Released: May 6, 2023
The Delaware County Bureau of Elections is responsible for reviewing all vote-by-mail ballot envelopes that are returned in Delaware County before they can be counted. Vote-by-mail ballots that are reviewed and determined to be flawed 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.
Any vote-by-mail ballot — whether mail-in or absentee — with a legal flaw is disqualified. Flawed ballots are those that are damaged, unsigned, undated, improperly dated, unsealed, or not placed in the “secrecy envelope” before being placed in the larger “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 is flawed 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 can ask for a replacement ballot to be mailed. Voters will have the opportunity to receive a replacement ballot and complete and return their ballot during the same visit. Voter's valid ID is required.
Delaware County voters have until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9, to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot for the upcoming May 16, 2023 Primary Election. Delaware County Elections is issuing the following guidance for voters who plan to vote with a vote-by-mail ballot (either a no-excuse mail-in ballot or a traditional absentee ballot) during this election.
Voters who included an email address on their application should check their inbox or spam box for such notification.
Delaware County voters who still want to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot have two options. They can apply online at delcopa.gov/vbm-app by Tuesday, May 9 at 11:59 p.m. (a valid PennDOT driver’s license or state ID number is required), or they can apply in-person at the Voter Service Center, by Tuesday, May 9 (valid ID is required). By law, the Voter Service Center will be open through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9.
Information about final in-person polling places for the May 16, 2023 Primary Election will be published during the week of May 8, 2023. The vast majority of polling places are unchanged since the 2022 General Election.
For more information, voters are reminded that the Delaware County’s election website — Delco Votes! — provides election news, sample ballots, ballot drop box locations, in-person polling location information, access to downloadable and online forms, livestreams and recordings of Board of Elections meetings, and more at delcopa.gov/vote.