Bucks County Voter Guide 2020: What You Need To Know

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — An historic election day is quickly approaching, and Pennsylvania voters are expected to play a critical role in the 2020 presidential election. While Bucks County is already processing record numbers of mail-in ballots, many residents still plan to vote at the polls on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.

With that in mind, we've created this guide to help you digest everything you need to know about voting in this year's election in Bucks County.

If you haven't sent in your mail-in ballot or plan to vote in person at the polls on election day, this handy guide is for you.

Not sure if you're registered to vote? Click here to check your voter registration status.

Absentee/Mail-In Voting

The last day to apply for an absentee/mail-in ballot is Oct. 27. Click here to request a mail-in ballot in Bucks County.

All ballots come in an inner secrecy envelope and an outer envelope with the address of your county elections office. Put your filled out ballot inside the secrecy envelope, then put that envelope inside the outer envelope. If you do not use the secrecy envelope, your ballot will be considered "naked" and discounted.

All mail-in and absentee ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 3 and be received by the board of elections no later than Nov. 6 to be counted.

Here is where and when you can return your ballot:

BALLOT DROP OFF LOCATIONS

Central Bucks County
Bucks County Administration Building
55 E. Court St.
Doylestown, PA 18901
Phone: 215-348-6154

Lower Bucks County
7321 New Falls Road
Levittown, PA 19055
Phone: 267-580-3500

Upper Bucks County
261 California Road
Quakertown, PA 18951
Phone: 215-529-7250

HOURS

Wed., Oct. 21 to Fri., Oct. 23: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 24 to Sun., Oct. 25: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Mon., Oct. 26 to Fri., Oct. 30: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 31 to Sun., Nov. 1: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Tues., Nov. 3: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Election Day)

Voting On Election Day

You may notice some new high-tech voting machines at the polls. That's because Bucks County is using the Clear Ballot system in which voters complete paper ballots and feed them into a scanner, which captures an image of the ballot and drops it into a ballot bag for transportation to the board of elections office.

Polls will open Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can type in your address using this online form to find your polling place.

You can also view a complete list of polling places here, or click here for a printable list.

Who's On the Ballot?

While most Americans will be dialed in on the results of the presidential and congressional elections, there are a number of important state races, including the race for attorney general, where Democrat Josh Shapiro is being challenged by Republican Heather Heidelbaugh, a Pittsburgh-based attorney.

For auditor general, Democrat Nina Ahmad hopes to stave off a challenge from Republican Timothy DeFoor, and in the race for state treasurer, Democrat Joe Torsella will face Republican Stacy Garrity.

In Pennsylvania's first congressional district, which includes all of Bucks County, Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick faces Democratic challenger Christina Finello, a county courts solicitor.

A number of state legislature seats are up for election this year in Bucks County. Click here to find out which candidates are running in your community.

Election Night Results

When awaiting real-time results on election night, it's important to note that the final vote tallies will take longer than in previous election cycles due to an increase in mail-in voting, even for smaller state races. Around 200,000 of Bucks County's 470,000 registered voters are expected to vote by mail-in or absentee ballot.

For the latest news and updates about the 2020 election in Pennsylvania, go here.

With reporting by Eric Heyl.