Centre County Board of Elections Offers Early Voting Appointments

Registered voters in Centre County who have not yet requested a mail-in or absentee primary ballot now have a way to pick one up in person for scheduled early voting at the county Elections Office in Bellefonte.

Residents can go to centrecountyvotes.com/earlyvoting to confirm they are registered to vote, schedule an in-person appointment and complete and print a mail-in or absentee ballot application to bring with them to the Willowbank Building, 420 Holmes Street.

Appointments will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and again on Monday, May 10, and Tuesday, May 11, which is the last day to request a mail-in ballot in Pennsylvania.

Voters arriving for appointments will enter through the door on the far-right side of the Willowbank Building.

Once their applications are processed, voters will receive a ballot, secrecy envelope, return envelope and instruction sheet. They can go to their vehicles to complete the ballot then return it sealed in both provided envelopes to a county election worker or the secure drop-box outside the Willowbank Building.

Ballots will remain sealed until 7 a.m. on Election Day, May 18.

“This is a convenient way to request, receive, and return a ballot for the 2021 Primary Election,” County Commissioner and Board of Elections Vice-Chair Michael Pipe said in a statement.

Residents can also apply online before 5 p.m. on May 11 to receive their ballots by mail. The Department of State, however, urges voters to do so as soon as possible to ensure they receive the ballot in time to be returned by Election Day.

All mail-in ballots must be returned to the county by 8 p.m. on Election Day. In addition to the Willowbank Building, secure drop-boxes are available until 8 p.m. on May 18 at the Centre Hall and Philipsburg magisterial district judges’ offices, Ferguson Township, Patton Township, Spring Township and State College municipal buildings, and Penn State’s HUB-Robeson Center.

Through Tuesday morning more than 706,900 Pennsylvania voters had applied for a mail-in ballot and more than 47,000 voters applied for an absentee ballot.  

Voters who provide an email address on their mail ballot application can check the status of their mail ballot at votesPA.com. 

Of course, polls will be open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. To find your polling location, sample ballots and more on voting in Centre County, visit centrecountyvotes.com.