Allegheny County offices, clinics, and departments will close on Wednesday, December 24, 2025 at 12:00 pm (noon), and will resume business on Friday, December 26, 2025.
In Pennsylvania, voters can choose to vote by mail, by requesting a mail-in or absentee ballot. How a voter completes the vote-by-mail process is just as important as in-person voting, because all instructions must be followed in order for the vote to count.
Mail-in and Absentee Voter Application
Postmarks No Longer Apply Ballots must be received by 8:00 pm on Election Day. A ballot submitted without a secrecy envelope or that is unsigned will not be counted.
Mail-in and absentee ballots will not be forwarded to a second address through the mail. For voters planning to be away from their registered address four to five weeks before the election, please provide the mailing address that will be used at that time. This information should be added to the “Where to mail ballot?” portion of the application.
Leading up to elections, Allegheny County offers ballot return locations where voters who received a mail-in or absentee ballot can return ballots in-person to a county employee. At satellite offices, residents can register to vote, request a mail-in ballot, complete, and return it, all in one place.
Follow the instructions closely to complete the ballot, in blue or black ink only.
Once the ballot is completed, place the voted ballot into the provided secrecy envelope. Do not mark the secrecy envelope.
Place the secrecy envelope inside of the declaration envelope. The declaration envelope must be signed and dated with the date the ballot was completed and sealed inside the envelope.
The ballot will not be processed without the appropriate postage.
OR
Consider returning the ballot to the Elections Division during extended ballot return hours at the Allegheny County Office Building, on the corner of Forbes Avenue and Ross Street in downtown Pittsburgh:
Elections Division County Office Building 542 Forbes Avenue, Room 312 Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Google Directions
Voters can watch this quick informational video about mail-in or absentee ballot return to ensure their vote can be counted.
Phone: 412-350-4500 Fax: 412-350-5697
Office Hours Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Contact the Elections Division
If you become physically disabled or ill after 5:00 pm on the Tuesday prior to the election, or if you find out after 5:00 pm on the Tuesday prior to the election that you will be absent from your municipality of residence on Election Day because of your business, duties, or occupation, you can receive an Emergency Absentee Ballot.
Emergency Absentee Ballot Application