Mail-in ballots for 2024 election set to go out this week in Philadelphia

An election employee grabs a stack of mail-in ballots prior to the 2020 election.

Mail-in ballots for the 2024 general election will begin going out to Philadelphia voters who applied for them this week, according to a top city elections official.

Envelopes will be sent in the mail in the coming days, and, beginning Monday, voters will also be able to go to an election office to apply for and receive a mail ballot; fill out their selections; and submit their vote in one visit, City Commissioner Lisa Deeley said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Pennsylvania Department of State on Sept. 16 certified a list of candidates who will appear on the ballot. Testing is required before ballots are printed, and the City Commissioners, who oversee elections in Philadelphia, successfully completed that process Friday.

Room 140 at City Hall serves as the primary election office, and the commissioners have been gradually opening “satellite” locations in all 10 City Council districts. At the offices, residents can register to vote; update their registration; apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot; and complete and return their ballot. Voters can also go to the sites to obtain replacement ballots, declaration envelopes, secrecy envelopes and emergency absentee ballots.

Satellite offices are currently open seven days a week at 1835 S. Broad St., 4029 Market St., 5610 Lancaster Ave., Unit 400, and 5301 Chew Ave.

The City Commissioners are scheduled to unveil additional locations this week at 2301 N. Broad Street and 1619-1681 Grant Ave. In early October, sites are planned at 2739 N. 5th Street and 6233 N. Broad Street.

As of Saturday, residents can also review sample ballots online that show exactly who and what will be on the ballot in the Nov. 5 election. The documents are available for download by inputting an address at atlas.phila.gov/voting.

Oct. 21 is the final day to register to vote in the general election. Pennsylvania residents can register online at pavoterservices.pa.gov. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Oct. 29, and voters can go to pavoterservices.pa.gov or visit one of the election offices.

Jack Tomczuk

Jack Tomczuk is a Philadelphia native who started as a news reporter for Metro in March 2020 (just a couple days before COVID hit). Previously, he wrote for the Northeast Times, The Sun newspapers in Burlington and Camden counties and the Press of Atlantic City.