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PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The deadline for requesting a mail in ballot for the Pennsylvania primary was 5 p.m. Tuesday, and election officials are urging voters who are using them to return them as soon as possible — preferably at a drop box — to avoid possible mail delays.
The city received 94,000 requests for mail-in ballots, which is 70,000 fewer than in the last election. Last time, 133,000 were returned. That was more than a quarter of all votes. If that ratio holds, the city would see more than 300,000 voters participate, or about 30%, which is about par for a contested mayoral year.
With five candidates in a close Democratic race, the winner could be chosen by a relatively small percentage of the total electorate. City commissioners want to make sure every vote is counted, which means making absolutely sure that all mail-in ballots are in hand next week Tuesday by 8 p.m.
Commissioner Omar Sabir says that could be a challenge for anyone who requested a mail-in ballot at the last minute.
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"By the time you get your ballot in the mail, you’re probably not going to have enough time to mail it back," Sabir said. He strongly recommends that, if you haven’t mailed your completed ballot yet, you can drop it off in person — at the County Election Office (room 140) in City Hall, a recreation center, a library or one of 18 "24/7, surveillance-loaded, Eagles-green drop-off locations."
18 dropbox locations in Philadelphia
Election Warehouse
11311 Roosevelt Blvd.
City Hall, South Portal
1400 John F Kennedy Blvd.
Corporal Jimmy O'Connor Memorial Playground
4330 Deerpath Ln.
The Eastern State Penitentiary
2027 Fairmount Ave.
Pelbano Rec. Center
8101 Bustleton Ave.
Ford PAL Rec. Center
609 Snyder Ave.
Smith Playground
2100 S 24th St.
Vogt Rec. Center
4131 Unruh Ave.
Independence Branch Library
18 S 7th St.
Kendrick Rec. Center
5822 Ridge Ave.
Kingsessing Rec. Center
4901 Kingsessing Ave.
Markward Playground
400 S Taney St.
Pleasant Playground
6757 Chew Ave.
Shepard Rec. Center
5700 Haverford Ave.
Shissler Rec. Center
1800 Blair Street
Stenton Playground
4600 N 16th Street
Voter Registration Office (Riverview Place)
520 N. Columbus Blvd.
Dorothy Emanuel Rec. Center
8500 Pickering St.
The full list of drop-off locations for all Pennsylvania counties is available online.
Commissioner Seth Bluestein says it’s also important to read the instructions carefully so the ballot isn’t disqualified because of small mistakes.
"Make sure that you put it in the secrecy envelope, that you sign it and date it with today’s date, so that when we receive it we are able to make sure it counts," Bluestein said.
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