MEDIA KIT: HOW TO TALK TO VOTERS ABOUT NAKED BALLOTS

A Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on September 17th determined that voters must return mail ballots using two envelopes — the secrecy envelope and the larger return envelope — in order for the ballot to count. “Naked ballots” are mail ballots that are returned without being enclosed in the secrecy envelope.

Voting by mail is one of multiple convenient ways to vote in Pennsylvania. With 2.1 million Pennsylvanians signed up to vote by mail in November — many of them for the first time — it is critically important that every voter be educated on how to properly mail in their ballot so that their vote will count.

Today the Democratic National Committee launched a new, statewide digital ad in Pennsylvania that will help mail-in voters learn the information required to ensure their vote is counted, ‘How to Return Your Ballot!’ 

In addition to this ad, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, DNC, Biden for President Pennsylvania and other groups are taking a number of steps to educate voters about how to easily return their vote-by-mail ballot and ensure their vote is counted, including holding regular voter education events, direct voter outreach, and a robust social media campaign. 

HOW TO COMPLETE YOUR BALLOT

When you receive your mail ballot, it will arrive with both a smaller secrecy envelope and a larger return envelope. Every mail ballot must be filled out correctly and sent back to your local county elections office in these TWO envelopes.

Voters should be heavily encouraged follow these easy steps — if they are not followed, the voter’s ballot will NOT be counted:

  1. Fill out your ballot with a blue or black pen.
  2. Seal your ballot in the secrecy envelope. You must use the secrecy envelope in order for your ballot to count.
  3. Put the secrecy envelope containing the ballot into the larger return envelope. The return envelope has the address of your county elections office on one side. 
  4. Complete and sign the voter declaration on the back of the return envelope in order for your ballot to count.
  5. Return your ballot — by mail, in person at your county elections office, or other official drop-off location. Deadlines can be found here.

Voters can visit IWillVote.com/PA for information on how to vote in Pennsylvania, including easy to follow step-by-step instructions on how to cast their ballots and drop-off locations for mail ballots.

# # #