The redesigned envelope was first used this year.
The Pennsylvania Department of State released a redesigned envelope for provisional ballots this year. Analysis found that the number of ballots rejected for errors was reduced after the redesign.
Provisional ballots are used when questions rise about a voter’s eligibility. The redesign was aimed at reducing rejections because of issues with the outer envelope of the affidavit envelope.
Nine of Pennsylvania’s counties opted out of using the envelopes, and 58 of them opted to use them. In the counties that used the new envelope, data revealed only 2.9% of provisional ballots were rejected for incomplete envelopes. In those counties during the 2023 municipal election, 3.7% of the envelopes were rejected.
Counties that did not use the new envelopes had a 1.8% provisional ballot rejection rate in 2025, and in 2023 that rate was 1.9%.
“Our goal remains ensuring every registered voter in our Commonwealth can cast their vote and have it counted in every election. As with the changes to mail ballot materials two years ago, these improvements resulted in registered voters being able to make their voices heard in November’s election,” said Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt in a statement about the redesign.
Provisional ballots are often rejected for technical reasons, such as errors on the envelope. If the voter does not sign the affidavit on the envelope or the inner secrecy envelope is missing, the ballot will be rejected.
In the 2024 election, 4.9% of provisional ballots were rejected for affidavit envelope errors. In 2016, that number was only 0.9%.
The redesign of the provisional ballot envelopes makes it clearer where voters must sign the envelope, which is the most common cause for envelope-related rejections.
The redesign also makes it clearer which section is to be filled out by the voter or by poll workers.
By clarifying where voters need to sign the envelope, fill out the ballot, and when to fill out certain sections, the redesign aimed to reduce the number of provisional ballots that are rejected for avoidable errors.
