All ballots must be received by 8 PM on May 16, 2023. Period. End of story. No exceptions. No matter how many times people are told, there will always be some who mail in their ballot on May 16th and then will be outraged that their vote will NOT count.
Q. When will we start receiving ballots by mail?
A. Many voters who already signed up for vote by mail started receiving their ballots during the week of October 10th. We recommend filling out your ballot and returning it the DAY YOU RECEIVE IT. Don’t delay. The sooner it gets back to Chester County Voter Services the better. You can track the status of your ballot by clicking here.
Q. Are there any convenient and secure drop box locations where I can drop my ballot off in Easttown Township?
A. Yes! If you don’t want to mail you ballot using the US Postal Service, you can drop off a mail-in ballot at a secure drop box at the Easttown Library, located at 720 First Ave in Berwyn. Beginning on May 2nd, you may drop your own ballot only at the Library M-F 9AM-6PM, Sat/Sun 10AM-2PM. You cannot collect, drop off, or deliver ballots for other people. Be sure to enclose your ballot in the official secrecy envelope and the official mailing envelope. Other Chester County drop locations.
Q. If I receive a mail-in ballot but decide I would rather vote in person, may I?
A. Yes, you may change your mind and vote in person. However, you’ll need to bring everything you received with your mail-in ballot to your voting location which includes the entire contents of the mail-in ballot envelope. Be sure to bring the outer envelope, the secrecy envelope, and the return envelope. If you are missing anything, then you will have to fill out a provisional ballot at the voting booth.
Q. If I vote by absentee ballot, can I change my mind and then vote in-person at the voting booth on Election Day?
A. No. After election officials have received your absentee or mail-in ballot, you’re not allowed to vote in person. (The law distinguishes between “absentee” and “mail-in” ballots, but they are functionally the same thing, and we’ll use the two terms interchangeably here.)
Q. What if I requested an absentee ballot but didn’t vote?
A. You can still show up at the polls, but you will have to vote using a “provisional ballot” instead of a normal ballot. Because voters have until 8PM on Election Day to turn in their mail-in ballots in to county elections officials, poll workers will let you vote, but your provisional ballot will be set aside and only counted if officials later determine that you didn’t in fact vote by mail.
Q. Can poll workers void my absentee ballot at my request on Election Day?
A. In the past, absentee voters who showed up at the polls were allowed to vote in person, and election workers would simply void their mail-in ballots. Now, that is not permitted or possible because the voter’s mailed absentee ballot will be at the county election office and not at the voter’s polling place.
Q. Should I apply for a mail-in ballot or absentee ballot?
A.Everyone is eligible for a “mail-in ballot” with NO justification required so if you would prefer to vote by mail, request a “Mail-In” ballot.
Q. Is voting by mail secure?
A. Yes. Ignore the many widely circulated concerns or wild claims made by Trump surrounding mail-in voting fraud which are not grounded in fact. In Pennsylvania, ballot scanners verify that the ballot is printed on special ballot stock, ballot envelopes have a unique barcode that allows election officials to detect counterfeit ballots, and your signature on the envelope has to match your signature in the state voter database. A bigger threat to the safety of casting your ballot by mail is that delays involving the US Postal Service could prevent receiving or returning a ballot in time. This is why we strongly recommend requesting your ballots as soon as possible and be sure to quickly return them.
Q. Will the counting of mail-in ballots cause a delay in the final election results?
A. With changes to the election rules, it’s not clear when results will be finalized and available to the public. County elections staff cannot start counting the absentee and mail-in ballots until after the polls close at 8 p.m. on election day. They have up to three days to do so. No one knows at this point how many voters will choose using mail-in ballots.
Q. What if my mail-in ballot never arrives, gets damaged at home, or I lose it?
A. Good news! If you have applied for a mail-in ballot and the ballot is missing or damaged, you can go to a Voter Services office any time between now and the end of Election Day to get that ballot re-issued. The nearest Voter Services centers are at either the Voter Services office at 601 Westtown Rd, West Chester, or the satellite office at the Hankin Library, 215 Windgate Drive, Chester Springs.
Q. Who can I contact if I have questions?
A. You may visit, call, mail or email: Chester County Government Voter Services, 601 Westtown Road, Suite 150, PO Box 2747, West Chester, PA 19380-0990.
Call 610-344-6410 or email to ccelectionofficials@chesco.org
Q. Why are some mail-in ballots not counted?
A. The two major reasons for a ballot not being counted are due to a voter forgetting to sign the ballot properly and/or forgetting to enclose their ballot in the specially supplied Secrecy Envelope. After you mark your ballot, be sure to place your ballot in the supplied Secrecy Envelope and then put the Secrecy Envelope into the official Mailing Envelope. Be sure to sign the Mailing Envelope declaration as shown in the image on the left, or your ballot may not count.
Check out the Philadelphia Inquirer 2020 Mail-In Voting Guide for answers to additional questions.
EIGHT REASONS WHY EASTTOWN VOTERS LOVE VOTE BY MAIL
Have you considered Vote By Mail (VBM)? It’s the same as an Absentee Ballot, but you don’t have to be absent from Easttown Township to vote! It comes to your home before the election.
Some people say, “I don’t feel like I’ve voted unless I go to the poll,” and “I don’t mind waiting in line and I enjoy getting out to vote.” If that’s you, please consider this:
1. During a pandemic such as COVID-19, VBM is the surest and safest way to vote.
2. VBM eliminates the percentage of people who intend to, but never get to the polls due to a bad day at work, illness, staying late at work, having to go out of town at the last minute, a death in the family, or other tragic event including drama at home.
3. You don’t ever have to wait in a long line! During some elections, particularly in presidential year elections, the lines can be long.
4. You won’t be contributing to the line that might turn others away! While you may be willing to wait in line for an extended time to vote, others are not! Shorter lines increase the percentage of votes.
5. Vote in the comfort of your home at the time of your choosing. This is a deliberative, civilized process and the way human beings ought to vote. Whether in your underwear, with a glass of wine, over dinner, or 2AM in the morning, you can vote when it’s convenient for you. Imagine this scenario:
“You get your ballot in the mail several weeks before the election. One night the following week, after dinner, you and your family gather around the dining room table. On one side, you have your ballots. On the other, you have candidate’s information, mailing, voter guides and articles from your favorite publications.
You go through the ballot vote by vote and let everyone at the table ask questions. You take your time discussing the opposing arguments, allowing the kids to ask questions, checking the candidate’s websites. When you’re done, you put your ballot in the special provided envelope and drop it in the mailbox. That’s it.
You get to do this at your leisure, not during proscribed hours. You’re not subject to the vagaries of weather or traffic and don’t have to show any ID or wait in any lines. You have plenty of time to research and mull over each vote.”
7. You’ll probably have fewer phone calls and door knocks from campaigns. Once your ballot has been returned to the Chester County Board of Elections, your name and phone number should disappear from candidates call and walk lists. You’ll like receiving fewer calls and it also benefits the campaigns as they’ll have fewer people to follow up with as they get closer to Election Day.
8. Enrollment in VBM doesn’t mean you forfeit going to the polls if you change your mind. Simply bring your VBM ballot to your precinct where they will officially void it allowing you to vote there. This is often misunderstood, but so long as you have the blank absentee ballot to hand in, you should have no problem voting! If you lost or misplace the ballot, you may be asked to sign an affidavit stating so.
So what are you waiting for? Click here to request your mail-in ballot today
P.S. When you fill out your application to vote by mail for a Spring primary, you can also sign up to automatically receive your ballot for the November general election by mail.