Haven't mailed your ballot back for Tuesday's PA primary? Here's how to still vote

Polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday for the Pennsylvania Primary, which is also the deadline for any mail-in ballots to be returned to the Bucks County Board of Elections in order to be counted. Postmarked envelopes will not count.

About 63,810 Bucks County voters had their mail-in ballot applications approved by the April 16 deadline, but about 27,700 (43%) of those ballots have not been returned as of Monday morning, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of State.

The county's return rate is actually slightly higher than statewide, where about 337,120 voters out of 902,147 approved applicants (about 37%) have not returned their mail ballots.

If you're one of the thousands of procrastinating mail voters in Bucks County, there's still a few ways to make sure your vote is cast and not tossed out for arriving late.

Here’s everything you need to know about voting by mail ahead of Tuesday's election.

Can I still get a mail ballot for Tuesday's PA primary?

No, the deadline to apply for a no-excuse mail-in ballot or civilian absentee ballot was April 16. If you haven’t applied for a mail ballot, you will have to vote in person at your designated polling place.

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Voters with a sudden illness or other emergency can apply for an emergency absentee ballot after 5 p.m. the Tuesday before an election. More information about emergency absentee ballots can be found at votes.pa.gov.

I mailed my ballot a few days ago, how can I see its status?

You can track the status of a mail-in or absentee ballot online through pavoterservices.pa.gov.

If your ballot is still not returned on election day, you can find your polling place through the voter services website and go to your polling place to request a provisional ballot.

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If your mail ballot is received in time, it will be counted instead of the provisional ballot — unless the mail-in ballot is spoiled for not being properly returned.

What if I received a notification from Bucks County about my ballot?

Bucks County sends out notifications to voters when election workers think the ballot may be deficient, meaning there is an error and is at risk of not being counted.

There are various reasons a ballot could be “spoiled” and have to be discarded, including if they are not returned within their provided secrecy envelope.

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The notifications instruct voters to visit the county’s board of elections office in Doylestown with how to “cure” the potentially spoiled ballots.

What if I filled out my ballot, but never mailed it in?

Voters who have filled out their ballots but not mailed them in can return them in-person to one of several drop box locations across the county.

Three locations can be found at the county’s administration building at 55 E. Court St. in Doylestown; an Upper Bucks satellite office at 261 California Road in Quakertown; and a Lower Bucks office at 7321 New Falls Road in Levittown.

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Drop boxes will be open at these locations from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

The county also operates drop boxes at eight public libraries around the county. A full list of locations and hours can be found on the Board of Elections webpage at www.buckscounty.gov.

What if I’ve changed my mind and want to vote in person in PA primary?

As long as you have not returned a filled-out mail ballot to your county’s board of elections, you still have two options to vote in person.

First, bring your ballot and its pre-addressed outer return envelope to your polling place to be voided. After you’ve surrendered your ballot and the envelope, election workers will have you sign a declaration and then you’ll be given a regular ballot.

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If you don’t have both documents to surrender, the poll workers will have you fill out a provisional ballot.

Chris Ullery is the Philadelphia Hub Data Reporter for the USA Today Network. Reach him at cullery@couriertimes.com or find him on Twitter at @ulleryatinell.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: How to return your mail ballot in time for Tuesday's PA primary in PA