PA Makes Change To Some Ballots In An Effort To Prevent Voting Errors

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania has again redesigned its provisional ballot envelopes in an effort to reduce the number of votes that must be discarded due to errors, the Department of State announced Monday. It's the latest in an ongoing push to modernize and democratize elections that authorities say have needlessly disenfranchised too many in the past.

The move comes after a similar redesign of the mail-in ballots before the 2024 election that brought good results.

“Every registered voter in our Commonwealth should have the opportunity to cast their vote and make their voice heard in each election,” PA Secretary of State Al Schmidt said in announcing the changes at an event in Philadelphia. “We believe these changes to the provisional ballot envelopes will have a positive impact, just as the changes we made to mail ballot materials two years ago did.”

The redesigned envelopes clearly instruct voters what fields must be filled out, and highlight the two spots on the envelope that must be signed. Taking feedback from county elections officials in Philadelphia, Berks, Butler, Mercer, and Greene counties, the envelopes also more clearly identify the fields that must be completed by election workers after the ballot has been returned.

Provisional ballots are used when there is a question or underlying issue about a voter's eligibility. The issue must be resolved before the vote formally counts, so voters cast their ballot using the special form and envelope.

While distinct from mail-in ballots, the two face many of the same issues. The redesigns the state gave to mail-ins before 2024 led to a 57 percent decrease in rejections, according to state department statistics.

Meanwhile, some 29.1 percent of provisional ballots in Pennsylvania were rejected in 2024. While the most common reason was that the voter was simply not registered, the next most common reason was an incomplete field on the ballot itself.

“I’m extremely proud of the work that went into redesigning the provisional ballot envelope,” Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein added in the Monday announcement. "Improvements to envelope design such as these may appear small, but they can make a big difference in reducing errors that might prevent Pennsylvanians from exercising their right to vote."

The new materials will be implemented for the 2025 general election in November.