Delco Reminds Voters Of Important Election Day Information

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — Delaware County officials are reminding voters of important election day things to know, inlcuding polling information, election issue reporting processes, and more ahedad of the 2024 General Election.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at more than 250 locations across the county.

Voters can find their polling places online here. A list of ballot drop boxes is online here, as well.

Only three polling places have changed for the Nov. 5, 2024, General Election since the April primary, with notices mailed to voters in these precincts:

• Chester City 1-2 & 1-8: Moved to Stetser Elementary School, 808 E 17th St, Chester
• Chester City 2-4 & 5-2: Moved to Guy C. Long Inc., 700 E 9th St, Chester
• Chester Township 2: Returned to Chester Township Fire Co., 2410 Concord Rd, Chester

Additionally, redistricting of all precincts in Radnor Township was completed this summer. Voters in Radnor Township received three notifications in September and October, whether or not their precinct or polling place changed..

• Radnor 1-1: Wayne Senior Center, 108 Station Rd, Wayne, PA 19087
• Radnor 1-2: Wayne Presbyterian Church, 125 E Lancaster Pk, Wayne, PA 19087
• Radnor 2-1: Radnor High School, 130 King of Prussia Rd, Wayne, Room 19, PA 19087
• Radnor 2-2: Mullen Center, 800 E Lancaster Ave, Villanova, Lobby, PA 19085
• Radnor 3-1: Radnor Memorial Library, 114 W. Wayne Ave, Windsor Room, Ground Floor, Wayne, PA 19087
• Radnor 3-2: St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 104 Louella Ave, Wayne, PA 19087
• Radnor 4-1: Ithan Elementary School, 695 Clyde Rd, Bryn Mawr, Cafetorium, PA 19010
• Radnor 4-2: Ithan Elementary School, 695 Clyde Rd, Bryn Mawr, Cafetorium, PA 19010
• Radnor 5-1: JCHAI, 274 S. Bryn Mawr Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
• Radnor 5-2: St. Aloysius Academy, 401 S Bryn Mawr Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
• Radnor 6-1: Wayne Elementary School, 651 West Wayne Ave, Wayne, Cafeteria, PA 19087
• Radnor 6-2: Wayne Elementary School, 651 West Wayne Ave, Wayne, Cafeteria, PA 19087
• Radnor 7-1: The Rosemont Plaza Apartments, 1062 Lancaster Ave, Bryn Mawr, Conference Room, PA 19010
• Radnor 7-2: St John's AME Church, 930 Conestoga Rd, Bryn Mawr, Fellowship Hall, PA 19010
• Radnor 7-3: Mullen Center, 800 E Lancaster Ave, Villanova, Lobby, PA 19085

Voters who recently applied to vote with a mail/absentee but have not yet received the ballot should to contact the Delaware County Election Hotline at 610-891-8683, or visit the Voter Service Center located in the Government Center Building in Media, PA, at 201 W. Front Street.

Voter Service Centers are located at:

• Government Center: 201 W. Front St., in Media. Monday 8:30 am. to 4:30 p.m.; and 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Election Day.
• Chester City Hall: 1 E. Fourth St., in Chester. Open Monday 8:30 a.m. to4:30 p.m., closed Election Day.
• Upper Darby Township Administration Building: 100 Garrett Rd., in Upper Darby. OpenMonday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed Election Day.
• Chester Heights Polling Office: 53 W. Baltimore Pike, in Chester Heights. Open Monday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed Election Day.

Sample ballots and full candidate lists are posted online here.

Voters may bring notes to help simplify voting and are also permitted to bring party-provided 'sample ballots' — which typically show preferred candidates selected by local party representatives — into their privacy booth when filling out their ballot.

All precincts will have Electronic Pollbooks that can assist voters in finding their correct polling location if they arrive at the wrong site. Electronic Pollbooks (ePollbooks) Delaware County’s 428 precincts will all be equipped with ePollbooks for the upcoming election. ePollbooks were first introduced in select precincts during the November 2023 General Election and then expanded to all precincts in April 2024. While they have already proven successful in improving the voting experience, this will still be the first time using ePollbooks for many voters. ePollbooks offer several advantages over traditional paper pollbooks, allowing for faster check-ins as poll workers can simply enter the first three letters of a voter’s last and first names to quickly locate records, rather than searching through extensive paper lists. In addition, ePollbooks simplify operations at locations with multiple precincts, reducing confusion and helping ensure that voters are directed to the correct precinct on the first attempt. The technology also provides standardized instructions for all voter situations across the county. If a name isn’t found, poll workers can search by date of birth or address, further enhancing efficiency for both voters and poll workers in Delaware County.

Ballots mailed via USPS just before or on Election Day are unlikely to reach the County by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots delivered after 8 p.m. on Election Day, regardless of the postmark date, cannot be counted. Delaware County voters who have yet to return their mail/absentee ballot may use any of the more than three dozen community ballot drop boxes located throughout Delaware County or in-person at the Voter Service Center, located on the ground floor of the Government Center Building at 201 W. Front St., in Media.

Voters may return their mail/absentee ballot at any of the more than three dozen secured community drop boxes located in municipalities across the County. Drop boxes are located at safe, secure, ADA-compliant locations and are under video surveillance. Drop boxes are large white metal receptacles, similar in size to a USPS mailbox, and clearly marked with the wording “Official Ballot Drop Box” and “Delaware County Board of Elections.” These drop boxes are designed for only one use: The return of mail/absentee ballots by Delaware County voters in the weeks before and including Election Day. Postage is not required to return a Delaware County mail/absentee ballot. Most drop boxes are open 24/7 through Election Day.

Chadds Ford closes at 4 p.m. on Election Day. Ridley Park Borough Hall, however, which typically closes at 4 p.m., will remain open until polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.

The deadline for voters to return their mail/absentee ballots at the Voter Service Center or an official Delaware County ballot drop box is 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Completed mail/absentee ballots must arrive by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Postmarks do not matter, except in the case of military and overseas ballots.

Voters should use blue or black ink and fill in the box next to each selection. Never use the write-in space for any candidate whose name already is listed for that office/contest. Completed ballots must be placed inside the yellow secrecy envelope (marked "Ballot Return Envelope"). That yellow envelope then must be placed into the purple-and-white return envelope. Voters must sign and correctly date (with today’s date) the purple- and-white return envelope. Voters can return their ballots using any of the county’s drop boxes (open until 8 p.m. on Election Day, except for Chadds Ford, which closes at 4 p.m.).

The Bureau of Elections is required to review all mail/absentee envelopes. Any mail/absentee ballot that contains a legal flaw will be segregated and will be disqualified under state law. Such flaws include unsigned, undated, improperly dated, unsealed outer envelopes, or “naked” ballots where the voter did not use the yellow secrecy envelope. The bureau is continuing to notify voters, by phone and email, of flawed ballot envelopes as they are received and will continue to do so through Election Day, providing voters with an option to “cure” their flawed ballot by visiting a Voter Service Center to obtain a replacement ballot or cast a provisional ballot at their precinct on Election Day.

Voters who requested a mail/absentee ballot before the 5 p.m. Tues., Oct. 29 deadline and have yet to receive their ballot should plan to visit a Voter Service Center to obtain a replacement ballot, or simply go to their in-person polling place on Election Day, explain to their precinct’s Judge of Elections that their mail/absentee ballot did not arrive, and cast a provisional ballot.

As long as a mail/absentee ballot was not received by the Bureau of Elections, the provisional ballot will count. Voters can also check the status of their requested ballot on the PA Department of State’s Election Ballot Status website here. Voters who requested and returned their mail/absentee ballot but are concerned that they may have returned a flawed ballot, should check the Election Ballot Status tracker. If the status shows "RECORD – BALLOT RETURNED," it means the envelope was received without apparent flaws and will be processed. If the status indicates a flawed ballot, voters should visit a Voter Service Center or contact the Delaware County Election Hotline at 610-891-8683.

Some Delaware County voters who requested a mail/absentee ballot may decide to vote in person on Election Day. Voters who received a mail/absentee ballot but choose to vote in person can do so. Voters are advised to bring their mail/absentee materials to the polling place, where they will be able to exchange them for a regular Election Day ballot. If the voter doesn’t have their mail/absentee materials—whether they were lost, forgotten, damaged, never received, or mismarked—a Provisional Ballot will be provided. Provisional Ballots will be counted as long as the Bureau of Elections does not receive a completed mail/absentee ballot or the ballot was received but contained a legal flaw.

Under Pennsylvania Election Law, in-person ballots are processed continuously throughout Election Day. Voters' in-person ballots are scanned at polling locations, and the totals are securely transferred to the Bureau of Elections shortly after polls close at 8 p.m. In contrast, mail-in and absentee ballots, which this election are expected to number close to 100,000, cannot be canvassed until polls have closed at 8 p.m. This means that even though many mail/absentee ballots are received weeks in advance, their counting begins only after in-person voting has ended, resulting in these ballots being processed and counted later in the evening. Delaware County Elections staff will be working late to ensure that all mail/absentee ballots are accurately counted and included in the unofficial results as quickly as possible, with updates provided as counting progresses. Unofficial results will begin to be posted after polls have closed at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5, and will continue to be updated as ballots are counted, including civilian mail-in and absentee ballots, as well as provisional, military, and overseas ballots.

Voters who have concerns regarding voting irregularities can call the Delaware County Election Hotline at 610-891-8683. Voters who witness what they believe to be illegal or criminal activity are asked to call the Delaware County District Attorney’s Election Tip Line at 610-891-4242. All tips related to possible criminal activity will be referred to the Criminal Investigation Division.

Emergency status is determined for voters who must vote by absentee ballot because of a disability or absence from their municipality that was not and could not have been known prior to the Tuesday before the election (which is the deadline to apply for a regular absentee or mail-in ballot). Emergency Absentee Ballot Applications are available at all Delaware County Voter Service Centers and on the PA Department of State website online here. Emergency Absentee Ballot Applications should be submitted to the County Board of Elections at the Voter Service Center in the Government Center Annex of the Delaware County Courthouse, 201 W. Front Street, Media. The deadline to submit an Emergency Absentee Ballot Application is 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Delaware County has launched a mail/absentee ballot tracking tool to enhance transparency. This tool, available online here, provides near-real-time updates on ballot activity. It shows the total number of ballots sent out and received, including breakdowns of how mail- in/absentee ballots were returned—by USPS mail, at the drop box at the Government Center in Media or at any of the 36 community drop boxes located in dozens of municipalities across the County. The new tool increases transparency by providing a pre-election, pre-canvass view of the total number of mail-in and absentee ballots sent out and those returned by voters—whether through USPS, the Government Center drop box, or one of the secure community drop boxes. As of Saturday, 94,045 mail/absentee ballots have been sent to voters, and 78,935 have been returned. This total includes 41,990 ballots returned by standard USPS mail, 11,337 ballots returned to the Government Center ballot drop box in Media, and 25,608 ballots returned through the 36 community ballot drop boxes located in municipalities across the county. The totals will be refreshed frequently until all valid mail-in and absentee ballots cast for the General Election are processed. This includes military and overseas absentee ballots, which must be submitted for delivery by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday and received by the Bureau of Elections no later than 5 p.m. one week after Election Day.

For a transparent view of the election process, 10 cameras will provide live streams of the election facility throughout the election process. This stream, directly from the Bureau of Elections ballot processing facility, allows residents to observe as dedicated Delaware County Elections staff work to ensure every vote is counted. The livestream provides an inside look at pre-canvassing and canvassing operations, offering regular updates, and highlighting the County’s dedication to a fair and transparent election process. Watch the stream online here.