Primary Election Ballot Boxes, Drop Off In PA: What To Know

PENNSYLVANIA — Additional ballot boxes have been installed at locations around the state to faciliate voting by mail in the upcoming primary election in Pennsylvania on June 2.

That's in addition to the primary drop off location that exists in each county, typically in the county seat.

With officials urging residents to vote by mail if possible due to coronavirus public health concerns, there has been accompanying concern over slower mail delivery times and the possibility that the mail system could be overstressed. Officials hope the additional boxes facilitate the timely return of votes to each county's election board.

See here for a full list of all ballot boxes and drop off locations around the state, and where they're located.

Polling places will be open, with strict social distancing measures planned, tape on the floors, and cleaning supplies and kits provided to poll workers. Some counties that were hit hard by the virus, like Montgomery County, reduced their polling places by 60 percent, moving all of their locations into public schools. Other counties implemented changes on a smaller scale.

Only a small handful of counties have installed additional boxes for the 2020 election. Those counties include Bucks, Chester, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clinton, Dauphin, Erie, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and Venango.

Officials are expecting some delay in the counting of votes due to the "unprecented" number of mail-in ballots, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said. This could cause a delay in results, particularly for close races.

All ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on June 2. Postmarks do not count. State officials did not recommend a specific date for when ballots should be postmarked, but simply said that ballots should be mailed back "as soon as possible."

The deadline to apply for a mail in ballot was May 26.

More than 1.6 million -in ballots had already been received in Pennsylvania by this past weekend, according to a CBS report.