LANCASTER, Pa. — Voting by mail will have a new look in Pennsylvania, starting with this year's primary election in April.
The Pennsylvania Department of State introduced new standards for mail-in voting after the November municipal elections. Ray D'Agostino, one of Lancaster County's Commissioners, said the new ballot is designed to reduce ballot mistakes.
"The Department of State and county election officials from all over the Commonwealth basically came together and said, 'Here are some of the issues that we're seeing,'" said D'Agostino. "'What is it that we can do to help resolve some of those issues up front?'"
Voters who vote by mail will receive their ballot in an envelope with a blue stripe. Once they open it, voters will find a paper with instructions and visual aids to help them with their ballots.
The completed ballots will be placed in a yellow secrecy ballot before being placed in a return envelope with a purple stripe.
"It’s all meant to be user-friendly," said D'Agostino.
Lancaster County has experienced several issues with mail-in ballots in previous election cycles.
Last year, county officials reported that 268 ballots were not counted during the municipal elections. The ballots were mailed on October 29 but did not arrive at the Lancaster County Board of Elections office until November 13.
D'Agostino said he hopes the ballots will make it to the Board of Elections faster under the new system.
“It’s important that [the Post Office] understands how this works, so they can identify the mail ballots and make sure they get to the places they need to be on time," said D'Agostino.
As Pennsylvanians prepare for the primaries, Lancaster County leaders hope to see fewer mistakes with mail-in voting.
“We really want people’s votes to count, we want their legal votes to count," said D'Agostino.