Released: April 21, 2024
Sample Ballots, In-Person Polling Places, Secured Ballot Drop Boxes, Naked Ballots, and more
Delaware County Elections is issuing final guidance for the upcoming primary election, scheduled for Tuesday, April 23. Polls will open at all 259 polling locations at 7:00 a.m. and remain open until 8:00 p.m.
Here is a rundown of things that Delaware County voters should know before heading to the polls (or a ballot drop box). As a reminder, only voters registered with the Democratic or Republican parties are eligible to vote in the Primary Election.
Sample Ballots, Candidate Lists, and Polling Places
Sample ballots, a candidate list and other resources are available at the Delco Votes! website at DelcoPA.Gov/Sample. Easy-to-use polling place resources, including an interactive map, downloadable list if PDF format, and a lookup tool are available at DelcoPA.Gov/Polls. While a small number of polling places change from election to election due to feedback from the community, construction, and other reasons, the vast majority of polling places typically remain unchanged.
These new polling places for the election include:
By law, voters must go to their designated precinct polling site to vote in-person on election day. Note: All precincts will have Electronic Poll Books with the capacity to give voters at the wrong site information on their correct polling place.
Electronic Poll Books
Voters and poll workers at all 428 precincts will have e-pollbooks. These were first introduced to approximately 39% of the county precincts during November 7, 2023 General Election. The cutting-edge technology has multiple advantages over the old paper pollbooks.
One key advantage of e-pollbooks is the ability to check-in voters more quickly. Instead of searching through hundreds of pages in a paper pollbook, workers with an e-pollbook simply enter the first three letters of a voter's last name and first three letters of the first name to find the record.
Other advantages include the ability to seamlessly manage check-ins for up to six precincts in the same room. This minimizes confusion, ensures voters are directed to the correct precinct the first time, and maintains the integrity of the electoral process. The e-pollbooks also provide consistent voter instructions for all voter situations countywide. If the name is not located, poll workers also can search by date of birth or address—all streamlining and simplifying the voting process for Delaware County voters and poll workers.
Mail/Absentee Ballots
All mail/absentee ballots requested have been mailed. Voters who requested their mail/absentee requested shortly before or on the April 16 deadline should have receive their mail/absentee ballot by no later than Saturday, April 20. If you recently applied to vote with a mail/absentee and have not yet received the ballot, please contact the Election Hotline at (610) 891-VOTE (8683), or visit the Voter Service Center, located in the Government Center Building at 201 W. Front Street, in Media, PA.
Don't Mail Your Mail/Absentee Ballot Close on Election Day!
Ballots mailed through the US Postal Service in the final days leading up to Election Day, or on Election Day, are unlikely to reach the County by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. Ballots delivered after 8:00 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 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. The Voter Service Center is open on Election Day, Tuesday, April 23, from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Services include emergency absentee service and replacements for ballots that voters did not receive, or that they damaged, lost or mismarked.
Properly Returning Your Mail/Absentee Ballot at a Secured Ballot Drop Box
Delaware County voters may return their mail/absentee ballot at any of the more than three dozen secured drop boxes located in municipalities across the County.
Ballot drop boxes are located at safe, secure, ADA-compliant locations and are under video surveillance. Ballot 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.
A list of drop box locations (and hours of operation) was included with the mail/absentee ballots mailed by the County and at the Delco Votes! website at DelcoPA.Gov/DropBox. Most ballot drop boxes are open 24/7 through Election Day (Note: Chadds Ford closes at 4:00 p.m. each weekday, including Election Day. Ridley Park Borough Hall, however, which typically closes at 4:00 p.m., will remain open until polls close at 8:00 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 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, April 23.
Don't Return Mail/Absentee Ballots for Friends and Family!
Voters are reminded that they can return only their own ballot. Voters cannot return ballots for spouses, family members, or other individuals—unless an official ‘3rd Party Delivery Form’ (also called the “Authorize a Designated Agent to Help You Obtain and/or Return Your Mail-in or Absentee Ballot”). Voters who attempt to return ballots on behalf of other voters without authorization will be referred to the Delaware County District Attorney for investigation.
Don't Vote Naked!
Voters who are casting a mail/absentee ballot must mark their ballots in blue or black ink. Once the ballot has been completed, voters should place the ballot into the yellow secrecy envelope, seal that yellow secrecy 0envelope, and then place that item into the larger purple-and-white pre-paid return envelope. Voters must also complete the voter declaration section on the exterior of the purple-and-white return envelope, being sure to include their signature and today’s date. The lack of a proper date or signature can disqualify the ballot.
Ballots returned without using the yellow secrecy envelope are called "Naked Ballots" and cannot be counted.
Correcting Flawed Ballot Envelopes
Mail/Absentee ballots that are reviewed and determined to be flawed (damaged, unsigned, undated, improperly dated, unsealed, or not placed in the yellow “secrecy envelope” before being placed in the larger purple-and-white “Ballot Return Envelope”) are segregated, and the Bureau of Elections attempts to contact voters to give the voter a chance to obtain a new ballot at the Voter Service Center or request a replacement mailed ballot, if time permits. Any mail/absentee ballot with a legal flaw will be disqualified. By law, the Delaware County Bureau of Elections is prevented from processing the ballots from flawed envelopes.
Voters who have received notice from the Bureau of Elections that their ballot envelope is flawed must correct the ballot in-person at the Voter Service Center, located on the 1st floor of the Government Center Building, at 201 W. Front St., in Media, PA. Voters who are notified of a flawed mail/absentee ballot also may cast a provisional ballot at their precinct polling place on Election Day.
Military/Overseas Ballots
Military and overseas voters must complete their ballot and submit it for delivery by mail no later than 11:59 p.m. on the day before Election Day. The Bureau of Elections can receive timely-mailed military and overseas absentee ballots until close of business a week after Election Day.
Election Results (Unofficial)
Unofficial results for each election—including primary, general, municipal, and special elections—are posted on the Delco Votes Election Results web page, located at DelcoPA.Gov/Results, starting at or about 8:20 p.m. on election night. Results are only considered official upon certification by the Pennsylvania Department of State.
Visitors to the Election Results web page will notice a new look for the April 23, 2024 Primary Election. To view votes from precinct, mail and provisional categories, click on a contest (such as “United States Senator”) and then click on the “Vote Types” tab below the map.
Our Election Hotline
Delaware County Elections maintains an Election Hotline at (610) 891-VOTE. The hotline is staffed by trained employees prepared to answer Delaware County residents' questions and provide a variety of services, and is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Election Hotline will be open on Election Day from 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 midnight.
Election Day Issues
Voters who have concerns regarding voting irregularities can call the Delaware County Election Hotline at (610) 891-VOTE. Voters who witness what they believe to be criminal activity are asked to call the Delaware County District Attorney’s office at (610) 891-4184.
The Voter Service Center
The Delaware County Voter Service Center is open and will provide a variety of in-person voter services on weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. On Election Day only, the Voter Service Center will open at 7:00 a.m. and remain open through the close of polls at 8:00 p.m.
Our Delco Votes! Website
For more election information, voters are reminded that the Delaware County’s election website — Delco Votes! — provides news, sample ballots, ballot drop box locations, polling location information, access to downloadable and online forms, livestreams, and recordings of Board of Elections meetings, and more at DelcoPA.Gov/Vote.