Top Pennsylvania Election Official Expects Ballots 'Overwhelmingly Will Be Counted By Friday' Next Week
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With just four days until Election Day, Pennsylvania officials are urging voters with mail-in ballots to hand-deliver them to county election offices, designated drop boxes, or satellite election centers, right away.
"Voters just need to get their ballots in now and that guarantees them that their vote will be counted," Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said.
Boockvar says more than half of all mail-in ballots have already been received with a steady and unprecedented flood of them still streaming in.
"As of this morning, 2,236,162 ballots have been returned and uploaded by the counties. That's approximately 73%," Boockvar said.
For those planning to go to the polls on Election Day, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine is advising voters to have a COVID-19 safety voting plan.
"Your COVID kit should include a mask, hand sanitizer, a blue or black pen and we strongly recommend that you download the COVID Alert PA mobile app," Levine said.
While polling places will be kept sanitized due to the pandemic, state election officials say they will also be kept secure and monitored to ensure voter intimidation does not disrupt the voting process.
"This is a constant monitoring and constant preparing for the worst and hoping that none of it comes to past," Boockvar said.
Pennsylvania officials cannot start counting ballots until Election Day and with an unprecedented amount of mail ballots, they're asking voters to be patient while every vote is counted.
"I feel confident that the overwhelmingly will be counted by Friday, if not before," Boockvar said.
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