Voter Registration

For voters who can’t go to their polls on election day.

A voter can apply for and receive an absentee ballot for the upcoming election if he or she is registered to vote and falls into one of the following criteria:

• The voter is absent from his or her municipality the entire time the polls are open.
  • Examples include college students, vacationers, truck drivers, etc.
• The voter cannot attend the poll because of illness or disability.
• The voter will not go to the poll because of observing a religious holiday.
• The voter is an inmate who hasn’t been convicted of a felony.

For voters who don’t want to vote at their polls on election day.

A voter can apply for and receive a mail-in ballot for the upcoming election if he or she is a registered voter and is not eligible for an absentee ballot, but wishes to vote by mail instead of in person at a polling place. No excuse or reason is required.

A voter who wants to vote by absentee or mail-in ballot must complete and submit an application to the county board of elections in one of the following ways:

• Apply online. The voter must have a Pennsylvania driver’s license or Pennsylvania identification card to use this method.
  • Download a PDF application and mail it to the Franklin County Voter Registration Office at 272 North Second Street, Chambersburg, PA 17201.
  • Absentee Ballot Application: English | Spanish
  • Mail-in Ballot Application: English | Spanish
• Apply in person at the Franklin County Voter Registration Office.
• Request an application by calling the Franklin County Voter Registration Office at 717-261-3886.

All applications must be completed, signed and received by the Franklin County Voter Registration Office no later than 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before each election. There are provisions made for individuals who need an emergency ballot after that deadline. Contact the Franklin County Voter Registration Office for more information.

Counties are authorized to begin processing applications more than 50 days before an election. Beginning 50 days before the election, counties must begin transmitting ballots as soon as the ballot is certified and the ballots are available. Counties may await the result of a court proceeding that would affect the content of ballots before delivering them. Regardless, counties must begin to sending out ballots no later than the second Tuesday before the election.

When you receive your ballot, be sure to read and follow all instructions carefully.

1. Mark your ballot carefully by filling in the oval next to the candidate’s name you wish to vote for.
2. If you wish to write in a candidate’s name, you must also fill in the oval beside the write line.
3. Complete the front and back of the ballot.
4. Seal your ballot in the inner yellow secrecy envelope marked “official election ballot.”
5. Do not make any marks on the inner yellow secrecy envelope.
6. Your ballot must be enclosed and sealed in the inner secrecy envelope or it will not be counted.
7. Place the sealed inner yellow secrecy envelope in the pre-addressed outer purple and white return envelope.
8. Sign and date the voter’s declaration on the back of the outer purple and white return envelope. If you do not complete the declaration on the return envelope, your ballot will not be counted.
9. Return your completed ballot to the Franklin County Voter Registration Office no later than 8 p.m. on election day.
10. When returning a ballot by mail, please allow at least three days for local delivery and four to five days for longer distances. POSTMARKS DO NOT COUNT.
11. Unless a voter is disabled and needs assistance to deliver an absentee or mail-in ballot to the voters registration office, it is illegal under Pennsylvania law for anyone other than the voter to hand-deliver an absentee or mail-in ballot to the county.
    • Delivery of absentee and mail-in ballots cast by voters who are not disabled may be delivered only by U.S. mail or by the voter in person.
    • If a ballot is being returned for a disabled voter, the person returning the ballot must have a completed Designated Agent Authorization Form.

A voter has the option to request to be added to an annual mail-in ballot request list by checking the designated box under Item No. 7 on the application. Once your application is approved, you will automatically receive ballots for the remainder of that year without submitting a new application request form. You will also receive an application to renew your mail-in ballot request each year thereafter.

If, after requesting an annual mail-in or absentee ballot, you change your mind and want to vote in person at your polling place, you must complete a Request to Cancel Permanent Mail-In or Absentee Ballot Status Form and submit it to the Franklin County Voter Registration Office.

Voters with a permanent disability who wish to be placed on a permanent absentee list must complete Section C on the Absentee Ballot Application. A physician’s signature is required. Once a voter is on this list, he or she will receive an absentee ballot application by mail by the first Monday in February of each year. If the voter completes and returns the application, the county will mail the voter ballots for all elections that take place that year, including any special elections held through the third Monday of February of the following year.