[VT – Philadelphia PA] July 14, 2025– As part of the Shapiro Administration’s ongoing efforts to strengthen democracy and ensure safe and secure elections, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced today that the Department of State has redesigned the provisional ballot envelopes used by counties. The goal is to improve envelope legibility and usability, ultimately reducing the number of rejected provisional ballots and ensuring more eligible Pennsylvanians have their votes counted.
“Every registered voter in our Commonwealth should have the opportunity to cast their vote and make their voice heard in each election,” said Schmidt during a press conference in Philadelphia. “We believe these changes to the provisional ballot envelopes will have a positive impact, just as the changes we made to mail ballot materials two years ago did.”
This redesign follows the successful overhaul of mail ballot envelopes in 2023, which led to a 57% decrease in mail ballot rejections during the November 2024 general election.
However, in the same election, 29.12% of provisional ballots cast in Pennsylvania were rejected. The leading cause was unregistered voters, followed closely by incomplete or incorrectly filled out provisional ballot envelopes.
The redesigned envelopes feature:
- Clear instructions highlighting required fields, especially the two signature sections.
- Streamlined design for poll workers, specifying the areas they must complete before and after the voter casts their ballot.
- Improved layout based on feedback from county election officials in Philadelphia, Berks, Butler, Mercer, and Greene Counties, who emphasized the need for enhanced clarity and ease of use.
“During this redesign process, we listened to our county election officials who told us the design of the provisional ballot envelopes led to missing signatures and incomplete envelopes, which ultimately led to the ballots being rejected,” Schmidt said. “I want to thank the county election officials who worked with us in this redesign process, which is another step toward ensuring that Pennsylvania elections remain free, fair, safe, and secure.”
Omar Sabir, Chair of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, praised the collaborative effort:
“The redesign of the ballot envelope simplifies the process of voting provisionally, and that means fewer errors and fewer rejected ballots. It’s an important part of ensuring that every eligible vote gets counted, and we’re proud to lead this multi-county effort alongside our partners at the Department of State.”
Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein echoed that sentiment:
“Improvements to envelope design such as these may appear small, but they can make a big difference in reducing errors that might prevent Pennsylvanians from exercising their right to vote.”
Counties are expected to begin using the redesigned envelopes in the 2025 general election. To support this transition, the Department of State is offering grant funding to assist counties in covering the costs of switching to the new materials.
Provisional Ballot Voting Instructions:
Voters asked to vote provisionally must:
- Complete the Voter Affidavit, Voter Signature #1, and Current Address sections in front of an election official.
- Mark the provisional ballot privately in an accessible area.
- Seal the ballot in the secrecy envelope.
- Place the secrecy envelope into the provisional ballot affidavit envelope.
- Sign the Voter Signature #2 section in front of a poll worker.
- Return the sealed envelope to the election official.
- Receive a provisional ballot identification receipt.
County Boards of Elections determine whether each provisional ballot is counted within seven days after the election.
For more information about voting in Pennsylvania—including mail and provisional ballots—call the Department of State’s year-round voter hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA, visit vote.pa.gov, or follow #ReadytoVotePA on social media.
