Allegheny Co. Deputy Manager Of Elections Explains Mail-In Ballot Application And Voting Process For Upcoming November Election
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- So have you decided? Are you going to vote in person or use a mail in ballot? There is a lot of controversy swirling around mail in voting based on concerns about the postal service and questions raised by the President.
But it's the Coronavirus Pandemic that is driving the decision for many.
A presidential election brings out a lot of people and the risk of COVID-19 exposure is daunting to many, especially those who are health compromised.
So the key to sucessfully voting and having your vote count comes down to one word -- EARLY, so says the Deputy Manager of the Elections Division of Allegheny County Chet Harhut.
"The theme of this election is get things in early and do things early," Harhut said.
Harhut says absentee ballots are still available but you are better off to request a mail in ballot.
"The rule surrounding them are fundamentally the same, so if you don't qualify for an absentee ballot you would just use a mail in ballot. Everybody can apply for that. If you are a current registered voter of Allegheny County you could use that."
No reason is needed.
Getting a ballot is a simple process.
He says, "There's two ways to do it. And we encourage everybody who has the ability to do it go online to VotesPA.com and you can apply for your mail in ballot through the internet. It's easier on our end to process, it's a quicker transition. Or you can print out a form or request one from our office fill it out and mail it back."
But again he says don't wait, "We are already processing all the applications we are seeing in our office. The ballot is not currently ready because as soon as they are we're going to send them to everyone who has applied. We're hoping sometime in September we can start getting things out there. That would be great because the sooner people have them it will give them more time to get them back. We would encourage everyone in Allegheny County not to wait till the last minute. To apply and return their ballot you could apply right now."
For the primary election earlier this year, Allegheny County handled about 200-thousand mail in ballots.
Harhut says they expect a substantial increase in that number for this election.
"As soon as you get it you can send it right back or you can bring it to our office. We're expecting hundreds of thousands of em so its a lot of processing. So again I can't stress it enough do it early."
Watch as KDKA's John Shumway reports:
There was a lot of talk for the primary about having the ballot postmarked by a certain date.
To be clear, Harhut says there is no postmark rule.
"No, as it stands now, a ballot must be in our office by 8 o'clock on election night."
If it comes to the election board anytime after that, it will not be counted.
Harhut says ballots received in late September or any time before election day are sent to the secure elections warehouse, "where they will be tabulated."
Harhut says that the ballots go through a sorting and scanning.
"We need to scan the ballots to know that voter has returned it, check the signature, and make sure that matches who they say they are. They are sorted into municipalities and eventually they are opened and tabulated on Election Day starting at 7:00 am," Harhut said.
As for claims results could take weeks, Harhut says, "We put a ton of resources into this and we have all the people we need to count it and we will be counting as quickly and efficiently and accurately as we can and we will not quit till it's finished."
When asked if those results will be tabulated within 24 hours, Harhut said "I don't want to make that prediction. but we're going to throw everything we have at it. I'll say that."
Currently, you can only submit your ballot by mail or by taking it in person to the Board of Elections.
In Allegheny County, they will be setting up a lobby drop-off point that will be available on the weekends as well as during the work week.
A link to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot can be found at the following link.
Again, the ballot for the November election should be finalized by mid-to-late September and arrive in your mailbox shortly after that if you have applied for a mail in ballot.
