PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — In the 2023 primary, Pennsylvania counties rejected 17,000 mail-in ballots due to voter errors. Now, to cut down on the confusion, state officials have redesigned ballot materials.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration introduced revamped mail-in ballots to ensure every legal vote is counted.
Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said thousands of mail-in ballots are tossed each election because of mistakes like “naked ballots” — when voters write their birthdate instead of the current date or forget to sign the ballot.
The redesigned envelopes and instruction sheets have revised language and clearer labels to help voters properly fill out and return their ballots. They include more graphics, highlighted sections showing where to sign, and colors to easily distinguish between envelopes.
The administration said not only will this lead to fewer ballots being rejected, but it will also take a strain off county election workers trying to efficiently process mail-in ballots.
The new materials will be rolled out in the 2024 primary election.