Centre County’s ballot drop boxes will close before Election Day arrives. Here’s why
Election Day is just days away, but there’s still plenty of time to cast your ballot and make a plan to vote this November.
Between voting in person Tuesday, Nov. 5 and voting through the mail or early voting periods, Pennsylvanians have several ways to make their voices heard. However, it’s important to pay attention to deadlines — especially as they shift in Centre County, where recently implemented changes will close ballot drop boxes a bit earlier than in previous presidential elections.
Here’s what you need to know about Centre County’s ballot drop boxes, including a few notable changes in play this year.
Where can I find ballot drop boxes in Centre County?
If you’re voting with a mail-in or absentee ballot this election, you can return your ballot using any one of nearly a dozen secure receptacles scattered across Centre County. Ballots are collected by county election officials daily Monday through Friday.
Drop boxes are available at the following locations:
- Willowbank Office Building at 420 Holmes St. in Bellefonte
- Centre Hall Magisterial District Judge Office at 2795 Earlystown Road in Centre Hall
- Ferguson Township Building at 3147 Research Drive in State College
- Patton Township Building at 100 Patton Plaza in State College
- Philipsburg Magisterial District Judge Office at 118 Enterprise Drive in Philipsburg
- Spring Township Building at 1309 Blanchard St. in Bellefonte
- State College Borough Building at 243 S. Allen St. in State College
- HUB-Robeson Center at 100 Pollock Road in University Park
Each drop box site in Centre County is covered by nonstop video surveillance, the county’s election office says. Most offer free parking, too.
Under Pennsylvania law, voters must return their own ballots. Exceptions are offered for voters with disabilities who need help completing or returning their ballot, but they must first fill out a form to establish a designated agent.
Postage is not required for ballots returned at secure drop boxes. Postage is prepaid for ballots returned through the mail.
Voters can also return their mail-in or absentee ballots by mailing them to the Centre County Elections Office, where they must be received by 8 p.m. Nov. 5 to count. You can also deliver your ballot in person at the Willowbank Office Building from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or until 8 p.m. Election Day.
When do Centre County’s ballot drop boxes close?
This year, secure ballot drop boxes across Centre County will close at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 4. If that deadline passes and you still need to return your ballot, it might be best to drop it off in person at Bellefonte’s Willowbank Office Building before 8 p.m. Election Day.
Remember, ballots must be collected by county election officials by 8 p.m. Nov. 5 to count for the upcoming election. A postmark before 8 p.m. is not sufficient.
Why are Centre County’s drop boxes closing early?
Centre County’s drop boxes are closing earlier this election cycle due to recently implemented changes to Pennsylvania’s ballot pre-canvassing and canvassing requirements.
The adjustments, approved through 2022’s Act 88, allow county election officials and volunteers to begin processing mail-in ballots starting at 7 a.m. Election Day instead of waiting for the polls to close. Actual counting, or canvassing, starts once polls close at 8 p.m. Regardless, there’s a catch: Any county that receives state grants to help cover election administration costs can’t stop processing and counting mail ballots until each is recorded.
In a joint statement to the Centre Daily Times, Centre County election officials said closing drop boxes early gives volunteers enough time before Election Day to move ballots to the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, where they will be counted and recorded. Pennsylvania is one of just seven states that doesn’t allow the processing of ballots before Election Day, requiring more effort under a tighter timeline.
These revamped pre-canvassing and canvassing requirements were first launched in 2023, prompting Centre County to close its drop boxes at 9 a.m. the day before Election Day that year, as well. The county launched ballot drop boxes in 2020, but receptacles closed at 8 p.m. Election Day until Act 88’s approval required a change.
How can I apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot?
Unlike some other states, Pennsylvania does not require registered voters to provide reasoning for choosing to vote by mail. However, voters may need to provide a reason for requesting absentee ballots, which are typically reserved for those who are expected to be out of their municipality on Election Day or are blocked from voting in person due to injury, illness or disability.
To successfully request a mail-in or absentee ballot, your county’s election office must receive an application by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29. You can apply for these ballots online, through the mail or in person at your county’s election office. You can even visit your county’s election office to complete the process in one fell swoop by requesting your ballot, receiving it, completing it and submitting it back to officials before leaving. Centre County operates a satellite elections office at Penn State’s Hammond Building, where you can also request and return mail-in or absentee ballots.
Additionally, Pennsylvania makes emergency absentee ballots — reserved for those who encounter last-minute barriers to voting in person on Election Day — available by request starting at 5 p.m. the Tuesday before the election, in this case Oct. 29.
Pennsylvania maintains an online list of official ballot return locations, organized by county. You can use it to find addresses and working hours for your county’s election offices, ballot drop boxes, satellite offices and more at pa.gov/en/agencies/vote/voter-support/mail-in-and-absentee-ballot/return-ballot.html.
Is it too late to register to vote?
Yes. The last day to register to vote in time for the 2024 presidential election was Oct. 21.
As of Oct. 21, about 9.09 million Pennsylvanians are registered to vote. That figure roughly ties the number of registered voters who could vote in Pennsylvania during the 2020 presidential election.
Republicans hold new voter registration advantages in four counties — Beaver, Berks, Bucks and Fayette — that previously leaned in favor of Democrats, according to 2020 end-of-year registration data published in 2021. Registration edges aside, Pennsylvania remains home to roughly 3.97 million registered Democrats and about 3.67 million registered Republications.
Even minor advantages in voter registration could help Pennsylvania and its 19 electoral votes lean in favor of Democrats or Republicans. Joe Biden carried the commonwealth by just 1.2% in 2020, while Donald Trump won its electoral votes by an even-slimmer 0.7% margin in 2016.
Since 1900, the winner in 24 of 31 presidential elections (77%) wound up carrying Pennsylvania.
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