About Mail/Absentee Ballots
Delaware County registered voters may vote with a mail/absentee ballot. Voters must apply with valid ID. Mail/absentee ballots may be returned by standard mail, at any of the more than three dozen Delaware County Ballot Drop Boxes, or at the Government Center in Media, PA.
Act 77, a bipartisan law signed in 2019, created the option of ‘no excuse’ mail balloting. Mail ballots and absentee ballots function in the same way, except that applications for absentee ballots require the voter to list a reason.
Important Mail/Absentee Dates
Mail/absentee Ballot Request Deadline: Applications for mail-in ballots and absentee ballots must be received by Delaware County Bureau of Elections no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 7 days before Election Day.
Ballot Returns: Completed Mail/absentee ballots must be received by the Bureau of Elections no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Applying for your Mail/Absentee Ballot
Applying for a Mail/Absentee Ballot Online
Registered voters may use the Pennsylvania Ballot Request Application to apply online.
Apply for a Mail/Absentee Ballot with a Paper Application
You May Apply for a Mail/Absentee Ballot with a Paper Application
Application for Mail-in Ballot (English)
下載 繁體中文版郵寄選票紙質申請表
(Application for Mail Ballot-Chinese)
Application for Absentee Ballot (English)
下載 繁體中文版缺席紙質申請表
(Application for Absentee Ballot-Chinese)
Mail your mail-in ballot application or absentee ballot application to the Bureau of Elections:
Delaware County Bureau of Elections
2501 Seaport Dr. Suite BH120
Chester, PA 19013
Our Media Voter Service Center
We are now fulfilling in-person ballot requests:
Hours the month before and on Election Day:
Mon – Fri: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Wed open until 7pm
Sat 9:00 am - Noon 12:00 pm
Election Day only – 7 am – 8 pm
Govt. Center Building
201 W. Front Street (Enter from Orange Street courtyard)
Media, PA 19063-2728
[Google Map]
Canceling Your Mail/Absentee Ballot and Permanent Status
If you wish to no longer receive a mail/absentee ballot for the upcoming election you can submit this form to cancel the request and instead vote in-person on Election Day.
Delaware County voters may return the form to:
Delaware County Bureau of Elections
2501 Seaport Drive
Suite BH120
Chester, PA 19013-2267
Request to Cancel Mail/Absentee Ballot Form
RECEIVING AND COMPLETING YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT OR ABSENTEE BALLOT
All mail/absentee ballot applications are processed by the Delaware County Bureau of Elections. Processing time varies. Check the status of your vote-by-mail ballot application using the Election Ballot Status Check tool. Once you receive your ballot, review the materials. Mark your ballot, following instructions included with the ballot.
Once you have filled out your mail/absentee ballot, place it in the yellow secrecy envelope (marked "Official Ballot Envelope") and then put the sealed secrecy envelope inside the larger purple-and-white Ballot Return Envelope. Be sure to sign and date your Ballot Return Envelope to make sure that your ballot counts.
MAIL/ABSENTEE ELECTION BALLOT STATUS CHECK
Delaware County voters can check the status of their Mail/Absentee ballot application with the Pennsylvania Department of State's Election Ballot Status tool.
RETURNING YOUR MAIL/ABSENTEE BALLOT
Important Reminder! Whether you are returning your ballot by mail, ballot drop box, or in-person at the Voter Service Center, please be sure to place your voted mail/absentee ballot in the secrecy ballot provided to you, seal it, and then place this envelope within the larger return envelope. Then fill out, sign, and date the declaration on the outside of the return envelope. If your ballot is mailed without the secrecy envelope or your return envelope is not signed or not dated, your ballot envelope will not be opened and the ballot in that envelope will not be counted.
Important Reminder! Return of a ballot by anyone other than the voter is prohibited unless the person returning the ballot is rendering assistance to a disabled voter or an emergency absentee voter. Such assistance requires a declaration signed by the voter and by the person rendering assistance. The declaration form is linked below, and can be returned in-person or by mail (details below).
Third Party Mail/Absentee Ballot Pick Up & Return Authorization Form
This form can be returned in person:
Media Voter Service Center at the Government Center Building
201 W. Front Street
Media, PA 19063-2728
[Google Map]
Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
This form can also be returned by mail:
Delaware County Bureau of Elections
2501 Seaport Dr. Suite BH120
Chester, PA 19013
Returning Your (Mail/Absentee) Ballot by Mail
The official mail-in ballot and absentee Ballot Return Envelope is self-addressed and postage-paid. Submit the completed Ballot Return Envelope at any USPS Drop Box. For an extra fee, you may also use an alternate mail carrier, such as FedEx, UPS or DHL. Mail/Absentee ballots must be received by the County by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Civilian ballots cast in the United States received after 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5—regardless of postmark—cannot be counted. However, military and overseas voters’ ballots can be received through Tuesday, Nov. 12.
You can also choose to use an alternate mail carrier, including FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. Visit the carrier’s website for more information regarding deliverability and possible charges.
Returning Your Mail-In Ballot or Absentee Ballot at a Delaware County Ballot Drop Box
Mail-in ballots and absentee ballots can be returned to the Delaware County Bureau of Elections through any Delaware County Ballot Drop Box. Mail/Absentee ballots must be placed in a secure ballot drop box by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Returning Your Mail-In Ballot or Absentee Ballot at the Bureau of Elections Voter Service Center in Media
Mail-in ballots and absentee ballots can be returned to the Delaware County Bureau of Elections Voter Service Center. Mail/Absentee ballots cast at a Voter Service Center must be received by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5.
LAST MINUTE EMERGENCIES
In emergency situations (such as an unexpected illness or disability and last-minute absence) following the deadline at 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election, you can request an Emergency Absentee Ballot.
Emergency Absentee Ballot Request Form
The deadline to submit your Emergency Absentee Ballot Application to the County Election Office is 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5.
If you are unable to pick up and/or return your emergency absentee ballot yourself, this form allows you to authorize a representative to do it for you. The voter or authorized representative must return this form and the ballot to the County Bureau of Elections by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5.
Authorized Representative for Emergency Absentee Ballot Form
NOTICE AND CURE OF VOTER MISTAKES ON ENVELOPES
Ballot Return Envelopes are invalid if they are unsigned, incorrectly dated, undated, or contain a ballot that is not inside a yellow secrecy envelope. The Bureau of Elections will attempt to notify any voter whose Ballot Return Envelope arrives with one of these flaws, and if time permits, mail a REPLACEMENT mail/absentee packet to that voter.
Voters who receive notice have the following options to “cure” the issue with Ballot Return Envelope:
- Vote and return the REPLACEMENT mail/absentee ballot, if time permits. The deadline to submit by 8 p.m. on Election Day still applies.
- Visit the Voter Service Center at the Government Center in Media to obtain a REPLACEMENT ballot to return by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- Present the REPLACEMENT BALLOT AND BAR-CODED PURPLE-AND-WHITE RETURN ENVELOPE at the voter’s correct precinct polling place on Election Day, to then receive an Election Day ballot that may be voted in the precinct.
- If the REPLACEMENT BALLOT AND BAR-CODED PURPLE-AND-WHITE RETURN ENVELOPE are not available, the voter may cast a provisional ballot in the precinct polling place on Election Day.
Delaware County Notice and Cure Policy (approved June 2024)
MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS
To register to vote and/or apply for an absentee ballot as a military or civilian overseas voter, you can complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). Return the signed form by:
Email attachment to DelcoElection@co.delaware.pa.us, or mail to:
Delaware County Bureau of Elections
2501 Seaport Dr. Suite BH120
Chester, PA 19013
The deadline to register to vote is TWO WEEKS before Election Day, and a ballot request must be received by the day BEFORE Election Day. For more information, see the Federal Voting Assistance Program guide for Pennsylvania.
You can select to receive your absentee ballot by email/online, fax, or mail. Once you receive the ballot, mark it and submit it for delivery by mail no later than 11:59 p.m. on the day BEFORE Election Day. The Bureau of Elections must receive voted military and overseas absentee ballots by 5:00 p.m. ONE WEEK after Election Day.
If you do not receive your absentee ballot in time to return it to participate in the election, you can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). This is an official backup ballot that is blank, meaning it does not include the names of any candidates. It can only be used if you have already submitted an FPCA request, and a FWAB will only be counted if we do not receive your absentee ballot by the deadline. You can review the Notice approximately one month prior to Election Day to determine which offices that will be included on the ballot.
If you do not receive your absentee ballot in time to return it to participate in the election, you can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). This is an official backup ballot that is blank, meaning it does not include the names of any candidates. It can only be used if you have already submitted an FPCA request, and a FWAB will only be counted if we do not receive your absentee ballot by the deadline. You can review the Notice approximately one month prior to Election Day to determine which offices that will be included on the ballot.
HOW TO VOTE IN-PERSON IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED A MAIL/ABSENTEE BALLOT
If you receive a mail/absentee ballot but decide you would prefer to vote in person at your polling place, you can do so. You must bring your ballot in the declaration envelope with you on Election Day, inform the poll workers that you would like to spoil your ballot and vote in-person instead, and surrender it to your precinct Judge of Elections. You can then cast a regular in-person ballot.
If you do not have your mail-in/absentee ballot and envelope to surrender at your polling place, you may cast a provisional ballot. This will be counted only if the Bureau of Elections does not receive the mail-in/absentee ballot that was sent to you.