Mail-in ballots requests roll in with Democrats again outpacing Republicans
Deadline to request to vote by mail is Oct. 29
With less than a month left to seek a mail-in ballot, nearly 86,000 voters in the Lehigh Valley have already applied to fill out their Nov. 5 ballots at home.
The number represents about 18% of the registered voters in Lehigh and Northampton counties. The voters seeking to do so are nearly identical even as Lehigh has a voter edge of 252,695 versus Northampton’s 228,949.
As has been the trend, Democrats are outpacing Republicans in requests for mail-in ballots by more than 2 to 1, according to Department of State data as of Oct. 1.
The difference between the two major parties has been attributed to former President Donald Trump’s distrust of mail-in voting following his 2020 loss.
In Pennsylvania, Trump, who is running again this year, was ahead until mail-in ballots were counted over the next several days after the election and gave Democrat Joe Biden the presidential win.
Not everyone who requests a mail-in ballot ends up using it or voting in person instead.
In Lehigh, the breakdown is 25,940 Democrats, 11,639 Republicans and 5,412 other (independents and third-party members) for a total of 42,991.
In Northampton, the breakdown is 26,355 Democrats, 10,905 Republicans and 5,673 other for a total of 42,933.
The story is similar statewide with 878,080 applications from Democrats, 371,704 from Republicans and 154,702 other for a total of 1,404,486. Statewide, there were 8,964,447 registered voters as of Sept. 30.
Meanwhile, Lehigh and Northampton saw 2,360 requests for absentee ballots, including 1,176 from Democrats, 757 from Republicans and 427 from other.
LEHIGH MAIL-IN REQUESTS
Democrats: 25,940
Republicans: 11,639
Other: 5,412
Total: 42,991NORTHAMPTON MAIL-IN REQUESTS
Democrats: 26,355
Republicans: 10,905
Other: 5,673
Total: 42,933STATE MAIL-IN REQUESTS
Democrats: 878,080
Republicans: 371,704
Other: 154,702
Total: 1,404,486
Source: Department of State
The deadline for applying to register to vote by mail is 5 p.m. on Oct. 29. You must be registered to vote to do so. For more information, click here.
Voters who registered to vote by mail are being reminded by state officials to follow directions for filling out mail-in ballots to make sure their votes count.
Under 2019’s Act 77, which first allowed mail-in voting in Pennsylvania in 2020, signatures and dates required.
Those two requirements have led to a slew of lawsuits and decisions.
The state Supreme Court issued a brief order on Sept. 13 that said undated or misdated mail ballots should not be counted on Nov. 5.
The court cited technical reasons for rejecting the lawsuit from voting advocacy groups, saying it was filed against only two counties (Philadelphia and Allegheny) but not the state’s 65 other counties.
On Sept. 25, the organizations asked the state Supreme Court to review the case again - this time including all 67 counties as defendants - and consider the merits of their case. The case is pending.
However, a similar case is still underway in federal courts.
Pa. Supreme Court: Don't count undated or misdated mail ballots
Pennsylvania not alone when it comes to rejected mail-in ballots
To reduce rejected ballots, the state in the spring directed counties to use a uniform mail-in ballot that has colorful markings, bold-faced directions and the year partially filled in.
That brought the state’s mail-ballot rejection rate for the April 23 primary down to 2.2% from 2.7% in spring 2023.
In July, the state refined the ballot design further, fully adding the year – 2024 – where the date must be filled in.
Meanwhile, the state Supreme Court on Sept. 20 said it will rule on whether counties must allow voters who make mistakes in filling out their mail-in ballots to vote provisionally.
Return envelopes have barcodes that are linked to each voter. Through specialized sorting machines or by looking at them, counties can tell if a voter’s return envelope is missing a signature or has date issues.
Sorting machines can also tell if the secrecy sleeve – which contains the filled-in ballot and is placed inside the return envelope – is missing.
But not all counties in Pennsylvania let votes know if they made mistakes, so their votes do not count. Lehigh and Northampton are among the counties that alert voters.
The case before the Supreme Court arose out of Butler County where officials did not allow at least two voters to file provisional ballots after they learned they forgot to put their ballots in the secrecy sleeves.
A similar case from Washington County may also go before the state Supreme Court.
Following is information for registering to voter and voting by mail.
REGISTERING TO VOTE
Deadline to register: Oct. 21
Who is eligible to register: U.S. citizens who have been residents of Pennsylvania at least 30 days before Nov. 5.
How to register: Click here.
How to check your registration status: Click here.
Information: 1-877-868-3772
How to request a mail-in ballot: Click here.
Last day to request a mail-in ballot: Must be received in your county election office by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29. For more information on mail-in voting, click here.
Information for overseas military and civilians: Click here.
How to submit mail-in ballots: Voters can return their ballots by mail. They can also drop them at their county election office or at official drop-box locations in their counties. Voters legally can only submit their own ballots by mail or to county offices and drop-off boxes. However, voters with a disability defined by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act can designate someone to do it for them by filling out a form.
Mail-in ballot due date: Mail-in and absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. Ballots received after 8 p.m. with Nov. 5 postmarks will not be accepted.
What if a mail-in voter wants to vote in person? If you have a mail-in ballot that hasn’t been received by your county election office, you can bring it to your polling place and then vote in person. If you lost your mail-in ballot, you can request a provisional ballot at your polling place.
Missed the deadline? If you have an emergency (unexpected illness or disability or last-minute absence from your municipality) you may still be able to get a ballot after the deadline. Information: emergency absentee ballot.