The Courier receives another report of false voting information provided by the board of elections

The Courier has received another report that the Pike County Board of Elections has given out incorrect voting information, this time about mail-in ballots.

According to the report we received on Monday, a person who moved to Pennsylvania from out of state recently visited the board of elections office in quest of a mail-in ballot, and was told by an employee there that only mail-in ballots already received in the mail are valid to use. This is not true.

Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 5 p.m. was the deadline to request mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania. This can be done by downloading an application on the Pike County Board of Elections website (pikepa.org/election/PA%20Mail-in%20Ballot%20Application.pdf), then delivering the completed application to the board of elections office, located at 506 Broad Street #201 in Milford, by the deadline.

Mailed ballots require at least one signature, cannot have any stray marks, and must be sent with the envelope provided.

Your can return your ballot in one of three ways: in a dropbox, in person, or by mail. The voter must do this, not a surrogate.

Voters may drop off their mail-in ballot at the official ballot drop box located inside the entrance of the Pike County Administration Building (506 Broad St. in Milford) from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The drop-off deadline is 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. The building will be open to accommodate the deadline.

Ballots must be dropped off in person or postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by mail no later than Nov. 6.

You can find out other information about mail-in ballots, including how to track your ballot or how to obtain an emergency ballot, at:

If you have received a ballot in the mail but decide you want to vote in person, you can do so. However, you may be required to surrender your ballot, cast a provisional ballot, or sign an affidavit.

In September, the Pike County Board of Elections sent out a flyer filled with misinformation regarding voting registration requirements, for which county officials later apologized. Please see related story, “Pike County retracts ‘confusing’ voter registration flyer,” at pikecountycourier.com.

For more information about voting in the Nov. 3 general election, visit the official Pennsylvania government website, Votes PA, at votes.pa.gov.

If you have received a ballot in the mail but decide you want to vote in person, you can do so. However, you may be required to surrender your ballot, cast a provisional ballot, or sign an affidavit.

In September, the Pike County Board of Elections sent out a flyer filled with misinformation regarding voting registration requirements, for which county officials later apologized. Please see related story, “Pike County retracts ‘confusing’ voter registration flyer,” at pikecountycourier.com.

Pennsylvania is the focus of national attention right now because it is one of a handful of so-called battleground states expected to decide the election. President Trump won Pennsylvania in 2016 by 44,292 votes out of nearly 6 million cast. The candidate who wins the most votes in Pennsylvania gets all of its 20 electoral votes. A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.