PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Editor's note: The above video is from October 28.
Cumberland and Franklin County officials have announced that they will not begin counting mail-in or absentee ballots until Wednesday, November 4.
According to Cumberland County officials, their counting will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, while Franklin County officials say they will begin theirs at 8:30 a.m.
You can read the full press release from the Cumberland County Communications Department below:
The canvassing, or counting, of mail-in and absentee ballots in Cumberland County will begin on Wed. Nov. 4 at 9 a.m., the day after the General Election. This action fully complies with state law. Due to available resources and the COVID-19 pandemic, this will allow the county to give equal weight to in-person and mail-in and absentee ballots.
“The Board of Elections, comprised of the Cumberland County Commissioners, is committed to counting every vote and not certifying the results in Cumberland County until every eligible vote, whether completed at the polling place or via mail-in or absentee ballot, is properly counted,” said Commissioner Gary Eichelberger.
This affords county officials the ability to concentrate on the smooth operation of our polling places and to ensure that appropriate COVID-19 precautions are in place at all polling locations for the safety of our residents and poll workers.
On the day after the election, the county will focus on counting (canvassing) mail-in and absentee ballots. The Board of Elections will publicly discuss the canvassing schedule at its meeting on Thursday, Oct. 29.
All election results from the polls will be posted on the Bureau of Elections website, beginning at 8 p.m. on Election Day. Mail-in and absentee ballot counts will be posted on the Bureau of Elections website daily, after each day count.
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman tweeted that he is calling on Cumberland County to move up their time to begin canvassing on Election Day at 7:00 a.m.:
He added on Thursday morning, saying there is no reason for the counties to choose to count the votes later:
There is a Board of Elections meeting in Carlisle on Thursday, October 29 set for 1:00 p.m.
Franklin County officials confirmed that the county will not begin counting mail-in ballots until 8:30 a.m. on November 4, as well.