Provisional Ballot Rejection Rates Plummet After Envelope Redesign
Pennsylvania's provisional ballot rejection rates plummeted by 11.3% in the 2025 off-year election, following a redesign of the ballots' envelopes. The drop in rejection rates was attributed to improved clarity on voter and poll worker fields, as well as where voters must sign.
According to Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, the redesigned envelope helped reduce errors and increase votes counted. The new design, adopted by 85% of counties, made it easier for both voters and poll workers to complete the ballots accurately.
The change had a significant impact on voter turnout, with over 7 million Pennsylvanians casting their votes in the 2024 presidential election, compared to 3.6 million in the 2025 off-year election. The improved design resulted from a voter education initiative two years ago, which also saw mail ballot materials and online application materials redesigned.
Five counties worked closely with the state to develop the new envelopes, while nine counties opted out of the redesign. Chester County's experience was marred by a printing error that omitted third-party and independent voters from pollbooks in November.
The reduction in provisional ballot rejections is seen as a major win for voting rights advocates, with chair of the Philadelphia City Commissioners Omar Sabir stating, "An 11% decrease in ballot rejections shows the real impact that thoughtful design can have on protecting voting rights across Pennsylvania."
As Secretary Schmidt noted, "Our goal remains ensuring every registered voter in our Commonwealth can cast their vote and have it counted in every election." With this redesign, Pennsylvania has taken a step towards making voting more accessible and accurate for all citizens.
Pennsylvania's provisional ballot rejection rates plummeted by 11.3% in the 2025 off-year election, following a redesign of the ballots' envelopes. The drop in rejection rates was attributed to improved clarity on voter and poll worker fields, as well as where voters must sign.
According to Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, the redesigned envelope helped reduce errors and increase votes counted. The new design, adopted by 85% of counties, made it easier for both voters and poll workers to complete the ballots accurately.
The change had a significant impact on voter turnout, with over 7 million Pennsylvanians casting their votes in the 2024 presidential election, compared to 3.6 million in the 2025 off-year election. The improved design resulted from a voter education initiative two years ago, which also saw mail ballot materials and online application materials redesigned.
Five counties worked closely with the state to develop the new envelopes, while nine counties opted out of the redesign. Chester County's experience was marred by a printing error that omitted third-party and independent voters from pollbooks in November.
The reduction in provisional ballot rejections is seen as a major win for voting rights advocates, with chair of the Philadelphia City Commissioners Omar Sabir stating, "An 11% decrease in ballot rejections shows the real impact that thoughtful design can have on protecting voting rights across Pennsylvania."
As Secretary Schmidt noted, "Our goal remains ensuring every registered voter in our Commonwealth can cast their vote and have it counted in every election." With this redesign, Pennsylvania has taken a step towards making voting more accessible and accurate for all citizens.
I mean, what's not to love about redesigned ballots that actually make sense? It's like they took a page from the "How Not to Fail in Life" book. 11.3% reduction in provisional ballot rejections is no joke, but it's still pretty impressive considering how voter-friendly these new envelopes are. I guess you could say they finally figured out how to make voting less painful for everyone 
It just goes to show that some small design tweaks can make a HUGE difference in voter turnout. I mean, who doesn't want their vote to count? The new envelope design is a total game-changer - it's all about making sure voters and poll workers are on the same page. 
I'm glad to see PA taking steps towards making voting more accessible for everyone. It's about time we got our act together on this one! 
! It makes total sense too - if the design is clearer and easier to fill out, less room for errors right? 
I mean, voting should be super accessible and smooth for everyone. And it's awesome to see the state taking steps towards making that happen 
. 11% reduction in rejection rates is no joke! 
Pennsylvania's all about making voting rights a priority, and I'm loving the progress 
the stats are crazy tho - 7 mil voters in 2024 vs 3.6 mil in 2025 is like night & day 
can't wait to see what other changes come from this initiative 
whoever thought of that new envelope design was pure genius 
i'm all about making voting more accessible and accurate for everyone, especially those who might not always know how to do it correctly 
It's not like they were just trying to make it hard on themselves or anything. And I'm sure it had nothing to do with voter apathy... oh wait, that was still there too 
.
is it really because of the envelope redesign or are there other factors at play? like what about voter education initiatives that happened two years ago, did they contribute to this change as well? 
and omg I just thought about Chester County's printing error, how frustrating must that be for voters who didn't get their ballots counted 
but overall i'm stoked about this development