USPS is running smoothly before the election. Should Philly voters still mail in their ballots?

More than a million Pennsylvania voters have already cast their vote in the 2024 General Election through mail-in voting. For the nearly 8 million other registered voters in Pennsylvania, the clock is now ticking on requesting (Tuesday, Oct. 29) and returning those ballots (received by elections boards by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5).

While postal services in hurricane affected-areas like North Carolina and Florida were severely impacted by storms with “significant work” still needing to be done to deliver the backlog of mail and reopen delivery routes, almost all mail operations are back up and running in the areas hardest hit by hurricanes Helene and Milton.

In Pennsylvania, where weather-related delays are not a factor, mail-in ballot processing remains efficient. The U.S. Postal Service reports that in October, nearly 98% of ballots sent nationwide reached their destination within seven days, on par with prior elections, which saw a delivery success rate above 99% within a week.

But with the deadlines for mail ballots so close, local officials urge voters to consider in-person options. (Overseas and military mail ballots must be submitted for delivery by 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 4 and received by Nov. 12.)

“Seven days is as close as I would get to requesting or returning a mail-in ballot,” said Lauren Cristella, executive director of the Committee of Seventy, a Philadelphia-based election watchdog. “I wouldn‘t risk it especially because postmarks don’t matter in Pennsylvania. If it gets to election offices a day late — you’re out of luck.”

Nick Custodio, deputy commissioner for Philly elections, echoed Cristella saying, “We encourage voters to not wait until the last minute, and to apply for and return their mail ballot as soon as possible. The closer that we get to Election Day, voters should consider visiting one of our 11 satellite office locations and using one of our drop boxes in order to account for postal turnaround times.”

While many states, including New Jersey, count mail ballots postmarked by Election Day, Pennsylvania does not. This means that if a mail-in ballot isn’t received by county election offices by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, it won’t count — regardless of when it was mailed, per state rules.

Cristella says voters should expect their mail-in ballot to take a week to be delivered to their home after requesting it or to the county election office when mailing the ballot in. With that in mind, the last day Pa. voters should request or send a ballot through the mail is Tuesday, Oct. 29 — one week before the election.

Any mail-in ballots sent in the mail after then can’t be assured to arrive at county election offices in time. When in doubt, return or request a mail-in ballot in person.

With the election deadline coming close, voters shouldn’t risk losing their chance to vote due to mail service delays.

More than a thousand Philadelphians have already sent in potentially flawed ballots, which they will have to correct at county election offices. A full list of flawed mail-in ballots can be found on the City Commissioner’s website. Voters who need to replace their original ballot, or those who are still waiting to receive their mail-in ballots through the mail and fear it won’t arrive in time, can “spoil” their original ballot and get a new one at the local county election offices.

If you’ve received a mail-in ballot but prefer to vote in person, bring your ballot materials to your polling location on Election Day to “spoil” it there and vote in the booth. Alternatively, voters may spoil their ballots at county election offices or City Hall before Election Day to secure their chance to vote in person.