One out of every three registered voters in Pennsylvania requested a mail-in or absentee ballot for the 2020 general election.

Many of them are wondering what happens after they return that ballot - either in person, in a drop box, or through the mail.

With so many people voting by mail, and some counties waiting until the day after the election to begin counting them, experts say it could take several days to determine which presidential candidate wins the state’s 20 electoral votes.

“Counties are not going to sacrifice the integrity of the election in favor of speed. We are going to make sure we get it right so you can all count on those results and they are fair and accurate,” said Lisa Schaeffer, executive director at County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.

2020 will be the first election in Pennsylvania where a person could request a mail-in ballot for any reason. With concerns about COVID-19, 3 million people requested mail ballots.

Local approaches

Local counties have different approaches to counting mailed ballots.

Lehigh and Northampton Counties plan to begin opening and scanning mail ballots at 7 a.m. on Election Day.

Monroe County will wait until 9:30 a.m. the day after the election to begin counting mailed ballots.

With 40,000 ballots out, Sara May-Silfee said they have 11 extra people working through the election and they will be working extra hours to get everything done.

In Carbon County, there are 11,235 ballots out and officials expect to only count the votes from the precincts Tuesday night.

Schuylkill County has 20,000 ballots out. Election Director Al Gricoski said workers will start counting the mail-in and absentee ballots by 9 a.m. Election Day at the Schuylkill Transportation System in Saint Clair.

Some counties like Lehigh have purchased envelope slicing machines which will help them process mailed ballots more quickly.

President Donald Trump has suggested that mail voters go to the polling place anyway to ensure that it has been counted.

But anyone who has submitted a mail-in or absentee ballot is prohibited from voting in person.

Anyone unsure about whether their ballot has been received can check if it has been received at https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/pages/ballottracking.aspx

In Pennsylvania, voting twice in the same election is a third-degree felony. Penalties include a $15,000 fine and/or up to seven years in prison.

Still waiting

Voters who received a ballot but are still waiting to submit them can do so in person at their county election office up until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Putting a mail-in or absentee ballot in the mail on Election Day doesn’t ensure that it will be counted. As of right now, counties are required to accept ballots postmarked on Election Day up until Friday at 5 p.m., as ordered by the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court.

However the United States Supreme Court is expected to hear an appeal of that decision which could affect those votes.

Ballots will be accepted today at all county election offices during business hours. Most counties also have drop boxes available.

Ballots must be submitted by the voter, but disabled voters can give written authorization for another person to submit their vote.

Counties have different rules about voters who requested mail-in or absentee ballots but changed their mind and wish to vote in person. Northampton County voters can vote in person if they bring their ballot and envelope to the polling place. In Lehigh County, they can only vote by a provisional ballot, which isn’t guaranteed to be counted.

Sarah Walker, the National Director of State and Federal Affairs for the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab, pointed out that it took up to six days to report out all the results from Pennsylvania’s May primary.

“While we know election officials doing best in validating results, it’s just going to take time. For democracy to work for all of us, every eligible voter must have voices heard and votes counted,” she said.