PENNSYLVANIA — It’s possible that some Pennsylvanians will be filling out and returning mail-in or absentee ballots on September 16. But there is no in-person early voting anywhere in the state. And not every county will have its mail-in or absentee ballots ready by September 16—Pike and Wayne counties included.

The national media is filled with claims that early voting starts in Pennsylvania in a couple of weeks. “In Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, voters can cast their ballots as early as Sept. 16,” says U.S. News and World Report. Websites like vote.pa.com say you can “vote early in-person” in Pike and Wayne.

This has election directors in both Wayne and Pike counties—Amy Christopher and Nadeen Manzoni, respectively—calling the claims “completely inaccurate.”

“I’m not exactly sure where this came from,” Manzoni said. “This isn’t the first time I heard that.”

Christopher says September 16 is when the Wayne County Board of Elections must begin to process requests for absentee ballots, if they haven’t already started. Wayne County is already processing requests—and that may be why the date is being incorrectly cited as the early voting start-date, she said.

Voters in Pike and Wayne can request, receive, fill out and turn in a mail-in or absentee ballot in person during a single visit to their board of elections offices. But their votes will not be counted until the polls close on election night, Tuesday, November 5.

Christopher told the River Reporter she won’t have mail-in or absentee ballots ready for voters by September 16.

“My best guess is the last week of September, but that’s not certain,” she said.

Manzoni said that in Pike County, “It’s probable ballots wouldn’t be available before September 16.” 

Waiting for court cases

Both Manzoni and Christopher said ongoing litigation over who is, and is not, an official candidate could affect the final ballots. So they must wait.

“Ideally, the state sends out an official candidate list once the courts have resolved candidate cases so counties know which candidates either remain on the ballot or are ordered by the courts removed from the ballot,” said Manzoni. “It’s all about the timing and resolution of court cases and sometimes substitutions of candidates that have dropped out after being nominated at a primary election.”

Manzoni and Christopher said ballots will also go through rigorous testing before they are sent out. 

September 21 is another important date on the elections calendar. That’s when ballots must be transmitted to military personnel and voters living overseas, Manzoni said.

The ballots might not be ready even then.

“If our ballots are not ready, counties must provide these voters with a federal write-in ballot and a list of candidates as we know them to be at the time. They will write in their choices and mail it back. Once the official ballots are ready, we mail these voters an official ballot. If we get their official ballot back in time, that’s the one we count. If we do not get the official ballot back, we count the votes from their write-in ballot. This is to help ensure these voters have ample time to vote and return their ballots, since mail service is typically slower for military and mail being sent and received overseas.”

The particulars might be complicated, but the bottom line is simple.

“Until there is a ballot,” Manzoni said, “you can’t vote.”