Erie County voters looking to vote early in the general election on Nov. 3 can do so with on-demand mail ballot voting.<\/p>\n
“We call it that because Pennsylvania doesn’t have traditional early voting,” said Tonia Fernandez, Erie County director of elections.<\/p>\n
According to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania<\/a>, registered voters can request, receive, vote and submit a mail-in or absentee ballot in one visit to the county election office.<\/p>\n For Erie County residents, the election office is located in Room 112 of the Erie County Courthouse, at 140 W. Sixth St., also known as the Voter Registration\/Elections Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n Facts and figures: What Pennsylvania mail voters need to know before November<\/a><\/p>\n How to vote with on-demand mail ballot voting<\/p>\n Fernandez said Sept. 28 was the first day voters could come to the office for on-demand mail ballot voting.<\/p>\n She added that voters can stop by the office, request and fill out a mail-in ballot application and wait until it’s processed.<\/p>\n Voters may want to bring their driver’s license to help expedite the process.<\/p>\n “It’s not required but it does expedite the process,” Fernandez said. “So it will take you less time to receive the ballot and take us less time to verify your identity and make sure you are registered.”<\/p>\n Erie elections of years past<\/p>\n 1 of 17<\/p>\n First-time voter Maddison Barner, 18, left, talks with Christina Vogel, candidate for Erie County Executive, at the GECAC Erie West Senior Center in Erie on Election Day, Nov. 4, 2025. (GREG WOHLFORD\/ERIE TIMES-NEWS)<\/p>\n Once the application is processed, voters will receive their ballot package. This includes a secrecy envelope which goes inside the declaration envelope. Once the ballot is filled out, voters can place it in the drop box located outside the Erie County Board of Elections office.<\/p>\n “Voters can also drop their ballots off in our two drop boxes,” Fernandez said. “One is located outside of the courthouse (140 W. Sixth St.) and it’s open 24\/7. The other is outside of our office and it’s open during office hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those boxes are always monitored and under surveillance.”<\/p>\n If you plan on taking your ballot home and returning it by mail, Fernandez said that the return postage fee was covered by the Erie County Board of Elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n Important dates to know for on-demand mail ballot voting process<\/p>\n If you plan on participating in on-demand mail ballot voting, here are some key dates to keep in mind:<\/p>\n Oct. 19 is the last day to register to vote before the 2026 general election<\/p>\n Oct. 27 is the last day to submit an on-demand mail ballot application. The registration\/elections office is open until 5 p.m. that day.<\/p>\n Completed mail ballots must be received by the Erie County Elections Office by 8 p.m.<\/p>\n The elections office recommends mailing ballots by the week of Oct. 26, a week before the election.<\/p>\n Voter statistics in Erie County<\/p>\n Fernandez said that as of Oct. 6, there are 175,020 registered voters in Erie County. Of those voters, 76,597 are registered Democrat and 70,803 are registered Republican while the remainder are non-affiliated.<\/p>\n As of Oct. 6, the elections office has received 22,479 applications for on-demand mail ballots. Of those 22,479 applications, 15,832 are registered Democrat and 4,871 are registered Republican while the remainder are non-affiliated.<\/p>\n Voting demographic: Pa. lags in youth voter registration, but teens remain engaged<\/a><\/p>\n These statistics are updated every Friday on Erie County Council’s Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Contact Nicholas Sorensen at Nsorensen@usatodayco.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n