Unless you’ve been living under a rock or in a nuclear submarine for the past six months, you already know that tomorrow, Nov. 3, 2020, is Election Day, and that it’s a big one.
Over 90 million voters across the country have already cast their ballots under various early voting systems. If you haven’t, here are some things that might help tomorrow.
Where do I vote in person?
Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.
Here’s a list of Lebanon County polling places for the Nov. 3, 2020 election. Highlighted locations are new polling places.
You don’t have to wear a mask, but it’s encouraged. At the very least, keep six feet away from your fellow citizens.
You can vote in person either by machine or by filling out a paper ballot.
Machine voting:
In-person paper ballot voting:
What if I have a mail-in ballot, but haven’t returned it yet?
Don’t mail it in. Don’t rely on a still-uncertain extension to Nov. 6. Drop it off in person on election day at the drop box located at the Municipal Building rear entrance at 400 S. 8th Street, Lebanon.
There will be no other drop boxes anywhere in Lebanon County, including at polling places.
Municipal Building ballot drop box locations and times:
According to County Clerk Jamie Wolgemuth, here’s where to drop off your completed mail-in ballot at the Municipal Building, 400 S. 8th Street, Lebanon:
- Until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2: Municipal Building back entrance.
- From 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on ELECTION DAY, Nov. 3: Municipal Building back entrance.
Who is on the ballot?
That depends on what voting district you are registered in. You can find your district’s sample ballot here. It’s a big PDF document covering all of Lebanon County, so you will have to scroll down to your district or use the find feature of your browser or PDF reader.
There is also a referendum question on the ballot for South Annville Township voters, only.
Why shouldn’t you mail in your ballot at this late date?
Both Litz and Lebanon County Director of Elections Mike Anderson have said that many voters who applied in time for a no-excuse, mail-in ballot still have not received them in the mail. Both believe that the delay is due to the U.S. Postal Service.
Lebanon County has contracted with a third-party service to mail out ballots, and Anderson and Litz both said they have verified that all of the mail-in ballots were deposited into the postal system in time.
When asked how many ballots were put in the mail but not delivered, Anderson responded in an Oct. 28 email by stating, “I have no idea how many since I don’t work for the post office.”
Litz told LebTown on Monday, Nov. 2 that she has been getting complaints from constituents who haven’t received ballots, and that some voters in West Lebanon, North Lebanon, and South Lebanon reported going as much as three days without mail delivery. She added that she had not independently verified these reports.
LebTown contacted the U.S. Postal Service about reports of delays. The Lebanon Post Office has a policy of referring all requests for comment to the USPS media office for Western New York and Central Pennsylvania.
Commissioner Litz believes the problem is postal understaffing, and that appears to be true based on responses from USPS. In an email on Oct. 29, spokesperson Desai Abdul-Razzaaq said “The Postal Service national operations team is working closely with the Postal Service team in Harrisburg to address service issues which are impacting processing and delivery times in the area.”
He continued “[e]fforts include utilizing additional resources, deploying extraordinary measures, and continuing to try to hire in this location to address any staffing needs.”
Abdul-Razzaaq did not respond to follow-up emails asking for specifics of problems at the Lebanon Post Office.
Update: This article was updated on Nov. 2 at 4:05 p.m. to reflect updated information from the county about the location of the ballot drop box on Election Day, Nov. 3.
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