Don't mail that election ballot. Deliver in person to ensure it counts, officials say

Don’t send that mail-in ballot if you want your vote to count. It’s too late.

If you haven’t already mailed your mail-in or absentee ballot as of Thursday, then Allegheny County officials are warning voters it likely won’t arrive on time to the count if sent through traditional mail.

County officials are encouraging those voters instead to return their mail-in ballots in person to one of the 10 ballot return sites located across the county. Election staff will be present at ballot return sites to offer assistance.

Voters may only return their own ballot, unless they have completed state authorization forms to return a ballot on behalf of someone who physically is unable to do so, according to state law.

Pennsylvania mail-in and absentee ballots must be received by county elections offices by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, to be counted. Even if a ballot is postmarked before 8 p.m. on Nov. 5, but arrives after that time, it will not be counted, according to state law.

“As Election Day approaches, it is important to remind voters that ballots must be received by the Elections Division by 8:00PM on Tuesday, November 5 to be counted,” reads a county press release.

The Allegheny County ballot return sites are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. They will also be open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday.

The 9 sites with those hours are listed below:

• Allegheny County Emergency Services Building (Moon)
• Avalon Public Library
• Boyce Park – Four Seasons Lodge
• Carnegie Library - Squirrel Hill
• CCAC-Homewood
• Dormont Pool
• Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank (Duquesne)
• North Park Ice Rink
• South Park Ice Rink

Mail-in voters can also return their ballots to the County Office Building on Ross Street in Downtown Pittsburgh, but hours differ from the other ballot return sites.

The County Office Building is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. On Election Day, the County Office Building will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., the same hours as the polls.

There are over 63,000 mail-in and absentee ballots in Allegheny County that have yet to be received by the county as of Thursday, according to state department data.

Voters can track the status of their mail-in ballot online on the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website.