Wed Sep 18 16:43:00 UTC 2024: ## Pennsylvania Mail-in Ballots Delayed: Counties Still Preparing for Election
**HARRISBURG, PA** – Despite confusion surrounding the state’s mail-in ballot process, Pennsylvania voters will not be able to cast their ballots just yet. Counties are still preparing ballots following a recent court ruling regarding third-party candidates on the ballot.
While state law mandates counties start processing mail-in ballot applications 50 days before an election, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt certified the official candidate list only this week. This delay has pushed back the timeline for counties to prepare and mail ballots.
“It could very well be till the first week of October until ballots start going out to those voters,” stated Lisa Schaefer, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.
Counties are now working to test, print, and mail the ballots, a process that could take several weeks. Cumberland County Elections Director Bethany Salzarulo confirmed that ballots will not be sent out on September 16 as some voters had assumed.
The Philadelphia City Commissioners Office expects to begin mailing ballots to voters in Philadelphia County next week.
Despite the delay, Pennsylvania voters have no need to worry. “Every eligible voter can get one of those as soon as those ballots are available,” Schaefer assured.
The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is October 29, while the deadline to receive a completed ballot is 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 5.
First Piper 