Primary election 2025: What you need to know about voting by mail in Berks
Election officials said the first batch of about 16,000 mail ballots are being sent to voters who requested them and should begin arriving in mailboxes this week.
Voters can decide to cast their ballot by mail or they can go to the polls on May 20. They will help select their parties' nominees for seats on the state appellate courts, local judicial positions, municipal boards and councils, school boards and some county row offices.
Here's what you need to know about voting by mail.
How can I request a mail ballot?
Voters can apply online by visiting VotesPA.com, apply in person at the county elections office or contact the county elections office directly at 610-478-6490 to request a paper application.
You will need to apply with a valid Pennsylvania identification card or supply the last four digits of your Social Security number.
What is the deadline to apply for a mailed ballot?
The deadline is May 13 — seven days before the primary. But election officials ask that voters request a ballot as soon as possible.
How do I vote with a mail ballot?
1. Carefully open the ballot package when you receive it in the mail.
2. Make sure there is a secrecy envelope included because a mailed ballot not in a secrecy envelope, also known as a naked ballot, will not be counted.
3. Fill out the ballot immediately.
4. Place your ballot in the secrecy envelope, then put the secrecy envelope into the official envelope. Be sure to sign and date the declaration or your ballot will not count.
5. You can mail ballots to the county election office in the services center, deliver them in person to the office or place them in one of the three drop boxes available in Berks County.
Will there be drop boxes for ballots?
Three drop boxes are available in Berks.
One box is in the lobby of the Berks County Services Center at 633 Court St. in Reading; one is in the lobby of the Berks County South Campus at 400 E. Wyomissing Ave. in Mohnton; and another is inside the Reading Regional Airport terminal at 24 Liberator Way in Bern Township.
The drop boxes will be open the following days and hours beginning May 5:
• Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, May 17: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Sunday, May 18: noon to 4 p.m.
• Monday, May 19: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Election Day, May 20: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
All three drop boxes are secured by deputies from the sheriff's department and are monitored by security cameras. Workers in the election services department collect the ballots at the end of each day and seal them when the centers are closed.
Voters who choose to drop off their ballots are not allowed to drop off ballots belonging to anyone else — a practice Democrats call community collection and Republicans deem ballot harvesting. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled the practice is illegal.
What if I don't get my mail ballot?
No problem. You can go to your assigned polling place and vote in-person by filling out a provisional ballot if you have not received your mail ballot.
What if I signed up for a mail ballot but want to vote at the polls?
If you misplaced your mail ballot or have decided to cast your ballot at the polls, you still have an opportunity to vote.
Go to your assigned polling place. If you have the mail ballot, you will need to surrender the ballot and its envelopes to the judge of elections to be voided in order to vote on the voting machines. If you misplaced the mail ballot, you will need to tell the judge of elections and they will give you a provisional ballot to fill out.
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