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Over 3,000 ballots considered potentially flawed in Philadelphia

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Published  October 31, 2024 5:54pm EDT
2024 Election
FOX 29 Philadelphia

City leaders urge voters to double check their ballots

City leaders are urging voters to check their ballots as tens of thousands of mail-in ballots have been returned in Philadelphia with more than 3,000 potentially flawed.

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia leaders are urging voters to check their ballot status online to make sure your vote gets counted.

Currently, about 3,488 ballots are considered potentially flawed and will not be counted unless the voter takes action to get a replacement ballot or show proof of identification in some cases.

"Every Philadelphian should take a look at this list and search for their family members, friends and neighbors," said Council Member Jamie Gauthier of District 3. "If you realized you returned a flawed ballot don’t worry, everybody makes mistakes but don’t ignore it either."

"We’ve also seen that people of color are significantly more likely to have their ballot be in limbo than any other demographic," said Council Member At-Large Isaiah Thomas. "So please don’t just check for yourself, check for your family friends and other folks in your network too."

This isn’t just a Philadelphia issue either. Every Pennsylvanian can check their ballot status on the PA Department of State website.

If your ballot is in error in Philadelphia, you can go visit a Philadelphia Satellite Election Office as soon as you can to get a replacement ballot. If you’re unable to get to an election office before November 5, you can go to your polling place on Election Day and fill out a provisional ballot according to election officials.

Philadelphia City Commissioner and Chair Omar Sabir said as of Thursday, 235,604 ballots were mailed out and 162,659 ballots were filled out and returned in Philadelphia.

Of the 3,488 flawed ballots, some could be in limbo due to unverifiable identification.

"Mail ballots from voters whose identification could not be verified," said Sabir. "Voters who have not submitted an acceptable proof of ID, whose ID could not be verified, should fill out the ID verification form and submit it along with a photocopy or picture of an acceptable ID if available."

You can email the form and a picture of your ID to Philly Election@Phila.gov or via fax to 215-686-3398 by November 12, 2024.

"If you have applied for a mail-in ballot, please use the Department of State tracker to track the status of your ballot. So, whether it has been received or not, whether it has a flaw or not that system will tell you at vote.pa.gov," said Lauren Cristella, President & CEO of Committee of Seventy.