Yes, they’ve done it again.
If you have already received your mail-in ballot or if you will receive it in the next few days, please note that it may come with an 🛑INCORRECT🛑 instruction sheet from the Lancaster County Board of Elections.
Please note: YOUR BALLOT IS FINE! There are NO issues with the ballot.
However, the instruction sheet INCORRECTLY refers to the secrecy envelope as WHITE⚪. The secrecy envelope is actually YELLOW🟡.
This has been corrected for future ballots, but unfortunately, the vast majority of mail ballots for this election have already been shipped to voters with this error.
✅ Mark your ballot. (Click here to view our Voter Guide.)
✅ Put your completed ballot in the YELLOW🟡 secrecy envelope that says, “Official Election Ballot” and seal it. Do not place any mark, text or symbol on the secrecy envelope.
✅ Put the sealed YELLOW🟡 secrecy envelope inside the pre-addressed WHITE⚪ return envelope and seal it.
✅ Sign and date the WHITE⚪ return envelope. Make sure you date it correctly!
✅ Add a stamp and return your ballot by mail ASAP OR drop it off in person at the Lancaster County Board of Elections office no later than 8pm on Election Day, November 7.
Please help us spread the word and prevent votes from being invalidated due to this error!
Â
The Lancaster County Board of Elections announced this error yesterday and stated that ballots returned improperly will NOT be counted, despite the fact that their provided instructions were incorrect. Further, voters will NOT be given the chance to cure the error, nor can they vote by Provisional Ballot.
You can watch the replay of the 10/11 Board of Elections meeting where this was discussed here. Lititz Borough Council candidate Mary Gattis, Warwick Democrats Committee Person Erin Gibson, and Jerry Meck representative Carol Simpson were all on hand to advocate on behalf of Warwick voters, as well as representatives from Lancaster City, Lampeter-Strasburg, and the League of Women Voters.
While we hope the Board of Elections changes its stance and finds a way to count any incorrectly sealed ballots, we must proceed as though they will not.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- FORWARD this email to every voter you know in Lancaster County.
- REACH OUT by phone or in-person to seniors or other folks who might not get the memo online and let them know about this issue.
- SHARE the ballot graphic on this page to your family and friends.
- CONTACT the Lancaster County Board of Elections and the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners and tell them that disenfranchising voters in this way is unacceptable—they must find a way to count the ballots of voters who made a faithful effort to follow their (incorrect) instructions.