Commissioners extend hours at northern Dauphin County ballot return site

Home More News Commissioners extend hours at northern Dauphin County ballot return site

ELIZABETHVILLE, PA (October 15, 2020) – Starting Monday, Oct. 19, the Elizabethville-based Northern Dauphin Human Services Center (NDHSC), one of two ballot return sites in Dauphin County, will offer extended hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., through Election Day on November 3.

“Since we opened the ballot return site in Elizabethville, about 35 people a day have taken advantage of the service,” said Commissioner Mike Pries, who oversees the county’s Voter Registration and Elections Office. “As Election Day gets closer, we want to give voters more options to conveniently and safely cast their ballot.”

On Tuesday and Thursday, the NDHSC ballot return site is open during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Trained county staff is on hand to accept completed ballots. Voter registration and mail-in ballot request forms, although available for pickup and drop off, will not be processed onsite.

“County staff has been working incredibly hard to process the more than 57,000 ballot requests for this election and answer every question,” said Board Chairman Jeff Haste. “We’re fortunate to have a great team in place to ensure that every vote is counted.”

The county’s main elections office, located in the lobby of the Dauphin County Administration Building at 2 South Second Street in Harrisburg, also has extended hours on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for voters to pick up or return forms and ballots.

Voters who plan to drop off their ballots in person are reminded that, according to Pennsylvania election law, they may only return their own ballot. 

“If you’re thinking of requesting a mail-in ballot, you have until October 27 to do so,” said Commissioner George P. Hartwick, III. “You can stop by one of our ballot return sites or make the request online at votespa.com.”

As of October 14, the office processed a total of 58,255 applications for absentee and mail-in ballots, of which 36,036 are Democrat and 15,379 are Republican. 

So far, the county received 20,580 ballots, of which 14,466 are Democrat and 4,356 are Republican.

The deadlines for returning mail-in or absentee ballots are as follows:

    • By mail: must be postmarked by 8 p.m. on November 3, Election Day.
    • In-person: must be returned to an official ballot return site in Dauphin County by 8 p.m. on November 3, Election Day.

For more information about voting in Dauphin County, go to DauphinCounty.org and click on “What Voters Need to Know” or call 717-780-6360.