Mail/Absentee Ballot
About Mail/Absentee Ballots
Registered voters in Delaware County have the option to vote using a mail/absentee ballot. To apply all voters must provide a valid ID. Completed mail/absentee ballots may be returned by standard mail, dropped off at any of the more than two dozen ballot drop boxes located throughout Delaware County.
Act 77, a bipartisan law signed in 2019, created the option of ‘no excuse’ mail balloting. Mail-in ballots and absentee ballots function in the same way, except that applications for absentee ballots require the voter to list a reason.
Important Mail/Absentee Dates
Mail/absentee Ballot Request Deadline: Applications for mail-in ballots and absentee ballots must be received by Delaware County Bureau of Elections no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, 7 days before Election Day. Ballot Returns: Completed Mail/absentee ballots must be received by the Bureau of Elections no later than 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
Applying for your Mail/Absentee Ballot
Applying for a Mail/Absentee Ballot Online
Registered voters may use the Pennsylvania Ballot Request Application to apply online.
Apply for a Mail/Absentee Ballot with a Paper Application
You May Apply for a Mail/Absentee Ballot with a Paper Application
Application for Mail-in Ballot (English)
下載 繁體中文版郵寄選票紙質申請表
(Application for Mail Ballot-Chinese)
Application for Absentee Ballot (English)
下載 繁體中文版缺席紙質申請表
(Application for Absentee Ballot-Chinese)
Mail your mail-in ballot application or absentee ballot application to the Bureau of Elections:
Delaware County Bureau of Elections
2501 Seaport Dr. Suite BH120
Chester, PA 19013
You May Apply for a Mail/Absentee Ballot In-Person
You may visit our Delaware County Bureau of Elections Voter Service Center to request a mail/absentee ballot application in person.
What if I apply and later want to vote in person?
If you received your mail/absentee ballot:
- Bring your mail/absentee ballot AND the purple-and-white return envelope to your polling place. Tell the poll workers that you wish to remit your mail/absentee ballot and return envelope and receive an in-person ballot instead.
- If you do not have your mail/absentee ballot AND purple-and-white return envelope, you will have to vote a provisional ballot.
RECEIVING AND COMPLETING YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT OR ABSENTEE BALLOT
The processing time for mail/absentee ballot applications varies. Check the status of your mail ballot using the Election Ballot Status Check tool Once you receive your ballot, review the materials. Mark your ballot, following instructions included.
Once you have filled out your mail/absentee ballot, place it in the yellow secrecy envelope (marked "Official Ballot Envelope") and then put the sealed yellow secrecy envelope inside the larger purple-and-white Ballot Return Envelope. Be sure to SIGN and DATE your purple-and-white Ballot Return Envelope to make sure that your ballot counts.
MAIL/ABSENTEE ELECTION BALLOT STATUS CHECK
Delaware County voters can check the status of their Mail/Absentee ballot application with the Pennsylvania Department of State's Election Ballot Status tool.
RETURNING YOUR MAIL/ABSENTEE BALLOT
Whether you are returning your ballot by mail, or ballot drop box, please be sure to place your voted mail/absentee ballot in the secrecy ballot provided to you, seal it, and then place this envelope within the larger return envelope. Then fill out, sign, and date the declaration on the outside of the return envelope. If your ballot is mailed without the secrecy envelope or your return envelope is not signed or not dated, your ballot envelope will not be opened and the ballot in that envelope will not be counted.
Important Reminder! Return of a ballot by anyone other than the voter is prohibited unless the person returning the ballot is rendering assistance to a disabled voter or an emergency absentee voter. Such assistance requires a declaration signed by the voter and by the person rendering assistance. The declaration form is linked below, and can be returned in-person or by mail (details below).
Third Party Mail/Absentee Ballot Pick Up & Return Authorization Form
This form can be returned in person:
Media Voter Service Center at the Government Center Building
201 W. Front Street
Media, PA 19063-2728
[Google Map]
Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
This form can also be returned by mail:
Delaware County Bureau of Elections
2501 Seaport Dr. Suite BH120
Chester, PA 19013
Returning Your (Mail/Absentee) Ballot by Mail
The official mail-in ballot and absentee Ballot Return Envelope is self-addressed and postage-paid. Submit the completed Ballot Return Envelope at any USPS Drop Box. For an extra fee, you may also use an alternate mail carrier, such as FedEx, UPS or DHL. Mail/Absentee ballots must be received by the County by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Civilian ballots cast in the United States received after 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, May 20—regardless of postmark—cannot be counted. However, military and overseas voters’ ballots can be received through Tuesday, May 27. You can also choose to use an alternate mail carrier, including FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. Visit the carrier’s website for more information regarding deliverability and possible charges.
Returning Your Mail-In Ballot or Absentee Ballot at a Delaware County Ballot Drop Box
Mail-in ballots and absentee ballots can be returned to the Delaware County Bureau of Elections through any Delaware County Ballot Drop Box. Mail/Absentee ballots must be placed in a secure ballot drop box by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, May 20.
LAST MINUTE EMERGENCIES
In emergency situations (such as an unexpected illness or disability and last-minute absence) following the deadline at 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election, you can request an Emergency Absentee Ballot.
Emergency Absentee Ballot Request Form
The deadline to submit your Emergency Absentee Ballot Application to the County Election Office is 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, May 20.
If you are unable to pick up and/or return your emergency absentee ballot yourself, this form allows you to authorize a representative to do it for you. The voter or authorized representative must return this form and the ballot to the County Bureau of Elections by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, May 20.
Authorized Representative for Emergency Absentee Ballot Form
NOTICE AND CURE OF VOTER MISTAKES ON ENVELOPES
Ballot Return Envelopes are invalid if they are unsigned, incorrectly dated, undated, or contain a ballot that is not inside a yellow secrecy envelope. The Bureau of Elections will attempt to notify any voter whose Ballot Return Envelope arrives with one of these flaws, and if time permits, mail a REPLACEMENT mail/absentee packet to that voter.
Voters who receive notice have the following options to “cure” the issue with Ballot Return Envelope:
- Vote and return the REPLACEMENT mail/absentee ballot if time permits. The deadline to submit by 8 p.m. on Election Day still applies.
- Visit the Voter Service Center at the Government Center in Media to obtain a REPLACEMENT ballot to return by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- Present the REPLACEMENT BALLOT AND BAR-CODED PURPLE-AND-WHITE RETURN ENVELOPE at the voter’s precinct polling place on Election Day, to then receive an in-person ballot that may be voted in the precinct.
- If the voter does not have a REPLACEMENT BALLOT AND BAR-CODED PURPLE-AND-WHITE RETURN ENVELOPE, the voter will have to cast a provisional ballot at their precinct polling place on Election Day.
Delaware County Notice and Cure Policy (approved June 2024)
MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS
To register to vote and/or apply for an absentee ballot as a military or civilian overseas voter, you can complete the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). Return the signed form by:
Email attachment to DelcoElection@co.delaware.pa.us, or mail to:
Delaware County Bureau of Elections
2501 Seaport Dr. Suite BH120
Chester, PA 19013
The deadline to register to vote is TWO WEEKS before Election Day, and a ballot request must be received by the day BEFORE Election Day. For more information, see the Federal Voting Assistance Program guide for Pennsylvania.
You can select to receive your absentee ballot by email/online, fax, or mail. Once you receive the ballot, mark it and submit it for delivery by mail no later than 11:59 p.m. on the day BEFORE Election Day. The Bureau of Elections must receive voted military and overseas absentee ballots by 5:00 p.m. ONE WEEK after Election Day.
If you do not receive your absentee ballot in time to return it to participate in the election, you can use the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB). This is an official backup ballot that is blank, meaning it does not include the names of any candidates. It can only be used if you have already submitted an FPCA request, and a FWAB will only be counted if we do not receive your absentee ballot by the deadline. You can review the Notice approximately one month prior to Election Day to determine which offices that will be included on the ballot.