patheur

Election Day 2024 is here. What York County voters need to know

Sakege November 5, 2024

Tuesday is election day.

Voters will select candidates for president, Congress, state offices and the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

The polls will be open from 7 am to 8 pm. Voters who are in line before 8 pm will be able to cast their vote.

Voters who still have their mail-in or absentee ballots must return them by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Voters must return their own ballots unless they designate a person in writing because of a disability, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Where is my polling place?

To find out where you vote, visit vote.pa.gov.

Four polling locations in York County have been changed for the upcoming election.

They are:

Hopewell Township

Of: Hopewell Township Building, 3336 Bridgeview Road

TO: Eureka Volunteer Fire Department, 82 N. Main St., Stewartstown

Jackson Township District 1

Of: Bailey Family of Companies, 1708 PA-116

TO: Spring Grove Area High School, 244 Old Hanover Road

Second Ward of Windsor Township

Of: Pleasant View Elementary School, 700 Delta Road

TO: Windsor Manor Elementary School, 2110 Windsor Road

York Township District 3

Of: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, 2500 Pine Grove Road

TO: York Township Municipal Offices, 190 Oak Road

Free rides on Rabbittransit’s fixed route on Election Day

Rabbittransit will offer free rides on its fixed-route service on Election Day, according to a news release.

Shiloh Baptist Church is subsidizing day fares so riders can get to their local polling place.

Voters can plan their trip at rabbittransit.org.

Free one-hour parking for voters at downtown York polling place

Voters who cast their ballot at the Appell Center at 50 N. George St. in York can receive parking validation for up to one hour at the Philadelphia Street Garage, 25 W. Philadelphia Street, according to the City of York.

Voters must grab a ticket at the garage and then get validation at the polls, a news release states.

The Appell Center is the polling location for York City’s Districts 5 and 7, according to the release.

Expect lines at the polls in York County

York County expects to see high voter turnout at polling places, said Presiding Commissioner Julie Wheeler.

Poll workers will do their best to get voters through in a timely manner, he said.

How to Return Your Mail Ballot on Election Day

Voters who have not returned their ballot by mail must do so in person. It’s too late to mail it. Postmarks do not count.

Voters have three options from 7 am to 8 pm on Election Day:

Stop by the curbside drop-off in front of the York County Administrative Center, 28 E. Market St.
Walk to the administrative center to drop off.
Drop it off at the York County Elections Office at the Pleasant Valley Road building, 2401 Pleasant Valley Road in Springettsbury Township.

How to Track Your Mail Ballot

Voters who requested a mail-in ballot or have already returned one can track it online.

On election day, Voters can check if their ballot was disqualified due to an errorsuch as the lack of signature of the voter declaration on the outer envelope or the lack of a secret envelope.

“If the voter has an email on file, they will receive an automated response informing them that their ballot is defective,” Wheeler said.

Mail-in ballots with errors cannot be counted.

If the mail-in ballot is defective, voters can go to the polls to vote with a provisional ballot, Wheeler said.

What happens if I didn’t receive my ballot in the mail?

People who did not receive their ballot in the mail, lost it or now want to vote in person can go to the polls, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.

If voters have their ballot package in the mail, they should take it with them to void it. They will also have to sign a declaration.

Those who do not have a mail-in ballot package will have to vote with a provisional ballot.

Election officials will verify if the mail-in ballot was returned. If the vote by mail is confirmed, that is the one that will count.

Undeliverable mail-in ballots were returned to the York County Elections Office

The postal service returned several hundred mail-in ballots to the local elections office because they could not be delivered.

Voters who have moved sometimes forget to update their voter registration with their new address, Wheeler said. Mail-in ballots cannot be sent to a new address.

A voter contacted the ACLU of Pennsylvania because the ballot was sent to the wrong address, attorney Kirsten Hanlon said. The organization reached out to the county to discuss the error and alert voters about undeliverable ballots.

Voters can check the status mail ballot tracker to see if yours is marked “canceled-undeliverable,” according to the county website.

If so, voters can go to the elections office in Springettsbury Township to fill out their ballot, or they can vote a provisional ballot at their polling place.