Pennsylvania breaking records in voter registration by mail and in person

More than 2.7 million Pennsylvanians are approved to vote by mail in the upcoming election, and about a quarter have mailed in their ballots, state officials said Friday.

“We are right on track to end up right around 3 million, which was our estimate after the primary (election),” Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said in a virtual news conference.

So far, Boockvar said, 683,123 mail-in ballots have been returned. A majority have been returned via mail, though 33,958 voters have returned their ballots in person.

“I expect a big jump in the next week,” she said.

Across the state, 8.98 million residents are registered to vote — a record high, Boockvar said.

She said she expects that number will reach 9 million by Monday’s registration deadline.

Boockvar and Marcus Brown, director of homeland security in Pennsylvania, reassured voters they will be safe at the polls. Brown said any voter who feels threatened or intimidated should call local police, all of whom will be prepared to respond to threats, intimidation or other disturbances at polling locations, he said.

“We’ve had discussions on this issue,” he said. “Law enforcement is prepared to respond to ensure anyone showing up at a polling place feels safe doing that.”

Brown said his department works with local, state and federal authorities in an “extreme preparation process,” and they plan for everything from major weather events to power outages. Voters should feel safe and confident, he said, about their own safety and security and that of their vote.

“We’ve taken very significant steps to ensure the public should feel very confident that their election is going to be safe and their vote is going to be secure,” Brown said.

Boockvar addressed the ballot issues that arose this week in Allegheny County. Officials said Wednesday an error on the part of Midwest Direct, the company hired to print and mail Allegheny County ballots, caused nearly 29,000 voters to receive the wrong ballot.

She said there is no way anyone’s ballot could be counted twice regardless of the ballot issues.

“Each of those ballots have a specific code, and only one ballot can be counted per person,” she said. “Our system would pick it up if someone tried submitting more than one.”