My mail ballot never arrived. What do I do?

Step 1: Check your ballot's status

Your county mails your ballot once its ballots are final and ready. That date is different from county to county, so a ballot that hasn't come yet may not be lost.

Before you worry, check your ballot's status with the state's online mail ballot tracker.

• If the tracker shows your ballot was sent but it still hasn't come, go to Step 2.
• If the tracker has no record of your ballot, call your county election office. Ask if it got your application. If you still need to apply, your county must receive your application by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
• If you gave your county an email address when you registered or applied, you may get email updates about your ballot. What you get depends on your county.

Step 2: Call your county election office

Your county election office mails your ballot, not the state. The county can tell you when your ballot went out and what you can do next. The Pennsylvania Department of State's website lists contact information for all 67 county election offices.

Some counties will mail or hand you a new ballot. This is called a replacement ballot. Each county handles this its own way, so ask your county exactly what to do.

• Ask if you can pick up a replacement at the county election office. If you get one there, ask if you can fill it out and hand it in during the same visit.
• If a replacement is mailed to you, ask how long it will take to get there.
• If your first ballot shows up after you get a replacement, call your county before you fill out either one. Use only the ballot the county tells you to use.
• Need help finding your county's phone number or knowing what to ask? Call us at (267) 209-3397. We are a private group, not an election office, but we can walk you through the steps.

If it never comes, vote at your polling place

You can still vote in person on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you are in line by 8 p.m., you can vote.

Tell the poll workers you asked for a mail ballot but never got it. You can vote a provisional ballot. A provisional ballot records your vote while the county checks whether it can be counted. Once the county confirms you did not already vote by mail, it counts your provisional ballot.

• If your mail ballot arrives but you want to vote in person, bring the ballot and its outer return envelope to your polling place. You hand them in and sign a form. Then you vote a regular ballot.
• If you don't have both the ballot and the outer return envelope with you, you can vote a provisional ballot.
• If you already sent back your completed mail ballot, you cannot vote a regular ballot at the polls. If you think your county never got it or rejected it, you can ask for a provisional ballot. Call your county election office first if you can.
• Look up where your polling place is before Election Day.

Don't wait until the last week

Your county must RECEIVE your completed ballot by 8:00 p.m. on November 3. A postmark does not count. A replacement mailed late in October may not reach you and get back to the county in time.

If you applied a while ago and still have no ballot, call your county now.

• 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 27, 2026: your county must receive your mail ballot application by this time.
• 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 3, 2026: your county must receive your completed ballot by this time. The polls also close at 8 p.m.
• When you get a ballot, put it in the inner envelope marked "Official Election Ballot." Then seal that envelope inside the outer return envelope.
• Sign AND date the outer return envelope. Ballots in unsigned envelopes are not counted.

Related

• Check your registration
• Request a mail ballot
• Where to vote on Election Day
• The 7-step mail ballot checklist
• Get help from a real person
• More common questions