EASTON, Pa. — Mail-in ballots should start arriving in Lehigh Valley mailboxes in the next few days, but voters may want to consider their options over how to turn them in.
Normally, the first ballots would have been mailed about a week ago, but counties across Pennsylvania had to delay their plans as ballot challenges played out. The state Supreme Court ruled last month that three long-shot candidates for the U.S. Senate will not appear on the ballot.
That leaves voters less time than usual to complete their ballots and turn them in. And since the post office takes days to deliver, that could shrink the window to hand in their ballots even more, said Brittney Waylen, Northampton County's deputy director of administration.
“We really want to encourage Northampton County voters to utilize our secure drop boxes or to drop off in person and not to depend on the United States Postal Service because of the court delay,” Waylen said.
Through Thursday, 24,289 Lehigh County voters have requested mail-in ballots — 17,843 Democrats, 6,231 Republicans and 215 non-affiliated voters. In Northampton County, 24,630 voters have requested a mail-in ballot — 18,567 Democrats, 6,056 Republicans and seven non-affiliated voters.
Election workers will be working late Friday and Saturday to mail out thousands of mail-in ballots, she said. The county's seven drop boxes are already in place, she added.
Tim Benyo, Lehigh County's chief clerk of registration and elections, said Lehigh County's first batch of ballots reached the post office Thursday afternoon. The drop box at the Lehigh County Government Center is in place, while the other four will be ready Monday morning, he said.
Over-the-counter ballots will be available in both counties starting Monday through April 16, the state's deadline to request a mail-in ballot. Over-the-counter ballots are mail-in ballots that residents can request at their county election office and turn in during the same visit. The ballots are only available to registered voters who have not requested a mail-in ballot already.
So far, 24,289 voters have requested a mail-in ballot in Lehigh County. As usual, the number of Democrats voting by mail vastly outnumber Republicans — 17,843 to 6,231. The remaining 215 belong to non-affiliated voters, according to state data released Thursday.
A similar scenario has played out in Northampton County, where 24,630 voters have requested a mail-in ballot. Some 18,567 are Democrats,
6,056 are Republicans and seven are non-affiliated, according to the state data.
Residents have until Monday to register to vote in the primary. While major races for president and U.S. Senate are already decided, voters can still shape some campaigns lower on the ballot.
Republicans will decide contested races for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, attorney general and the 183rd state House District, among others. Meanwhile, Democrats will pick their candidates for attorney general, auditor general and state house races for the 131st and 136th districts.
Drop box locations
Lehigh County voters can request an over-the-counter ballot at the Lehigh County Government Center at 17 S. 7th St. in Allentown. Drop boxes are located at the following locations:
- Lehigh County Government Center at 17 S. 7th St., Allentown. It is accessible at all hours.
- Fountain Hill Borough Building at 941 Long St., Fountain Hill from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.
- Lehigh County Authority Building at 1053 Spruce Road, Lower Macungie Township from 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on weekdays.
- Macungie Borough Building at 21 Locust St., Macungie from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.
- Whitehall Township Building at 3219 MacArthur Road in Whitehall from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.
Northampton County voters can request an over-the-counter ballot at the Northampton County Courthouse at 669 Washington Ave. in Easton. The county's drop boxes are located at:
- Bethlehem City Hall at 10 E. Church St., Bethlehem from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
- Northampton Community College's Fowler Family Southside Center at 511 E. Third St., Bethlehem from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Fridays and from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
- Northampton County Human Services Building at 2801 Emrick Blvd., Bethlehem Township from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
- East Allen Township Municipal Building at 5344 Nor Bath Blvd., East Allen Township from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays.
- Northampton County Courthouse at 669 Washington St, Easton from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays.
- Northampton County 911 Center at 100 Gracedale Ave., Upper Nazareth Township from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays.
- Washington Township Municipal Building at 1021 Washington Blvd., Washington Township from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.
