Mail‑in and absentee ballots are opened during a process called canvassing.
Ballots are opened and processed by a bipartisan canvassing board, made up of workers from both major political parties. These workers are recruited by Voter Services, receive training, and must show they understand the process before working on Election Day.
Each ballot is processed using the following steps:
- A bipartisan team opens the outer return envelope. This envelope is set aside so it cannot be linked to the ballot.
- The secrecy envelope inside is opened.
- The ballot is removed, unfolded, and flattened.
- The ballot is scanned using a high‑speed scanner to record the vote.
After polls close, results from scanned ballots are uploaded to the county website and shared with the Pennsylvania Department of State. Ballots continue to be processed until all eligible ballots are counted.