Voters Encounter Long Lines, Waits Casting Ballots In Montco

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Requesting and dropping off ballots in-person at the new voter satellite offices has proven to be a popular option for residents in Montgomery County as the bizarre 2020 election season continues.

Voters have run into long lines and waits at the offices, which allow residents to apply for a mail-in ballot and drop their ballot off in the same visit. Voters were also able to register to vote at these locations, before the deadline passed on Oct. 19.

The comfort of being guided in-person by election officials, and the security of knowing a ballot is immediately received, has been a huge draw. So much so that in some cases — though rarely, officials say — voters have been turned away after waiting in line, because the offices close at 8 p.m.

>>Hundreds Of Thousands Of Ballots Now Mailed Out In Montco: Latest Local Election Updates

"Interest in requesting a ballot in person at our satellite offices has been very high," Montgomery County spokeswoman Teresa Harris told Patch. "We do prioritize appointments, but we have had a large number of walk-ins as well. There is frequently a wait, but we have been able to serve most people in most cases."

As of Thursday, a total of 5,028 residents have cast in-person ballots at one of the five offices. That includes the Voter Services center in Norristown and the four new satellite locations which opened on Oct. 10 in Lansdale, Willow Grove, Pottstown, and Lower Merion.

Reservations are "strongly recommended" at these sites to avoid waiting in lines and to guarantee service on that day, officials say. Voters should plan to spend about an hour at the office when requesting and dropping off a mail-in ballot.

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It's important to note that these satellite offices are not polling places. Polls will only be open on Election Day, Nov. 3. These offices simply facilitate and expedite the process of mail-in balloting.

The 5,000 in-person ballots cast are still a small percentage of the total number of ballots received thus far in Montgomery County. As of Thursday, the most recent date for which this data is available, a total of 128,245 ballots have been received back by election officials in Montgomery County.

Meanwhile, ballots continue to be sent out in the mail to other Montgomery County voters every day. Nearly all voters that have requested a ballot have been sent one: of the 262,354 applications approved, 255,199 ballots have been mailed out.

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