Election 2023: What you need to know about voting by mail in Berks

Voting is about to begin in Berks County.

Elections Director Anne Norton told members of the election board meeting Thursday that the first batch of about 18,000 mail ballots are being sent to voters who requested them and should begin arriving in mailboxes.

Voters can decide to cast their ballot by mail, or they can go to the polls on Nov. 7. They will select the candidates they want to serve on the state appellate courts, local judicial positions, municipal boards and councils, school boards and some county row offices.

Here’s what you need to know about voting by mail.

How can I request a mail ballot?

Voters can apply online by visiting VotesPA.com, apply in person at the county elections office or contact the county elections office directly to request a paper application.

You will need to apply with a valid Pennsylvania identification card or supply the last four digits of your Social Security number.

What is the deadline to apply for a mailed ballot?

The deadline is Oct. 31 — seven days before the primary. But election officials ask that voters request a ballot as soon as possible.

How do I vote with a mail ballot?

1. Carefully open the ballot package when you receive it in the mail.

2. Make sure there is a secrecy envelope included because a mailed ballot not in a secrecy envelope, also known as a naked ballot, will not be counted.

3. Fill out the ballot immediately.

4. Place your ballot in the secrecy envelope, then put the secrecy envelope into the official envelope. Be sure to sign and date the declaration or your ballot will not count.

5. Drop your ballot off at the Berks County Services Center or Berks County Agricultural Center or mail your ballot so it arrives at the county elections office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Will there be drop boxes for ballots?

Two drop boxes are available in Berks.

One box is in the lobby of the Berks County Services Center in Reading, and the other is at the Berks County Agricultural Center in Bern Township.

The drop boxes will be open the following days and hours beginning Oct. 23:

• Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Saturday, Nov. 4: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 5: noon to 4 p.m.

• Monday, Nov. 6: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

• Election Day, Nov. 7: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Both drop boxes are secured by deputies from the sheriff’s department and are monitored by security cameras. Workers in the election services department collect the ballots at the end of each day and seal them when the centers are closed.

Voters who choose to drop off their ballots are not allowed to drop off ballots belonging to anyone else — a practice Democrats call community collection and Republicans deem ballot harvesting. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled the practice is illegal.

What if I don’t get my mail ballot?

No problem. You can go to your assigned polling place and vote in-person by filling out a provisional ballot if you have not received your mail ballot.

What if I signed up for a mail ballot but want to vote at the polls?

If you misplaced your mail ballot or have decided to cast your ballot at the polls, you still have an opportunity to vote.

Go to your assigned polling place. If you have the mail ballot, you will need to surrender the ballot and its envelopes to the judge of elections to be voided in order to vote on the voting machines. If you misplaced the mail ballot, you will need to tell the judge of elections and they will give you a provisional ballot to fill out.

Election coverage

For more election coverage, go to readingeagle.com/news/politics/election/

Source: Berkshire mont