Pennsylvania does not count votes early, Amy Christopher, director of the Wayne County Bureau of Elections, stressed at the Aug. 22 commissioners' meeting.
She reported that her office is getting many calls from people thinking they can vote early and have their votes counted ahead of Election Day.
What is still allowed is mail-in and absentee ballots, she said, but unlike early voting practiced in some states, these ballots are not counted until election night, like ballots cast that day in person.
As of Aug. 22, the number of registered voters in Wayne County stood at 35,990, and Christopher said they have processed 4,784 ballot applications to date. "We anticipate we will start mailing out ballots probably the last week in September… the beginning of October."
She said that when mail-in or absentee ballots arrive at the elections office, they are not allowed to be opened until Election Day. "So, they don't count until Election Day," Christopher said. "There's some confusion out there about that you can vote early in PA. There's a big media campaign out there saying Sept. 16 is Vote Early Day in Pennsylvania. Well, we're not going to have ballots on Sept. 16, I know that."
A U.S. News & World Report article states that in Pennsylvania, "voters can cast their ballots as early as Sept. 16," adding later that "Voters can pick up their ballots at county election offices and have the option of filling them out there, mailing them in or dropping them off later."
Sept. 16, rather, is the first day on which county boards of elections must have started processing official applications for mail-in and absentee ballots, she said, but may start earlier as Wayne County has done.
Commissioner Jocelyn Cramer said that this confusion over early voting came up four years ago during the last presidential election season. "What confused the public is anytime you want to vote by mail you have to submit applications to do so..."
Christopher said it takes 10 to 15 minutes if one comes in person to have the application for a mail-in or absentee ballot verified. For a voter to be handed the ballot, proof of identification must be shown. The voter can then sit in the hall outside the office and cast their votes and then hand the ballot back, or take it home and mail it back in.
Completed mail-in and absentee ballots also may be dropped off in the secure box that will be set up in the lobby of the courthouse or brought right up to the elections office. The voter is only allowed to bring their own ballot, unless the voter completes a "designated person" form to handle it for them, Christopher said.
Former Elections Director Cindy Furman has been assisting part-time in the Bureau of Elections during this election season.
The last day to register is Oct. 21. The last day to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 29, one week before the election.
The Wayne County Bureau of Elections may be contacted at 570-253-5978, or visit waynecountypa.gov/197/Bureau-Of-Elections .
Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Thousands have requested mail-in, absentee ballots in Wayne County. How the process works
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