Clarion County commissioners want county residents to vote by mail in the June 2 primary election.
“We are encouraging Clarion County voters to use the write-in ballots,” Commissioner Ed Heasley said. “There is no more important civic duty than voting. We are encouraging voters to apply for a mail-in ballot.”
The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is May 26 at 5 p.m.
The mail-in option was part of an election reform law signed in October by Gov. Tom Wolf. The 2020 primary election will be the first use of the mail-in ballots.
County elections director Cindy Callihan said earlier the county usually receives about 1,000 absentee ballots every election but this year the total could be three times that amount.
Under the election laws the mail-in ballots can’t be counted before election night. The county usually is able to provide an unofficial result on election night but the volume of write-ins may delay the tabulation.
Callihan was uncertain if the results would be available the day after the election.
Commissioners on Tuesday approved the purchase of a second scanner from Dominion Voting Systems. The cost is $4,192.50 with an annual warranty fee of $1,650 starting in 2021.
“This is a second, back-up, unit in anticipation of a high vole number of mail-in ballots,” said Heasley.
This will be the first time the county has used the Dominion voting system. Voters will cast their vote on a paper ballot, and the votes will be stored on a thumb drive and recorded at the Clarion County Administration Building n Clarion on election night.
Voters using the new mail-in ballot will need to follow guidelines established by the state.
Prospective voters can also use the site to apply for an absentee ballot, and they will be asked questions to determine whether they qualify for one.
Those questions include whether they will be traveling on the Election Day or whether they are ill or have a physical disability that prevents them from voting in person.
Voters can also download and print the application and mail it to their county election office, or apply in person.