Released: May 15, 2023
Tuesday, May 16 is Election Day! Polls will open at all 250 polling locations at 7 a.m. and remain open until 8 p.m. Here is a rundown of things that Delaware County voters should know before heading out to the polls (or a ballot drop box!).
In most areas, only voters registered with the Democratic or Republican parties will be eligible to vote in the Primary Election. Independent and third-party voters will be able to participate only in the two areas with Special Elections: the 163rd State Representative District and Radnor Township Ward 4. In all other parts of Delaware County, only voters registered with the Democratic or Republican parties will be able to cast ballots in the Primary Election.
Pennsylvania holds special elections when there is a vacancy in an office and the law requires an election to fill the post for the remainder of that term.
Due to vacancies in office, voters in the 163rd State Representative District will be electing a new House Representative, and voters in Radnor Township’s 4th Ward (Precincts 1 and 2), will be electing a new Township Commissioner. In both special elections, voters should be aware that the winning candidates will take office shortly after the election. This is unlike the primary contests, where candidates are seeking the nomination to represent a party on the November ballots. The Special Election for each of these offices will be at the end of the Republican and Democratic Primary ballots and will be the only item on “third-party” Special Election ballots for third-party/non-affiliated voters registered in the 163rd District and Radnor Ward 4.
More information about Special Elections is available at on the PA Department of State website, accessible at delcopa.gov/special.
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, and a lookup tool, are available at delcopa.gov/polls.
Voters can locate their polling place on the Delco Votes! website at delcopa.gov/pollingplace. Polling places can be accessed through a look-up tool, an interactive map, and a list (available as a downloadable PDF). 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 include:
Collingdale 1, Harris Elementary School, 501 Sharon Ave
Collingdale 2, Harris Elementary School, 501 Sharon Ave
Eddystone North, Eddystone Elementary School, 1400 E 9th St
Eddystone South, Eddystone Elementary School, 1400 E 9th St
Nether Providence 4-1, Media (ACME) Shopping Center, 515 E Baltimore Pike
Nether Providence 4-2, Media (ACME) Shopping Center, 515 E Baltimore Pike
Tinicum 4, Tinicum Fire Co #48, 99 Wanamaker Ave
Upper Darby 2-7, Primos Secane Fire Co (REAR ENTRANCE), 1005 Secane Ave
Upper Darby 7-02, Upper Darby Municipal Bldg, 100 Garrett Rd
Upper Providence 2, Rose Tree Elementary School, 1101 First Avenue
Radnor 7-2, St John's AME Church, 930 Conestoga Rd (new name, same address)
As a reminder, by law, voters must go to their designated polling location to vote in-person on election day.
To vote in the May 16, 2023 Primary or Special Elections in Delaware County, individuals must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, have been a resident of the precinct at least 30 days before Election Day, and have completed a voter registration by the May 2 deadline.
Voters can verify their registration status at the Department of State’s Votes PA website at delcopa.gov/regstatus. Voters can continue to register to vote throughout the year, but new and updated voter registrations will not take effect until after the May 16, 2023 Primary and Special Elections. Register online at delcopa.gov/register2vote, by mail (forms are at delcopa.gov/registerbymail), or in-person in Voter Registration at the Government Center Building at 201 W. Front Street in Media.
The bulk of Delaware County vote-by-mail ballots requested so far have been mailed. Voters who requested their Vote-by-mail ballots requested shortly before the May 9 deadline will receive their vote-by-mail ballot in the mail within 5 business days. If you have recently applied to vote by mail, and have not yet received your 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.
Ballots mailed through the US Postal Service on the Monday before Election Day, 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 Elections voters who have yet to return their vote-by-mail 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, May 16, from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Delaware County voters may return their vote-by-mail ballots at any of the approximately 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 vote-by-mail ballots by Delaware County voters in the weeks before Election Day. Postage is not required to return a Delaware County vote-by-mail ballot.
A list of drop box locations (and hours of operation) was included with the vote-by-mail ballots mailed by the County and drop box locations are also accessible on 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 p.m. each weekday, including Election Day. Ridley Park Borough Hall, however, which typically closes at 4 p.m., will remain open until polls close at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
The deadline for voters to return their vote-by-mail ballots at the Voter Service Center or an official Delaware County ballot drop box is 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, May 16.
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’ (formerly called the “Authorize a Designated Agent to Help You Obtain and/or Return Your Mail-in or Absentee Ballot”) has been submitted and approved by the PA Department of State. Voters who attempt to return ballots on behalf of other voters without authorization will be referred to the Delaware County District Attorney for investigation.
Voters who are casting a vote-by-mail ballot must mark their ballots in blue or black ink. Once the ballot has been completed, voters should place the ballot into the smaller of the two envelopes (marked Official Ballot Envelope), seal that envelope, and then place that into the larger pre-paid return envelope. Ballots returned without the Official Ballot Envelope are called "Naked Ballots" and cannot be counted.
Voters must also complete the voter declaration section on the exterior of the return envelope, being sure to include their signature, printed name, address, and date. Incomplete or inaccurate voter information may disqualify the ballot.
The Delaware County Bureau of Elections is responsible for reviewing all vote-by-mail ballot envelopes that are returned in Delaware County before they can be counted. Vote-by-mail ballots that are reviewed and determined to be flawed are then segregated, and the Bureau 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 vote-by-mail ballot — whether mail-in or absentee — with a legal flaw is disqualified. Flawed ballots are those that are damaged, unsigned, undated, improperly dated, unsealed, or not placed in the “secrecy envelope” before being placed in the larger “Ballot Return Envelope.” By law, the Delaware County Bureau of Elections is prevented from processing the ballots from flawed envelopes.
Voters who receive notice that the 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. If time permits, the voter can ask for a replacement ballot to be mailed. Voters will have the opportunity to receive a replacement ballot and complete and return their ballot during the same visit. Voter's valid ID is required.
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 must receive voted military and overseas absentee ballots no later than 5:00 p.m. one week after Election Day.
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 a.m. - 12 midnight.
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) 891-4192.
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 a.m. to noon. On Election Day only, the Voter Service Center will open at 7 a.m. and remain open through the close of polls at 8 p.m.
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.