Released: October 27, 2023
Delaware County voters have until 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31, to apply for a mail/absentee ballot for the upcoming Tuesday, November 7 Municipal Election. As a reminder, mail/absentee ballots are sent only to those voters who complete an application (signed with a valid form of ID) after January 1, 2023. Voters who voted by mail in previous years do not receive mail/absentee ballots automatically.
For voters who prefer to cast a mail/absentee ballot but have not yet applied, applications are available for download from the Delco Votes! website at delcopa.gov/ballot-request and can also be obtained in-person at the Delaware County Voter Service Center. The Voter Service Center, located on the ground floor of the Government Center Building (just inside the Orange Street entrance) at 201 W. Front St., in Media, is open Saturday, October 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon, and on Monday, October 30, and Tuesday, October 31, from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Valid ID is required to apply for a mail/absentee ballot, whether applying online, by mail or in person.
Voters who are unsure if they are registered to vote with a mail/absentee ballot, or registered but have yet to receive their ballot in the mail, can check their status at delcopa.gov/ballotstatus. Voters can also contact the Election Hotline at (610) 891-VOTE with questions, or to discuss how to proceed if the voter’s ballot is damaged, missing, or marked improperly.
As a reminder. registered voters from all political parties (Democratic, Republican, Independent, Unaffiliated, other third parties) are eligible to vote at the Nov. 7, 2023 Municipal Election.
Delaware County voters can view sample ballots and the official candidate lists are available at the Delco Votes! website at delcopa.gov/sample. To view, voters enter their municipality, ward and precinct to see the lists unique to each address. Sample ballots presented online are NOT official ballots and cannot be submitted in person or by mail.
Voters not sure of their ward and precinct can find their location by entering their address information through the PA Voter Services’ “Find Your Polling Place” lookup tool.
Completed mail/absentee ballots can be returned at any of the County’s three dozen ballot drop boxes* through 8:00 p.m. on Election Day on Tuesday, November 7. For an up-to-date list of ballot drop box locations and hours of operation, visit the Delco Votes! website at delcopa.gov/dropbox.
Ballots returned through the U.S. Postal Service must be received by the Delaware County Elections Department no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, regardless of postmark. Postage is not required.
Voters who are casting a mail/absentee ballot must mark their ballots in blue or black ink. Once the ballot has been completed, voters should place the ballot into the smaller of the two envelopes (marked Official Ballot Envelope), seal that envelope, and then place that into the larger pre-paid return envelope. Voters must then complete the voter declaration section on the exterior of the return envelope, being sure to include their signature, printed name, address, and the date. Incomplete or inaccurate voter information may disqualify the ballot.
The Delaware County Bureau of Elections is responsible for reviewing all mail/absentee ballot envelopes that are returned before they may be opened, and the ballots can be counted. Mail/absentee envelopes with legal flaws are then segregated, and the Bureau attempts to contact voters to give the voter a chance to obtain a new ballot at the Voter Service Center or request a replacement mailed ballot, if time permits, or to cast a provisional ballot on election day.
Any mail/absentee ballot envelope with a legal flaw is disqualified. These flaws include unsigned, undated, improperly dated, unsealed, or not placed in the “secrecy envelope,” which then must be –placed in the “Ballot Return Envelope.” By law, the Delaware County Bureau of Elections is prevented from processing the ballots from flawed envelopes.
Voters who receive notice that the ballot envelope has a flaw must correct the ballot in-person at the Voter Service Center, located on the 1st floor of the Government Center Building, at 201 W. Front St., in Media, PA. If time permits, the voter may ask for a replacement ballot to be mailed. The last option is for the voter to cast a provisional ballot in the voter’s precinct polling place on Election Day.
Voters who included an email address on their applications should check their inbox (or spam box) for notification.
* The Chadds Ford ballot drop box closes at 4:00 p.m. on Election Night.