Concerns among voters are rising as some haven’t received mail-in ballots, are afraid their ballot won’t be counted in time, or are unsure about ways they can vote.
In terms of ways to vote; you can now come into the Bureau of Elections and vote in-person. You need to bring your ID and will then be given a ballot to fill out right there.
All 89 precincts will be open on Election Day, but if you opted to vote by mail and are unsure if your ballot will be counted in time, you can vote with a provisional ballot.
However, if you don’t want to go to the polling precinct for health reasons or otherwise, and haven’t got your mail-in ballot yet—the county is offering to deliver your ballot directly to you. You can email ballots@co.butler.pa.us or call 724-284-5308. You will still need to mail it in, or drop it off at the County Government Center.
Here is the full message from the Butler County Bureau of Elections:
IF YOU REQUESTED A MAIL-IN BALLOT BUT DID NOT RECEIVE IT:
The Butler County Bureau of Election is committed to getting everyone a ballot who requested one and to giving all registered voters the opportunity to vote. The Elections Bureau has mailed all ballots requested prior to this week. We did receive a notice from the Department of State that they have made an inquiry to the US Postal Service about mail delays reported in Butler County. If you have not received your ballot in the mail, you have several options as follows to either vote or to get your ballot.
- PREFERRED VOTING METHOD: You may come to the Bureau of Elections and vote in person. You simply need to bring your identification and you will be issued a new mail ballot that you may then vote and turn back in immediately. Your original ballot that was mailed will be voided in the voter system, so that if you eventually receive it and send it back, it would no longer be valid or accepted. The Bureau’s hours have been expanded to:
- 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 28 through Friday, October 30th.
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, October 31st.
- 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, November 2nd.
- VOTE AT YOUR POLLING PLACE: You may still vote at your polling place. If you receive your ballot in the mail before Election Day, you may surrender the entire ballot package including both the return and privacy envelopes to the Judge of Elections at your polling place, sign an affidavit, and then vote as normal at your polling place. OR if you don’t have your mail-in ballot, you may vote at your polling place by provisional ballot. These ballots ARE COUNTED, but give the computation board the opportunity to review to be sure they are not duplicated.
- DELIVERY BY DEPUTY: If you contact us by email at ballots@co.butler.pa.us or phone at 724-284-5308 and let us know that you have not received your ballot and are unable to come into the Election Bureau or go to the polls for health reasons or otherwise, we may deliver your ballot within the County borders, but you must be home to receive it within a scheduled window of time. You will still need to return the ballot by mail or you may drop it off at the Election Bureau ballot turn-in station just inside the door of the Butler County Government Center at the hours listed under option 1.
- DELIVERY BY MAIL: You may request that we mail another ballot. Or if you are out of state, we may be able to send the ballot by overnight mail. If you are a military, you may be eligible to receive your ballot electronically. Both of these will require a specific phone call or email request.
EARLY VOTING:
You may vote absentee in person at the Bureau of Elections through October 27th. If you have requested a mail-in ballot and have not received it, or have some other voting issue, you may vote absentee in person at the Bureau Elections up to Election Day. See the above options.
WHERE CAN I DROP OFF MY BALLOT:
You may drop off your ballot just inside the door of the Butler County Government Center during the above-referenced hours. Please bring identification as you may only drop off YOUR ballot according to law.
MAY I DROP OFF MY SPOUSE’S BALLOT:
You may NOT drop off a spouse’s ballot unless you have a power of attorney or have requested an emergency designee form due to an emergency illness or physical disability that occurred after 5 p.m. on Friday, October 30th.
IN THE PRIMARY I CHECKED THE BOX TO RECEIVE A PERMANENT MAIL-IN BALLOT, BUT DID NOT RECEIVE IT. WHAT DO I DO?
Call the Election Bureau or email us immediately with your address and phone number. The Department of State had an issue in the voter registration system whereby the voter files for some voters who checked the box for a permanent ballot did not trigger the label printing for the general election ballot. Our local election office has NOT been provided with a list of voters that this affected so we must check your file. If we determine this has happened to you, we will proceed with the steps outlined above under IF YOU REQUESTED A MAIL-IN BALLOT AND DID NOT RECEIVE IT.
I RETURNED MY MAIL-IN BALLOT WEEKS AGO AND THE STATE’S WEBSITE TRACKER STILL SAYS PENDING. WHAT DO I DO IF IT STILL SAYS PENDING ON ELECTION DAY?
The Election Bureau is scanning ballot envelopes currently, however please be patient as it is a time- consuming process only to be done by those certified and the bureau has only three scanning stations. Accuracy is critical and staff are moving as quickly as possible. There is no required deadline for scanning the ballots except before Election Day, but we would anticipate that scanning will be caught up this week. Of the 40,000 ballots mailed out, approximately 20,000 have been returned with about 10,000 scanned in as of Monday evening 10/25. However, if you are concerned or your ballot still says pending, you may go to the polls and vote provisionally, as it is possible that your ballot did not arrive via mail. Your vote will still COUNT!
IS IT TRUE THAT THE BUTLER COUNTY ELECTION BUREAU WILL COUNT MY VOTE PROVIDED I MAIL IT BY ELECTION DAY AND IT ARRIVES IN THREE DAYS?
Unless this extension ruling is overturned by the Supreme Court, your vote will be counted if it is postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day and arrives by 5 p.m. on Friday, November 6, 2020.
