Voting Q&A
We’ve been hearing a lot of questions about how to vote in the November 3 election. The Swarthmorean has assembled some information that we hope will help you choose your voting method (in-person, by mail, using a drop box, or at a new Voter Service Center), and then vote efficiently.
Q: For the primary election in June, many polling places were consolidated. Is that happening again this November?
A: Probably not. All local precincts are expected to vote in their traditional places. However, Barbara Amstutz of the League of Women Voters - Central Delaware County warns that some polling-place information is still being updated. Voters will receive postcards confirming their polling place before November 3. (Direct questions to Christina Iacono at christinainpa@gmail.com.)
In Swarthmore, polling places will be the traditional ones: Swarthmore-Rutledge School (Northern precinct), CADES on Rutgers Avenue (Western), and Borough Hall (Eastern).
Q: If I don’t know where my polling place is, and I don’t want to wait for that postcard, what can I do?
A: Check the Pennsylvania Voter Services website. (If the status says “temporary,” please check back.)
Q: If I vote by mail, and my ballot arrives at the election center in time, will my vote definitely be counted?
A: Yes, according to Pennsylvania law.
Q: When will it be counted?
A: Counting of mail-in ballots begins on election day. Colleen Guiney, chair of the Delaware County Democrats, expects results to be available more quickly than they were during the June primary election. “The county has purchased additional equipment and hired additional seasonal workers to facilitate the quickest possible secure results,” she says.
Jim Moskowitz, Judge of Elections for Swarthmore’s Eastern precinct, adds, “There are currently efforts underway to permit early counting.” He says Governor Tom Wolfe has asked the legislature to allow mail-in vote counting to start earlier, since so many people are expected to vote by mail this election.
Q: If I voted by mail in June, do I have to vote by mail again in November?
A: No.
Q: If I checked the box last time saying I wanted to continue getting mail-in ballots, but now I’ve changed my mind, what can I do?
A: You can fill out this form to request to cancel your permanent absentee or mail-in status. Then, you can bring or mail the form to the Elections Bureau at the Delaware County Government Center Building at 201 W Front St., Media PA 19063.
Questions? Call (610) 891-4659 or email DelcoElection@co.delaware.pa.us
Q: What if I got my mail-in ballot already, but I still prefer to vote in person. Can I do that?
A: Yes. You can still vote at your polling place. You must bring your mail-in ballot and everything that came with it — the return envelope and the blank “security envelope” — to your polling place with you. A poll worker will help you void them. Then you may vote in person.
If you don’t bring everything with you (maybe your mail-in ballot never arrived), but you want to vote in person, you can cast a provisional ballot. After the county board of elections confirms that you did not in fact vote by mail, your vote will be counted.
Q: If I can’t remember if I checked that box or not, and am wondering if a mail-in ballot will just arrive for me, how do I find out?
A: To find out if you applied for a November mail ballot, you can check online at swat.ink/application-status. The site will ask for your application number.
Q: I’ve never voted by mail before, but I want to. How do I apply for a ballot?
A: The Pennsylvania Department of State provides detailed instructions on how to vote by mail at swat.ink/vote-by-mail. “Do this as soon as possible,” Amstutz urges.
Q: I heard there are ballot boxes where I can drop off my mail-in ballot. If I do that, will my vote be counted earlier or later than if I use the postal service?
A: Guiney says, “The county has not announced any plan to treat drop box vs. USPS ballots any differently.”
Moskowitz provides more detail about the boxes: “There will be around 40 of these drop boxes installed around the county in the first week of October. They will be emptied each day. On election day itself this will be done at 8 p.m. — closing time.” He says both mail-in and drop-box ballots will be counted in a new, large counting facility in Chester.
Q: Where can I find such a drop box?
A: There will be one drop box at the Media Courthouse, and others in many municipalities in Delaware County. There will be one in Swarthmore, probably just outside Borough Hall. More information about drop boxes (and other matters) will be available soon at swat.ink/Delco-elections.
Q: Do I have to use a drop box in the municipality where I vote?
A: No. Delaware County voters can use any official drop box in the county.
Q: How secure are the drop boxes?
A: “These boxes are as secure as USPS boxes,” Guiney says. Moskowitz notes that the county will provide 24-hour video surveillance for them.
Q: Do they get emptied periodically, or only once?
A: Drop boxes will be emptied daily by county employees.
Q: What precautions are being taken at polling places to keep me – and election workers – safe?
A: “All polling locations have been evaluated to allow for social distancing,” Guiney says. Poll workers will be provided with PPE, and plans are in place for plastic barriers between poll workers and voters. There will also be plenty of hand sanitizer available. Sanitized pens will be provided to voters to complete the paper ballot.
“Please don’t think a line out the door means a long wait!” Moskowitz adds. “It may just be the 6-foot separation between people.”
Q: How can I volunteer for poll work?
A: Volunteers can contact their party chair or the Judge of Elections for their precinct. In Swarthmore, the Democratic chair is Colleen Guiney (swatchair@gmail.com) and the Republican chair is Lisa O’Brien (lisaob@comcast.net).
You can also volunteer through the Delaware County Elections Bureau at or the Pennsylvania Department of State.
Moskowitz notes, “The county would also like to find more people to be observers during the mail-in count, especially since they hope to count the mailed ballots nonstop for however many hours (days?) it takes.” Contact the county elections bureau at 610-891-4673; be prepared to hold.
Q: I’ve been hearing about Voter Service Centers. What are they?
A: Voter Service Centers offer voter registration (through the registration deadline of October 1) and also early in-person voting. Starting October 1, a Voter Service Center at the Media Courthouse will be open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
(Note: completed mail-in ballots can be deposited in any secure drop box or at a Voter Service Center.)
Q: If I vote at a Voter Service Center, when will my vote be counted?
A: These ballots will be counted together with vote-by-mail ballots, starting on election day.
Q: If I vote in person, what will the process be like?
A: Delaware County has switched to a paper voting system. Ballots will be scanned at each polling place. These scanners were not used for the primary election in June, so the process will be unfamiliar for voters and poll workers alike. “Please be patient with the election officials as they get used to the new equipment,” says Al Federico, minority inspector of Swarthmore’s Northern precinct. “Also, note that this system does not provide voters with individual receipts. The ballots will be kept by the county for use in recounts, if needed.”
After you’ve marked your ballot, you’ll bring it over to a ballot scanner and feed it into the slot. The scanner will either display a “Vote Accepted” message, or will push the paper back out and display a message indicating undervote, overvote, or blank ballot. If the ballot is pushed out, the voter will have the choice of changing the ballot or resubmitting as is. In the case of an overvote, the voter may request a fresh ballot.
Q: Anything else voters need to know?
A: There is no longer straight-party-ticket voting for a full slate. Guiney says, “Please remember to complete the full ballot, from president to statewide races to state senate and house races, for your voice to be heard on all levels of government!”
