Multiple ballot drop-offs are allowed only if a voter with a disability has given someone else written permission to turn in their ballot. No person except the immediate family of the voter, as defined in this Code, shall hand deliver more than one marked ballot to the registrar.". If there is no authorized representative and a deputy sheriff is unavailable to deliver an absentee ballot under this section, the judge may direct a constable to make such delivery in accordance with the provisions of this section. The law states the following: (a)A qualified applicant may designate a duly authorized agent to pick up and deliver an absentee ballot under this subtitle. (g) An offense under Subsection (f) is a Class A misdemeanor unless the defendant possessed the ballot or carrier envelope without the request of the voter, in which case it is a felony of the third degree. If the authorized messenger requests a receipt when returning the absentee ballot, the person in charge of the election shall provide the authorized messenger a receipt. If your ballot is still missing, you can request a replacement by calling 215-686-3469, filling out the City Commissioners online form, or going to Room 140 in City Hall between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m . California law states that a person voting by mail ballot may designate another person to return the ballot if the voter cannot do so themselves and that those who return ballots on behalf of others may not receive compensation based on the number of ballots returned. any place of deposit designated by the county clerk In most states, you can drop off a ballot for someone else but there might be restrictions. Permanent laws in 26 states allow voters to designate someone elsea spouse, neighbor, caregiver, etc.to return a ballot on their behalf, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). (3) The agent shall pick up the ballot before one hour prior to the closing of the polls on election day and deliver the ballot to the registered voter. Laws allowing ballot collection are designed to make voting more convenient, and to make it possible for people who cant travel to deliver a ballot on their own. As used in this section, "immediate family" means the spouse, children, parents or siblings of a voter. All rights reserved. For example, some states, like Arizona, only allow caregivers, family members or household members to drop off a ballot for someone else. Eleven states specify who may return ballots on behalf of voters. Justice Elena Kagan filed a dissenting opinion, joined by Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor. U.S. Embassy Diplomatic Pouch - You or another person can drop off your ballot request (FPCA) or completed ballot at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate for return to the United States. The film also pointed to cellphone geolocation data, which experts say is not precise enough to identify whether someone used a drop box or simply traveled near it. [ 2011, c. 534, 17, 18 (AMD) . (a) The voter's spouse, parent, sibling, child, grandchild, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, stepparent, stepchild; or [3]. To vote on Nov. 8, you must be at least 18 years old on or before the election, be a U.S. citizen for at least 30 days before Election Day, and live in . They point to a 2018 congressional election in North Carolina, when a Republican political operative and his staff illegally gathered ballots and forged signatures, as one of the few instances of voter fraud related to ballot collection. In most states, you can drop off a ballot for someone else but there might be restrictions. [3], KRS 117.255 contains the following: "Except for those voters who have been certified as requiring assistance on a permanent basis, no voter shall be permitted to receive any assistance in voting at the polls unless he makes and signs an oath that, because of blindness, other physical disability, or an inability to read English, he is unable to vote without assistance. Election security experts say that voter fraud is rare among all forms of voting, including by mail and at drop boxes. 11 states specified who may return ballots (i.e., household members, caregivers, and/or family members) in most cases. (2)For purposes of this paragraph, compensation means any form of monetary payment, goods, services, benefits, promises or offers of employment, or any other form of consideration offered to another person in exchange for returning another voter's vote by mail ballot. Surveys after the 2020 election found that voters who cast ballots for President Joe Biden were far more likely to report voting by mail than voters for Trump. Ballot harvesting (ballot collection) laws by state, Someone chosen by voter may return ballot, Supreme Court of the United States upholds Arizona ballot collection law (July 2021), Group asks Wisconsin Elections Commission for absentee ballot rule (June 2020), Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker. For example, some states, like Arizona, only allow caregivers, family members or household members to drop off a ballot for someone else. These laws vary by state. After the 2020 election, a discredited film claimed without evidence that a multistate network of Democrat-aligned ballot mules were paid to illegally collect and drop off ballots in five states. In that instance, the authorized messenger shall personally deliver the absentee ballot to the precinct superintendent of the voter's home precinct. The oath set forth in Section 7-15-380 must be signed and witnessed on each returned envelope.[3]. Arguments for and against restricting who may return mail ballots, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, Election Administration Legislation Tracker, Election legislation tracking: weekly digest, Election legislation tracking: list of sub-topics, Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy, https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Ballot_harvesting_(ballot_collection)_laws_by_state&oldid=9078999, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections, Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments, We translate bill text into summaries that are easy-to-digest everyday language, And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan. Laws allowing ballot collection make voting more convenient, but they have been criticized by some who say they increase risk of voter fraud. The agent shall Delaware law does not specify whether someone can return an absentee ballot on a voter's behalf. However, in 2020, when the use of drop boxes spiked because of the coronavirus pandemic, some criticized the practice. No person shall act as agent for more than two registered voters in any election. 2. As stated on Pennsylvanias official voting website, The only exceptions are if you are a voter with a disability and have designated someone, in writing, to deliver your ballot, or if you need an emergency absentee ballot., Those with mail-in ballots are asked to return your own ballot as soon as you receive it. 1. Colorado law states that a voter may deliver "the ballot to any person of the elector's own choice or to any duly authorized agent of the county clerk and recorder or designated election official for mailing or personal delivery; except that no person other than a duly authorized agent of the county clerk and recorder or designated election official may receive more than ten mail ballots in any election for mailing or delivery.". Other states, like California, allow for a ballot to submitted by anyone chosen by the voter as long as they are not paid per ballot they collect. But the film showed no evidence that the individuals it showed on surveillance tapes were part of a ballot scheme, and a state investigation found that at least one person featured in the film was legally dropping off ballots of family members. In most states, the answer is yes but there might be restrictions. 101.6105-101.694, including supervised voting at assisted living facilities and nursing home facilities as authorized under s. 101.655, commits a misdemeanor of the first degree."[6]. The law states the following: "Any elector applying to cast a vote-by-mail ballot in the office of the supervisor, in any election, who requires assistance to vote by reason of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may request the assistance of some person of his or her own choice, other than the electors employer, an agent of the employer, or an officer or agent of his or her union, in casting his or her vote-by-mail ballot. That election was overturned. for return to a county board of elections the absentee ballot of any voter, Your Voice. Political groups and campaigns from both parties have run ballot-collection programs with the goal of boosting turnout and helping older, homebound, disabled or rural voters get their ballots returned. 13-35-703. Drop boxes have become commonplace in Pennsylvania elections during the COVID-19 pandemic as one contact-free way to return those ballots. 1 City Hall Square, Room 241. (f) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly possesses an official ballot or official carrier envelope provided under this code to another. State law establishes that tampering with a ballot or failing to immediately deliver the ballot is a misdemeanor. Yes. The ballot shall be returned not later than the closing of the polls on the day of the election.[3]. The law places restrictions on who can assist eligible voters. A few states require designated agents to sign a document confirming they have the authority to deliver someones ballot. Benjamin Graff, center, and his son Jacob Graff, 19, drop off their mail ballots for the Pennsylvania primary election, in Philadelphia, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. The commission's three Republican members voted in favor of a motion to draft regulations around absentee ballot return, and the three Democratic members voted against it. If the clerk of the county commission of any county, or any member of the board of ballot commissioners, or any member of the board of canvassers refuses or neglects to perform any of the duties required of him or her by any of the provisions of articles three, five and six of this chapter relating to voting by absentees or discloses to any other person or persons how any absent voter voted, he or she shall, in each instance, be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $500, or confined in jail for not more than six months. 2023 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved. A few states require designated agents to sign a document confirming they have the authority to deliver someones ballot. Laws in seven states and D.C. only allow another person to return a voter's ballot if that voter meets specific criteria, such as having a disability or qualifying for an emergency ballot. More than half of states have laws that explicitly allow a third party to return a voted ballot. (A) Authorized agent shall show some form of current photographic identification to the clerk; Allegheny County voter turnout rises with a boost from mail-in voting, Rep. 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