With three weeks remaining before the Nov. 3 General Election, voters in the Times News area are encouraged to plan their method of voting in the upcoming presidential election.

There are three options: voting in person, voting by mail-in ballot or voting by absentee ballot.

For registered voters planning to vote in person, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters may want to check with their county’s election offices since some voting precincts have changed from their past locations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To vote from home, there are two options - the mail-in voting process and voting by absentee ballot.

Under Pennsylvania’s new election law, any qualified voter may apply for a mail-in ballot. He or she can request this ballot without a reason. The voter also has the option of asking for a ballot for this election or for all future elections.

For absentee voting, voters who will be out of their municipality or those with a disability or illness can apply for this ballot. The application still requires the voter to list a reason for the request of an absentee ballot.

Here is important information a voter should remember upon determining their preferred method of voting:

Mail-in ballots

All applications for mail-in or absentee ballots must be received by your county election board by 5 p.m. Oct. 27.

To apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot, voters have several options. They can:

1) Apply in person at your county’s election office.

2) Apply online at VotesPA.com/ApplyMailBallot. You will need a valid PA driver’s license or photo identification card from the state Department of Transportation.

3) Or you can download and complete a paper mail-in or absentee ballot application and mail it to their county’s election office.

Absentee ballot

The method of voting by mail or via absentee remains the same under Pennsylvania law.

After receiving a ballot from your county’s election office, the voter can make his or her choices by coloring in the oval next to the candidate of their choice, using black in.

The ballot then gets folded and placed in the envelope marked “Official Election Ballot” and that envelope then needs to be sealed.

Next, that envelope gets placed in the larger envelope that is pre-addressed to the county election office. After it is sealed, the voter must fill out the back side, including signing it, before mailing it to the county, dropping it off in person at the county election office, or dropping it in a designated drop box.

Don’t be naked

Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar reminded mail ballot voters that they must seal their ballot in both the white inner secrecy envelope and the pre-addressed outer return envelope for their ballot to count.

“A so-called ‘naked ballot’ is one that is returned without being enclosed in both envelopes, and it won’t be counted. Don’t let your ballot go naked. Remember to “dress” it in both envelopes before returning it,” Boockvar said. “We want every eligible Pennsylvanian to vote and have their voice heard.”

Mail ballot voters also must complete and sign the voter’s declaration on the outer envelope. Even if voters plan to drop off their ballot in person in a drop box or other designated drop-off location, they must still include the pre-addressed outer envelope with their voter’s declaration signed or their ballot won’t be counted.

Deadlines

The deadline for returning the voter mail-in or absentee ballot is Nov. 3. If you are returning it by mail, the ballot must be received by your county election office by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, to be counted.

If you are returning your mail-in ballot in person, it must be received by the county election office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Voters planning to return their mail-in ballot in person, and desiring to do so after the election offices are closed, should check with their county’s election office because in some counties there are designated “drop off” boxes that are allowable by state law.

Contact your office

Need more info? Here’s a list of local offices:

Carbon County

: 76 Susquehanna St., Jim Thorpe, 570-325-4801.

Schuylkill County

: 420 N. Centre St., Pottsville, 570-628-1467.

Monroe County

: 1 Quaker Plaza, Room 105, Stroudsburg, 570-517-3165.

Northampton County

: 669 Washington St., Room 1211, Easton, 610-829-6260.

Lehigh County: 17 S. Seventh St., Allentown, 610-782-3194.