Dauphin County elections office to process more than 33,000 absentee and mail-in ballots cast in June 2 primary

HARRISBURG, PA (June 3, 2020) – Following the June 2 primary election, Dauphin County’s elections office will process 33,079 absentee and mail-in ballots that were received as of 8 p.m. on election day. 

“This election had many firsts,” said Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries, who oversees the county’s elections bureau. “We had a new voting system in place, additional safeguards to protect poll workers and voters, and the ability to vote by mail. Our election workers and 1,000 volunteers did a remarkable job making the necessary adjustments and ensuring that every vote is counted.” 

On election day, 31,439 residents cast their ballots in person on the county’s new paper-based system from Clear Ballot. 

“While the state legislature made voting more convenient, it made the process of counting the votes much harder for counties,” said Dauphin County Board Chairman Jeff Haste. “We’re taking a step-by-step approach to ensure the counting is done properly the first time.” 

Dauphin County’s elections office today began sorting the thousands of mail-in ballots that were received yesterday and preparing the poll books for scanning and cross-checking to ensure no one voted twice.  

Once this process is complete, the ballots will be processed and counted using high-speed scanners that can handle about 4,000 per hour. The results, which can be found at www.DauphinCounty.org, will be updated several times a day until the count is complete. The counting of ballots will start at 9 a.m. on June 4.

Final primary elections results are not expected until Tuesday, June 9, the deadline to receive mail-in ballots that are postmarked June 2. Gov. Wolf granted this extension to six Pennsylvania counties, including Dauphin, in a disaster emergency declaration that was issued on June 1.  

“We’re committed to ensuring elections runs smoothly and fairly from beginning to end,” said Commissioner George P. Hartwick, III. “Although our election process has significantly changed with the ability to vote by mail, our commitment to making voting simple, safe and secure remains the same.”