Released: October 9, 2023
What voters need to know with less than one month until Election Day
Delaware County Elections continues preparations for the Nov. 7, 2023 Municipal Election. Final polling site assignments, ballot preparations, and equipment testing are proceeding, and staff and volunteer training activities are well under way in anticipation of increased voter requests for services and information during the final weeks before Election Day.
On Fri., Oct. 6, more than 37,500 requested mail/absentee ballots were delivered to the U.S. Postal Service in Philadelphia. Vote-by-mail ballots should begin arriving at homes by Oct. 11. Any Delaware County voter who applied by Sept. 26 and who does not receive a mail/absentee ballot by Oct. 11 should call (610) 891-VOTE (8683) for help.
With Delaware County voters expected to receive these ballots soon, the County has opened the ballot drop box in the lobby of the Government Center Budling in Media, located 201 W. Front St. (easily accessible form the Orange Street entrance), and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
By Mon., Oct. 23, the County will open another three-dozen ballot drop boxes in communities across Delaware County to serve voters for the final two weeks prior to the Nov. 7, 2023 Municipal Election. Information about Delaware County ballot drop boxes, including locations, hours of operation, and guidance on proper returns, can be found online at delcopa.gov/dropbox.
Voters also have the option of returning their vote-by-mail ballots through the U.S postal service. Ballot return envelopes in Delaware County are postage paid. All vote-by-mail ballots must be received by the Delaware County Bureau of Elections by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Postmarks cannot be taken into consideration.
Delaware County Elections also will be expanding the hours of the Voter Service Center, located on the first floor of the Government Center Building. Effective Wed., Oct. 11, the Voter Service Center will extend its hours of operation to include Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. The expanded hours through Election Day are:
Mon/Tue/Thurs/Fri: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Wednesdays: 8:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Among the many services available to voters at the Voter Service Center, including voter registration applications and updates, voters may apply for mail/absentee ballots, receive materials in-person, and have the option to mark and submit their ballot — all during the same visit.
Delaware County election officials remind voters to carefully review and follow instructions, including with their vote-by-mail ballot materials, on how to properly complete mail-in and absentee ballots to ensure that they are counted and not set aside:
Once the voter marks the ballot, it should be inserted in the white envelope marked OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOT, which is called the privacy envelope
Then the sealed privacy envelope should be inserted in the ballot return envelope, which the voter must seal, sign and date on the back of the envelope under the Voter’s Declaration
Whether the voter uses a County drop box or the US mail, the envelope must be received by Delaware County Elections by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.
By law, Pennsylvania voters may return only their own ballots. You may not return someone else’s voted ballot, even if it is for a spouse or a family member.
Additionally, voters are reminded of the following important deadlines:
The last day to register to vote for the first time – or to file a name/address change – is Oct. 23.
The last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot is Oct. 31.
Voted ballots must be deposited in a county ballot drop box by 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 7; or, if mailed, received by the Bureau of Elections by 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 7.
For more information on voting in Delaware County, go to delcopa.gov/vote, or call the Voter Hotline at (610) 891-VOTE (8683). Sample ballots are available now at the Delco Votes! web site at delcopa.gov/sample. If you are not sure of your status, check your registration at delcopa.gov/regstatus.