The Pennsylvania Department of State released redesigned provisional ballot envelopes for voters.
By David Chang • Published July 14, 2025 • Updated on July 14, 2025 at 4:04 pm
The Department of State released redesigned provisional ballot envelopes for Pennsylvania voters during elections, officials announced on Monday, July 14, 2025.
“Every registered voter in our Commonwealth should have the opportunity to cast their vote and make their voice heard in each election,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said during a press conference in Philadelphia. “We believe these changes to the provisional ballot envelopes will have a positive impact, just as the changes we made to mail ballot materials two years ago did.”
In Pennsylvania, a provisional ballot is used during instances when county election officials need more time to determine a person's eligibility to vote. A provisional ballot records a vote while the county board of elections determines whether or not it can be counted.
Provisional ballots may be issued for several reasons, including a voter’s name that was reported to the wrong precinct, voters who are required to show ID but can’t show it, and voters with eligibility that was challenged by an election official. You can find more information on provisional ballots in Pennsylvania here.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration had also redesigned mail-in ballot envelopes and materials back in 2023. Officials said those changes led to a 57% decrease in mail-in ballot rejections during the general election in November 2024. During that same election, 29.12% of provisional ballots cast in Pennsylvania were rejected with the most common reasons being unregistered voters and an incomplete provisional ballot envelope, officials said.
The new provisional ballot envelope includes a layout that clearly instructs voters which fields to fill out as well as the highlighting of two places where the envelope must be signed. Officials also said the newly designed envelopes show election workers which fields they need to complete before and after the voter fills out the ballot.
The Pennsylvania Department of State’s redesigned provisional ballot envelope is displayed during a press conference in Philadelphia on July 14, 2025. The envelope features clearer voter instructions, highlighted signature areas, and simplified sections for poll workers, all designed to reduce ballot rejections and ensure more eligible votes are counted.
While working on the redesign, the Department of State received feedback from election officials in Philadelphia, Berks, Butler, Mercer and Greene counties who mentioned the need for enhanced usability for both voters and poll workers.
“During this redesign process, we listened to our county election officials who told us the design of the provisional ballot envelopes led to missing signatures and incomplete envelopes, which ultimately led to the ballots being rejected,” Schmidt said. “I want to thank the county election officials who worked with us in this redesign process, which is another step toward ensuring that Pennsylvania elections remain free, fair, safe, and secure.”
In a statement, Philadelphia City Commissioner Seth Bluestein said he was “extremely proud” of the work that went into the redesign.
“Improvements to envelope design such as these may appear small, but they can make a big difference in reducing errors that might prevent Pennsylvanians from exercising their right to vote,” Bluestein said.
Schmidt said he expects counties across the state to use the new provisional ballot envelopes during the 2025 general election. Officials also said the Department of State is offering grant money to Pennsylvania counties who are using the new envelopes to help with the cost of replacing the current envelopes.
