Pennsylvania Statutes § 2963 Form of official election ballot

Statute Text

(a) The official ballots for general, municipal and special elections shall be in substantially the following form:

OFFICIAL BALLOT

.......... District, .......... Ward, City of ........... County of .........., State of Pennsylvania .......... election held on the ...... day of .........., 20.. A cross (x) or check ([Tick]) mark in the square opposite the name of any candidate indicates a vote for that candidate.

To vote for a person whose name is not on the ballot, write or stamp his name in the blank space provided for that purpose. A cross (x) or check ([Tick]) mark in the square opposite the names of the candidates of any party for President and Vice-President of the United States indicates a vote for all the candidates of that party for presidential elector. To vote for individual candidates for presidential elector, write or stamp their names in the blank spaces provided for that purpose under the title "Presidential Electors." Mark ballot only in black lead pencil, indelible pencil or blue, black or blue-black ink, in fountain pen or ball point pen; use the same pencil or pen for all markings you place on the ballot.

Before leaving the voting compartment, fold this ballot, without displaying the markings thereon, in the same way it was folded when received, then leave the compartment and exhibit the ballot to one of the election officers who shall ascertain by an inspection of the number appearing upon the right hand corner of the back of the ballot whether the ballot so exhibited to him is the same ballot which the elector received before entering the voting compartment. If it is the same, the election officer shall direct the elector, without unfolding the ballot, to remove the perforated corner containing the number, and the elector shall immediately deposit the ballot in the ballot box. Any ballot deposited in a ballot box at any primary or election without having the said number torn off shall be void and shall not be counted.

Presidential electors.

(vVote for the candidates of one party for president and vice president, or insert the names of candidates)

For

John stiles and richard doe......................... Democratic

For

John doe and richard roe............................ Republican

For

John smith and william jones......................... Socialist

For

........................ Citizens

	United States Senator.
	(Vote for one)
Richard Roe	Democratic
John Doe	Republican
Richard Stiles	Socialist

	Governor.
	(Vote for one)
Richard Roe	Democratic
John Doe	Republican
Richard Stiles	Socialist

	Representatives in Congress, ............ District.
	(Vote for one)
Richard Roe	Democratic
John Doe	Republican
Richard Stiles	Socialist

	Senator in the General Assembly, ............ District.
	(Vote for one)
John Doe	Democratic
Richard Roe	Republican

(b) On the back of each ballot shall be printed in prominent type the words "Official Ballot," followed by the designation of the election district for which it is prepared, the date of the election and the facsimile signatures of the members of the county board of elections. The names of candidates shall be arranged under the title of the office for which they are candidates, and shall be printed thereunder in the order of the votes obtained by the parties or bodies at the last gubernatorial election, beginning with the party obtaining the highest number of votes: Provided, however, That in the case of parties or bodies not represented on the ballot at the last gubernatorial election, the names of the candidates of such parties shall be arranged alphabetically, according to the party name or political appellation. In the case of offices for which two or more candidates are to be voted for, the candidates of each party shall be arranged together in the order of the number of votes obtained by them at the primary, beginning with the candidates obtaining the highest number of votes, and the candidates of each political body shall be arranged in the order in which their names were placed in their nomination paper. Under the title of such offices where more than one candidate is to be voted for, shall be printed "Vote for not more than .........." (the blank space to indicate the number of candidates to be voted for the particular office.) Opposite or under the name of each candidate shall be printed the name or appellation of the political party or political body nominating him, and at the right of such name or appellation there shall be a square of sufficient size for the convenient insertion of a cross (x) or check ([Tick]) mark.

(c) When presidential electors are to be elected, their names shall not be printed upon the ballot, but in lieu thereof, the names of the candidates of their respective parties or political bodies for President and Vice-President of the United States shall be printed together in pairs under the title "Presidential Electors". All ballots marked for the candidates for President and Vice-President of a party or political body shall be counted as votes for each candidate for presidential elector of such party or political body.

(d) Whenever any candidate shall receive more than one nomination for the same office, his name shall be printed once, and the names of each political party so nominating him shall be printed opposite the name of such candidate, arranged in the same order as candidates names are required to be arranged. At the right of all the party names or appellation shall be a single square of sufficient size for the convenient insertion of a cross (x) or check ([Tick]) mark.

(e) There shall be left at the end of the group of candidates for President and Vice-President of the United States under the title "Presidential Electors," as many blank spaces as there are presidential electors to be elected, in which spaces the elector may insert, by writing or stamping, the names of any individual candidates for presidential electors for whom he desires to vote. There shall also be left at the end of each group of candidates for each other office (or under the title of the office itself in case no candidates have been nominated therefor), as many blank spaces as there are persons to be voted for for such office, in which space the elector may insert the name of any person or persons whose name is not printed on the ballot as a candidate for such office.

(f) In order that each elector may have the opportunity of designating his choice for all the candidates nominated by one political party or political body, there shall be printed on the extreme left of the ballot, and separated from the rest of the ballot by a space of at least one-half inch, a list of the names of all the political parties or political bodies represented on such ballot which have nominated candidates to be voted for at such election. Such names shall be arranged in the order of the votes obtained at the last gubernatorial election by the candidate for Governor of the parties or bodies nominating, beginning with the party that received the highest number of votes cast. Following the names of such political parties and political bodies shall be the names of the parties and bodies not represented on the ballot at the last gubernatorial election, arranged alphabetically, according to the party name or appellation. A square of sufficient size for the convenient insertion of a cross mark shall be placed at the right of each party name or appellation.

(g) The official ballots shall vary in form only as the names of districts, offices, candidates or the provisions of this act may require. When constitutional amendments or other questions are submitted to a vote of the electors, each amendment or other question so submitted may be printed upon the ballot below the groups of candidates for the various offices, and, when required by law, shall be so printed. Constitutional amendments so submitted shall be printed in brief form, to be determined by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and other questions so submitted shall be printed in brief form, to be determined by the Secretary of the Commonwealth in the case of questions to be voted on by the electors of the State at large, and by the county boards in other cases. To the right of each question there shall be placed the words "yes" and "no," together with appropriate squares to the right of each for the convenient insertion of a cross mark.

History

Amended by P.L. TBD 2019 No. 77 , § 3 , eff. 10/31/2019 .

1937, June 3, P.L. 1333, art. X, § 1003. Amended 1947, April 24, P.L. 68, § 1; 1960, Jan. 8, P.L. (1959) 2142, § 2; 1963, Aug. 13, P.L. 707, § 17, effective 1/1/1964 ; 1968, July 16, P.L. 354, No. 175, § 1; 1974, Dec. 10, P.L. 835, No. 280, § 2; 1976, Dec. 2, P.L. 1221, No. 269, § 6, imd. effective.

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