How do I know my mail ballot was received and counted?
The short answer
Check the state's free online ballot tracker at vote.pa.gov/MailBallotStatus, or call your county election office. If the tracker says your ballot was received or recorded, your county has it and has not marked a problem with it. Counties can't start opening mail ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day, so that status is a good sign, not a final promise.
How to check your ballot status
The Pennsylvania Department of State runs a free online ballot tracker. It shows the status of your mail ballot, including whether your county has it back. Go to vote.pa.gov/MailBallotStatus. That address takes you to the state's tracker page.
If you gave an email address when you registered or applied for your mail ballot, you may also get emails about your ballot. What you get can depend on your county.
No computer? Call your county election office and ask if they have your ballot. You can find your county's phone number at vote.pa.gov/County. You can also call us at (267) 209-3397. We are a private group, not an election office, but we can walk you through the steps.
- Give it a few days after you mail or drop off your ballot. Mail takes time, and your county has to log your ballot before the tracker changes.
- Watch your email in the weeks before November 3. Check your spam folder too.
- Your county must RECEIVE your completed ballot by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. A postmark does not count.
What your status means
Look for a status that says your ballot was received or recorded. That means your county has it.
The state tells counties not to mark a ballot as recorded if they know it won't count. But not every county checks ballots for mistakes before Election Day. So a received status is a good sign, not a final promise.
Your ballot is not counted the moment it arrives. By law, counties can't start opening mail ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day. Counting can go on after the polls close at 8 p.m.
The exact wording on the tracker can differ. If you aren't sure what yours means, call your county election office and ask.
- Received or recorded: Your county has your ballot and has not marked a problem. It won't be opened before Election Day.
- Pending or canceled, with a note about a problem (like a missing signature): Your county found a mistake. Call your county right away and ask what you can do.
- Canceled can also mean your county sent you a new ballot to replace the first one. If you aren't sure why yours says canceled, call your county.
- No change after several days: Call your county. Your ballot may still be in the mail.
If your county finds a problem
Some mistakes can keep a mail ballot from counting. Two examples: you didn't sign the outer return envelope, or you didn't seal your ballot inside the yellow secrecy envelope.
In 2025, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that if a county finds a mistake like this, it must let the voter know. The state tells counties to do this through the ballot tracker, which also sends an email if you gave one. But this only helps if your county checks ballots before Election Day, and not every county does. So don't count on a warning. Fill out your ballot carefully and check the tracker.
Each county decides whether you can fix a mistake, and how. If you hear about a problem, act fast. Call your county election office and ask what you can do.
- Some counties mail your ballot back with instructions so you can fix it.
- Some counties ask you to come to the election office to fix it.
- Some counties cancel the ballot and give you a new one.
- Some counties don't offer a way to fix it. Ask yours.
- Ask your county for its deadline. A new or fixed ballot must reach the county by 8:00 p.m. on November 3.
- No matter which county you live in, you can ask for a provisional ballot at your polling place on Election Day. See the next section.
- Every time you vote by mail, sign AND date the outer return envelope. Seal your ballot in the yellow secrecy envelope first, and don't write anything on the yellow envelope.
Your backup plan: a provisional ballot
A provisional ballot is a special ballot that is set aside until the county checks that you can vote. The state says you can use one if you returned a mail ballot that was rejected, or that you think will be rejected, and you believe you are eligible to vote.
In 2024, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that if your mail ballot was rejected, the county must count your provisional ballot as long as it is valid. But if the county finds it already counted your mail ballot, your provisional ballot won't count. Only one vote counts.
Vote your provisional ballot at your own polling place. Our Where to Vote page can help you find it.
Still have your mail ballot because you never sent it back? Bring the ballot and its outer return envelope to your polling place. You can hand them in, sign a form, and vote a regular ballot. If you don't have both, you can vote with a provisional ballot.
- Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
- Keep the receipt the poll worker gives you. It has your provisional ballot ID number on it.
- Starting 7 days after the election, you can find out whether your provisional ballot counted. Search online at www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/ProvisionalBallotSearch.aspx, or call the state's voter hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772). You will need your ID number.
This depends on your county
Pennsylvania’s 67 counties handle some of this differently. For the final word, call your county election office.
Find my county election office(opens the official state website)Still not sure?
Call us at (267) 209-3397 and a real person will walk you through it.