Released: November 3, 2024
Sample Ballots, In-Person Polling Places, Mail/Absentee Ballot Flaws, ePollbooks, and more!
Delaware County Elections has released final guidance for the upcoming general election on Tuesday, November 5. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at over 250 locations across the county.
Here’s key information Delaware County voters need to know before heading to the polls or a ballot drop box. Voters are also invited to visit the County’s Delco Votes! website at DelcoPA.Gov/Vote for information.
Sample Ballots and the Official Candidate Lists
Sample ballots, a candidate list, and other resources are available on the Delco Votes! website at DelcoPA.Gov/Sample. Voters simply need to select their municipality from the alphabetical list, then select their ward and precinct from the available selections to see a list of candidates that will be on their ballot on Election Day.
First-time voters and those unfamiliar with their ward and precinct numbers can visit DelcoPA.Gov/Polls and use the web-based look-up tool to easily find their ward, precinct, and polling place address by entering their street address.
Voters may bring notes to help simplify voting and are also permitted to bring party-provided 'sample ballots'—which typically show preferred candidates selected by local party representatives—into their privacy booth when filling out their ballot.
Finding Polling Places
Polling place tools, including an interactive map, a downloadable PDF list, and a lookup tool, are available at DelcoPA.Gov/Polls.
Most polling locations remain the same each election, though some change due to community feedback, construction, or other needs. Only three polling places have changed for the Nov. 5, 2024, General Election since the April primary, with notices mailed to voters in these precincts:
Additionally, redistricting of all precincts in Radnor Township was completed this summer. Voters in Radnor Township received three notifications in September and October, whether or not their precinct or polling place changed.
By law, voters must cast their ballots at their designated precinct polling site on Election Day. Note: All precincts will have Electronic Pollbooks that can assist voters in finding their correct polling location if they arrive at the wrong site.
Electronic Pollbooks (ePollbooks)
Delaware County’s 428 precincts will all be equipped with electronic poll books (ePollbooks) for the upcoming election. ePollbooks were first introduced in select precincts during the November 2023 General Election and then expanded to all precincts in April 2024. While they have already proven successful in improving the voting experience, this will still be the first time using ePollbooks for many voters.
ePollbooks offer several advantages over traditional paper pollbooks, allowing for faster check-ins as poll workers can simply enter the first three letters of a voter’s last and first names to quickly locate records, rather than searching through extensive paper lists.
In addition, ePollbooks simplify operations at locations with multiple precincts, reducing confusion and helping ensure that voters are directed to the correct precinct on the first attempt. The technology also provides standardized instructions for all voter situations across the county. If a name isn’t found, poll workers can search by date of birth or address, further enhancing efficiency for both voters and poll workers in Delaware County.
Mail/Absentee Ballots
All mail/absentee ballots requested have been mailed. Voters who requested their mail/absentee requested shortly before or on the October 29 deadline should have received their mail/absentee ballot by no later than Saturday, November 2. If a voter recently applied to vote with a mail/absentee and has not yet received the ballot, they are instructed to contact the Delaware County Election Hotline at (610) 891-VOTE (8683), or visit the Voter Service Center located in the Government Center Building in Media, PA, at 201 W. Front Street.
Voter Service Center Locations and Hours
Don't Mail Your Mail/Absentee Ballot After October 31!
Ballots mailed via USPS just before 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 community 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.
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 community drop boxes located in municipalities across the County.
Drop boxes are located at safe, secure, ADA-compliant locations and are under video surveillance. 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 community drop box locations (and hours of operation) was included with the mail/absentee ballots mailed by the County and is available on the Delco Votes! website at DelcoPA.Gov/DropBox. Most drop boxes are open 24/7 through Election Day Note: Chadds Ford closes at 4:00 p.m. on 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, November 5, 2024.
Properly Completing a Mail/Absentee Ballot
Completed mail/absentee ballots must arrive by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Postmarks do not matter, except in the case of military and overseas ballots.
Delaware County Voters Reminded to Avoid Legal Flaws on Mail/Absentee Ballots
The Bureau of Elections is required to review all mail/absentee envelopes. Any mail/absentee ballot that contains a legal flaw will be segregated and will be disqualified under state law. Such flaws include unsigned, undated, improperly dated, unsealed outer envelopes, or “naked” ballots where the voter did not use the yellow secrecy envelope.
The Bureau is continuing to notify voters, by phone and email, of flawed ballot envelopes as they are received and will continue to do so through Election Day, providing voters with an option to “cure” their flawed ballot by visiting a Voter Service Center (VSC) to obtain a replacement ballot or cast a provisional ballot at their precinct on Election Day.
As a reminder, only the Voter Service Center in Media, PA, located at 201 W. Front St., will be open on Election Day.
Checking the Status of a Mail/Absentee Ballot
Voters who requested a mail/absentee ballot before the 5:00 p.m. Tues., Oct. 29 deadline and have yet to receive their ballot should plan to visit a Voter Service Center to obtain a replacement ballot, or simply go to their in-person polling place on Election Day, explain to their precinct’s Judge of Elections that their mail/absentee ballot did not arrive, and cast a provisional ballot. As long as a mail/absentee ballot was not received by the Bureau of Elections, the provisional ballot will count.
Voters can also check the status of their requested ballot on the PA Department of State’s Election Ballot Status website at DelcoPA.Gov/Ballot-Tracker. Voters who requested and returned their mail/absentee ballot but are concerned that they may have returned a flawed ballot, should check the Election Ballot Status tracker. If the status shows "RECORD – BALLOT RETURNED," it means the envelope was received without apparent flaws and will be processed. If the status indicates a flawed ballot, voters should visit a Voter Service Center or contact the Delaware County Election Hotline at (610) 891-VOTE (8683).
Mail Ballot Requested but Voting In-Person on Election Day? Here’s What to Know!
Some Delaware County voters who requested a mail/absentee ballot may decide to vote in person on Election Day. Voters who received a mail/absentee ballot but choose to vote in person can do so.
Voters are advised to bring their mail/absentee materials to the polling place, where they will be able to exchange them for a regular Election Day ballot. If the voter doesn’t have their mail/absentee materials—whether they were lost, forgotten, damaged, never received, or mismarked—a Provisional Ballot will be provided. Provisional Ballots will be counted as long as the Bureau of Elections does not receive a completed mail/absentee ballot or the ballot was received but contained a legal flaw.
Canvassing Mail/Absentee Ballots vs. In-Person Paper Ballots
Under Pennsylvania Election Law, in-person ballots are processed continuously throughout Election Day. Voters’ in-person ballots are scanned at polling locations, and the totals are securely transferred to the Bureau of Elections shortly after polls close at 8:00 p.m.
In contrast, mail-in and absentee ballots, which this election are expected to number close to 100,000, cannot be canvassed until polls have closed at 8:00 p.m. This means that even though many mail/absentee ballots are received weeks in advance, their counting begins only after in-person voting has ended, resulting in these ballots being processed and counted later in the evening.
Delaware County Elections staff will be working late to ensure that all mail/absentee ballots are accurately counted and included in the unofficial results as quickly as possible, with updates provided as counting progresses. Unofficial results will begin to be posted after polls have closed at 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5, and will continue to be updated as ballots are counted, including civilian mail-in and absentee ballots, as well as provisional, military, and overseas ballots.
Election Day Issues
Voters who have concerns regarding voting irregularities can call:
Voters who witness what they believe to be illegal or criminal activity are asked to call:
Emergency Absentee Ballots
Emergency status is determined for voters who must vote by absentee ballot because of a disability or absence from their municipality that was not and could not have been known prior to the Tuesday before the election (which is the deadline to apply for a regular absentee or mail-in ballot).
Emergency Absentee Ballot Applications are available at all Delaware County Voter Service Centers and on the PA Department of State website at https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/vote/voter-support/mail-in-and-absentee-ballot/emergency-absentee-ballot.html.
Emergency Absentee Ballot Applications should be submitted to the County Board of Elections at the Voter Service Center in the Government Center Annex of the Delaware County Courthouse, 201 W. Front Street, Media.
The deadline to submit an Emergency Absentee Ballot Application is 8:00 pm on Election Day.
Mail-in/Absentee Ballot Tracker
Delaware County has launched a mail/absentee ballot tracking tool to enhance transparency. This tool, available on the election results web page at DelcoPA.Gov/Results, provides near-real-time updates on ballot activity. It shows the total number of ballots sent out and received, including breakdowns of how mail-in/absentee ballots were returned—by USPS mail, at the drop box at the Government Center in Media, PA, or at any of the 36 community drop boxes located in dozens of municipalities across the County.
The new tool increases transparency by providing a pre-election, pre-canvass view of the total number of mail-in and absentee ballots sent out and those returned by voters—whether through USPS, the Government Center drop box, or one of the secure community drop boxes.
As of Saturday, November 2, a total of 94,045 mail/absentee ballots have been sent to voters, and 78,935 have been returned. This total includes 41,990 ballots returned by standard USPS mail, 11,337 ballots returned to the Government Center ballot drop box in Media, and 25,608 ballots returned through the 36 community ballot drop boxes located in municipalities across the county.
The totals will be refreshed frequently until all valid mail-in and absentee ballots cast for the Nov. 5, 2024 General Election are processed. This includes military and overseas absentee ballots, which must be submitted for delivery by 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 4 and received by the Bureau of Elections no later than 5:00 p.m. one week after Election Day.
Livestreaming Election Night
For a transparent view of the election process, 10 cameras will provide live streams of the election facility throughout the election process. This stream, directly from the Bureau of Elections ballot processing facility, allows residents to observe as dedicated Delaware County Elections staff work to ensure every vote is counted. The livestream provides an inside look at pre-canvassing and canvassing operations, offering regular updates, and highlighting the County’s dedication to a fair and transparent election process.
To view the livestreams, click the camera buttons found on the Delco Votes! website at DelcoPA.Gov/Results.
Special Rules for Military and Overseas Voters
Election Results
Delaware County residents can access unofficial election results for the Nov. 5, 2024, General Election on Election Night after polls close at 8:00 p.m. Unofficial results will be posted online at DelcoPA.Gov/Results as votes are tallied, including those from mail-in, absentee, and in-person ballots, with updates continuing through the counting of provisional and military ballots.
Results are deemed official only upon certification by the Pennsylvania Department of State, typically completed a few weeks after Election Day.