How to Apply for a Mail in Ballot

  • All eligible Pennsylvania voters can use mail in ballots. Since mail in voting is available to all registered Pennsylvania voters, absentee ballots are no longer necessary, but they are retained because absentee ballots are part of the Pennsylvania Constitution.
  • In Pennsylvania, you must apply for a mail in ballot from the Department of State or your County Elections Office. Ballots are NOT automatically sent to everyone. Rumors that multiple ballots are being sent to the same person or dead people are false. Other organizations are permitted to send ballot applications, but the voter must submit the application and will receive only one ballot.
  • If you’re a voter with a valid PA Driver’s License or PennDOT ID number, you may apply with the online form at the Department of State, https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/.

    If you do not have a PA Driver’s License or PennDOT ID number, you will need a paper ballot application. You can download the application at the Department of State site or at https://www.bedfordcountypa.org/departments/elections/election_applications.php, or pick up an application in person at the Bedford County Elections Office, at 200 South Juliana Street, Bedford, PA.

    Once your application is completed, you can return it by mail or in person to your County Board of Elections.

    Office of Elections and Voter Registration:
    200 South Juliana Street
    Bedford, PA 15522
  • Whether you apply to the PA Department of State or your county elections office, your ballot will be sent to you by your county elections office.

Other Facts About Mail In Voting

  • You can vote as soon as your receive your ballot in the mail.
  • Your signature will be checked against courthouse records when your ballot is received. In Bedford County, voters are contacted directly if there appears to be a discrepancy between the signatures on the application and the voter registration file.
  • Mail in ballots will be counted starting at 7:00 a.m. on election day at the courthouse.  Representatives of the two major parties will be represented.

The information on this page is accurate on October 14, 2021. If you have any corrections, send us a message.