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Postcards on voting cause confusion among some Pennsylvanians

The mailer says, “Your ballot should be arriving in the mail soon!” But some people got the card after they had already mailed in their ballot to the local elections office. Others hadn’t intended to vote by mail at all. 

  • By Kiley Koscinski/WESA
Robb Rehfeld wears a mask as he walks to cast his vote during a special election for California's 25th Congressional District seat Tuesday, May 12, 2020, in Santa Clarita, Calif. Voting will look much different this year across the United States.

 Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP Photo

Robb Rehfeld wears a mask as he walks to cast his vote during a special election for California's 25th Congressional District seat Tuesday, May 12, 2020, in Santa Clarita, Calif. Voting will look much different this year across the United States.

(Pittsburgh) – A postcard from a statewide nonprofit group has confused some Pennsylvanians ahead of the general election. More than a dozen voters reported receiving a malier from The Voter Project to ProPublica’s ElectionLand tipline.

The mailer says, “Your ballot should be arriving in the mail soon!” But some people got the card after they had already mailed in their ballot to the local elections office. Others hadn’t intended to vote by mail at all.

An example of a mailer being sent by The Voter Project. The other side lists steps to fill out the ballot.

The opposite side of the mailer lists steps for filling out a ballot, including putting the completed ballot into a secrecy envelope before putting it into the return envelope.

On this side of the card, The Voter Project's mailing address is listed as the return address.

The card comes from a nonprofit founded this year called The Voter Project. The group, which is fiscally sponsored by the Keystone Research Center, says its goal is to ensure all Pennsylvanians can cast their ballot safely and securely. The mailers were intended to educate voters about how to properly fill out the ballot, according to spokesman Mike Mikus.

The return address for the mailer lists The Voter Project’s Philadelphia office at 1229 Chesnut Street. Mikus said confused voters should check the return address on any mailer before assuming it came from the state.

Mikus suggests the confusion stems from the amount of Pennsylvanians voting by mail for the first time this year. A record number of Pennsylvanians have registered to vote in the general election.

“So it’s not surprising, some voters may get confused. But they’re doing the right thing and they’re reaching out to people to find more information,” he said.

According to a spokesperson for the Allegheny County elections office, the county will not send any reminders about mail-in ballots, just the application and the ballot itself. The county will send a postcard indicating where a recipient’s polling location is, but those have not yet been sent.

Those confused about whether or not they will receive a mail-in ballot can check with the state online or call the local elections office.

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