Mail ballots for the May 20 primary election are finally being printed and sent to voters’ homes and election offices, after a dispute over one candidate’s eligibility was (at least temporarily) settled.
The delay has caused consternation among some residents who are worried they won’t get their ballots in time. Voter Judy Allison said she’ll be out of town next week and was planning to pick up a ballot in person, but that might not work because of the printing delay.
“It means I have to go to City Hall as late as I can before I leave for vacation and hope that the ballots are there,” she said. “It’s hard enough to vote absentee in the first place. Now it is doubly difficult.”
Allison noted there are important races on the ballot, including for District Attorney and state Superior Court judgeships, and said she was concerned the delay would “discourage active voting and diminish the democratic process.”
However, the City Commissioners, who oversee elections in Philadelphia, say they very much want people to vote, and are urging them to do so by mail, in advance at an election office, or at polling places on Election Day.
“U.S. President not being on the ballot should not be an excuse to skip this election. There are offices — judges, DA, City Controller — on the ballot that will have as much or greater impact on you, your families, and neighbors’ everyday life,” said Lisa Deeley, vice chair of the City Commissioners. “I encourage all citizens to vote, and vote in every office up and down the ballot.”
They also note that today, May 5, is the voter registration deadline for the primary.
Keep reading for info on how to vote and why the ballots have been delayed ahead of the May 20 election.
A back-and-forth over residency
The delay in finalizing and printing ballots occurred because of a dispute over the residency of Mike Huff, a progressive Democrat who was running to be a judge in the Court of Common Pleas or in Municipal Court.
Huff has been involved in Philadelphia politics for years, but he only moved to the city last year and his wife continues to live in their home in Bala Cynwyd, the Inquirer reported.
The city Democratic Party, whose leadership is often antagonistic toward progressives, backed a challenge to Huff’s eligibility to run in Philly and a Commonwealth Court judge ordered to remove him from the ballot.
The state Supreme Court ordered the judge to reconsider her order, but last week the judge affirmed her initial decision, citing evidence that Huff spent more time in Bala Cynwyd than in Philly. While he said he’s appealing again, the City Commissioners couldn’t hold off any longer on finalizing the candidate list, since they are legally required to start sending out ballots this Tuesday.
The commissioners said Friday that mail ballots were finally being printed and would arrive in voters’ mailboxes “soon.”
How to register and vote
Two key dates are looming for voters: today’s deadline to register in time for the primary, and the May 13 deadline, at 5 p.m., to request a mail ballot. Those are two separate processes.
You still have a few hours to register online or in person. You can do so at the Board of Elections office in City Hall, Room 140, or one of the city’s 10 satellite election offices. The office at 520 N. Columbus Blvd, at Spring Garden Street, will stay open until midnight tonight (May 5).
The City Hall office is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the satellite offices are open those hours plus 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.
As for mail ballots, instructions to have one sent to your home are available here. You can also get one at a satellite election office, and fill it out and submit it on the spot.
For more information on how to apply for, fill out, and submit a mail or absentee ballot, and deal with various special voting situations and snafus, check out our comprehensive explainer from last fall.
If you’re voting by mail, remember that your ballot must be received by the Board of Elections by 8 p.m. on Election Day, May 20. To make sure it arrives in time, be sure to drop it in the mail several days before then.
Alternately, you can deposit the ballot in one of the city’s many official drop boxes or at the Board of Elections office in City Hall. Here’s a searchable map of drop-off locations.
And if you’re planning to kick it old school and vote in person on Election Day, here’s a ton of useful info from the City Commissioners, including sample ballots listing candidates and a searchable map of polling places.
You can also check out WHYY’s Primary Election guide, and keep an eye out for Billy Penn’s Procrastinator’s Guide to the election for Philly voters, which will be coming out in a few days.
