When the polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, many Warren County residents will have already cast their ballots.

Warren County Director of Elections and Voter Registration Krystle Ransom has started sending out ballots.

“Our first batch of absentee ballots will be going out in today’s (Tuesday’s) mail, followed by the mail-in ballots,” Ransom said. “We have approximately 2,600 to send.”

There could be more. “The last day to apply for an absentee or mail-in ballot is (Tuesday) Nov. 1,” she said. Requests may be made by contacting Ransom at (814) 728-3406, kransom@warrencountypa.gov, or in person at the Voter Registration office at Warren County Courthouse, or by visiting vote.pa.gov.

Ballots – whether returned by mail or by hand – must be received by the elections office by 8 p.m. Election Day – Tuesday, Nov. 8.

“I encourage the voters to vote the ballot right away and send it back,” Ransom said.

Voters should carefully follow all steps for mail-in and absentee voting – including securing the completed ballot in the security envelope, then placing that sealed envelope in the mailing envelope. According to vote.pa.gov, “Your ballot must be enclosed and sealed in the inner secrecy envelope that indicates ‘official election ballot’ or it will not be counted.”

The voter should not make any marks on the secrecy envelope.

The voter’s declaration on the outside of the mailing envelope must be filled out.

“If you do not complete the declaration on the return envelope your ballot will not be counted,” according to vote.pa.gov.

Those who apply for and receive mail-in or absentee ballots and decide they want to vote in person at the polls may do so under some circumstances.

According to vote.pa.gov, if the voter has already voted by mail, they cannot also vote at the polls.

To vote in-person, the voter must bring the ballot and return envelope to their polling place to have it voided by poll workers. At that time, the voter may cast a ballot in-person.

Voters who applied for mail-in or absentee ballots and go to the polls without the ballot and envelope may cast provisional ballots. Poll workers will compare the mailed ballots with the provisional ballots to guarantee that no voter voted twice.

The deadline to register to vote in the forthcoming election is Oct. 24.