Do I need a stamp to mail my ballot back?

How to tell if you need a stamp

Look at the larger return envelope that came with your ballot. It is the one you sign and date. Check the top right corner, where a stamp would normally go. If printed words there say the postage is paid or no stamp is needed, you do not need a stamp. If the corner is blank, or it asks for a stamp, plan to add postage.

Also read the papers in your ballot packet and your county's election website. If you still aren't sure, call your county election office. You can find its phone number at vote.pa.gov/County.

• Some counties pay the postage. For example, Delaware County says its official return envelope is postage-paid.
• Other counties ask you to add your own postage. Each county decides, so a friend in another county may get a different answer.
• Counties can change this. Go by the envelope that came with this ballot, not one from a past election.

If you need a stamp, how much?

Mailed ballots travel as First-Class Mail. A long ballot can need extra postage.

The Postal Service requires election offices to tell voters how much postage a mailed ballot needs. Look for it in your ballot papers or on your county's election website. If you can't find it, call your county election office. You can also take your sealed envelope to a post office counter and ask the clerk. We can't tell you the exact amount for your county.

• Put your ballot in the smaller envelope marked "Official Election Ballot" and seal it. Then put that envelope inside the larger return envelope and seal that too.
• Sign AND date the outside of the return envelope. Write today's date, the day you sign. If the envelope is not signed, your ballot will not be counted.
• Use the return envelope that came with your ballot. Don't put your ballot in a plain envelope instead.

Mail it early. A postmark does not count.

Your county must RECEIVE your completed ballot by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. A postmark from that day is not enough. A ballot that arrives late will not be counted, even if you mailed it on time.

The Postal Service suggests mailing your ballot at least one week before it is due. For this election, that means mailing it no later than Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Sooner is better. If your ballot reaches you late, it is safer to hand it in yourself.

• Fill out your ballot and send it back as soon as you get it.
• If it's already late October, skip the mail and use one of the options below.
• A stamp does not change the deadline. Prepaid or not, your ballot has to reach the county by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
• After you send it, you can check your ballot's status online at vote.pa.gov/MailBallotStatus.
• Military and overseas voters have a different deadline. If that is you, check with your county.

Ways to return your ballot without a stamp

You don't have to use the mail. The state lists these ways to return a mail ballot: by mail, at a drop box, at your county election office, or at another official county drop-off site. If you hand in your ballot yourself, you don't need a stamp. It still has to be sealed in the official return envelope, signed and dated. It must arrive by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

If you never sent your ballot back, you can still vote at your polling place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bring the mail ballot and its outer return envelope. Poll workers will cancel them, you will sign a form, and then you can vote a regular ballot. If you don't bring them, you can only vote a provisional ballot. That is a backup ballot the county counts only after it checks that you did not already vote by mail. If you already sent your mail ballot back, you cannot vote a regular ballot at your polling place. If your county tells you it was rejected, you can ask for a provisional ballot.

Need help with any of these steps? Call us at (267) 209-3397. We are a private group, not the government or your county election office, but we can walk you through the steps.

• Take it to your county election office during its business hours.
• Use a drop box or drop-off site if your county has them. Not every county does.
• Some counties open extra satellite offices, sometimes with evening or weekend hours. Check your county's website.
• Use a location in your own county. A ballot handed in to a different county will not be counted.
• Return only your own ballot. The one exception: a voter with a disability can name someone in writing, on a state form, to deliver it for them.

Related

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