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Want to vote? Make sure you're prepared for Tuesday's primary election

Changes are coming due to the COVID-19 crisis, and it will impact how fast voters get results.

There are a lot of changes to voting in 2020 that anyone who is interested in casting a ballot needs to know about.

MAIL-IN BALLOTS

Mail-in ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The ballots must be received by the voters' county election office by that time, not simply postmarked. Therefore, counties have drop-off locations to assist voters who are scrambling to make the deadline and drop-off both mail-in ballots and absentee ballots. Mail-in ballot applications were accepted through May 26 at 5 p.m.

Find mail-in voting drop-off locations here. 

For voters who requested a mail-in ballot, but did not receive one, they can still vote at the polls by requesting a provisional ballot.

Track your mail-in ballot status here.

UPDATE:

Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order extending the deadline for county election offices in Allegheny, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties to receive absentee or mail-in ballots by mail to 5 p.m. June 9, 2020. The ballot must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, June 2, 2020. The deadline to hand-deliver absentee or mail-in ballots remains 8 p.m. June 2, 2020.

The six counties included in the executive order are part of a disaster emergency declaration the governor signed Saturday in response to civil unrest to provide all necessary assistance to the municipalities.

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VOTING AT THE POLLS

- Check where you vote:

Voters are strongly encouraged to check the location of their polling place location as counties have consolidated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Counties were granted emergency relief to consolidate polling locations due to COVID-19 only for the primary election through the bipartisan Act 12 of 2020. Counties were required to notify voters of polling place changes and the state said, counties may do so in a variety of ways. 

Check your polling location here. 

- Safety Guidelines:

The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in safety guidelines being issued to counties during the election. Per the state, voters are encouraged to do the following actions

  • Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth. This can be a cloth mask or scarf, like you would wear in a grocery store. - "We strongly encourage voters to wear masks out of respect for their fellow voters and for the dedicated poll workers staffing the polling places. Voters who are not wearing a mask will not be denied their right to vote." 
  • Bring your own blue- or black-ink pen to mark your ballot and limit your exposure to shared surfaces.
  • Practice good hand hygiene. You may want to bring hand sanitizer with you, if you have it, for your personal use.
  • Maintain social distance from poll workers and other voters. This means staying about 6 feet apart from other people while you are waiting in line, checking in and voting.
  • Follow instructions from poll workers and other election officials. They are there to help things run smoothly.
  • Be patient. This will be a new experience for everyone involved. You can help by being patient and understanding while you exercise your right to vote.  

Have additional questions about Tuesday's primary election? Find the answers here. 

Pennsylvania's primary was rescheduled from April 28 to June 2 when Governor Tom Wolf signed Senate Bill 422 on March 27. 

More Pennsylvania counties will also roll out new paper ballot voting machines Tuesday.

In York County alone, nearly 54,000 applications for mail-in ballots were received and as of Monday 32,299 had been returned. 

RELATED: "We're not going to have results the night of the election": Counties prepare to count thousands of mail-in ballots

Several counties in Pennsylvania, including York, have warned voters election results will likely not be released by the end of election night due to the amount of mail-in ballots counties will need to count. 

RELATED: A record number of mail-in ballot applications, but will they arrive in time?

RELATED: Dauphin County Commissioners ask voters for patience; new voting system and glut of mail-in ballots could cause delays

Before You Leave, Check This Out