Pennsylvania Statutes § 3063 What ballots shall be counted; manner of counting; defective ballots

(a) No ballot which is so marked as to be capable of identification shall be counted. Any ballot that is marked in blue, black or blue-black ink, in fountain pen or ball point pen, or black lead pencil or indelible pencil, shall be valid and counted: Provided, that all markings on the ballot are made by the same pen or pencil. Any ballot marked by any other mark than an (X) or check ( ) in the spaces provided for that purpose shall be void and not counted: Provided, however, that no vote recorded thereon shall be declared void because a cross (X) or check ( ) mark thereon is irregular in form. [Any erasure, mutilation or defective marking of the straight party column at November elections shall render the entire ballot void, unless the voter has properly indicated his choice for candidates in any office block, in which case the vote or votes for such candidates only shall be counted.] Any erasure or mutilation in the vote in any office block shall render void the vote for any candidates in said block, but shall not invalidate the votes cast on the remainder of the ballot, if otherwise properly marked. Any ballot indicating a vote for any person whose name is not printed on the ballot, by writing [, stamping or sticker] or stamping , shall be counted as a vote for such person, if placed in the proper space or spaces provided for that purpose, whether or not an (X) or check ( ) is placed after the name of such person: Provided, however, that if such writing [, stamping or sticker] or stamping is placed over the name of a candidate printed on the ballot, it shall render the entire vote in said office block void. In districts in which paper ballots or ballot cards are electronically tabulated, stickers or labels may not be used to mark ballots. A vote cast by means of a sticker or label affixed to a ballot or ballot card shall be void and may not be counted. If an elector shall mark his ballot for more persons for any office than there are candidates to be voted for for such office, or if, for any reason, it may be impossible to determine his choice for any office, his ballot shall not be counted for such office, but the ballot shall be counted for all offices for which it is properly marked. Ballots not marked, or improperly or defectively marked, so that the whole ballot is void, shall be set aside and shall be preserved with the other ballots.

(b) At November elections, a cross (X) or check ([Tick]) mark in the square opposite the name of political party or political body in the party column shall be counted as a vote for every candidate of that party or body so marked, including its candidates for presidential electors, except for those offices as to which the voter has indicated a choice for individual candidates of the same or another party or body in any office block, in which case the ballot for such office block shall be counted only for the candidates thus individually marked, notwithstanding the fact that the voter has made a mark in the party column, and even though in the case of an office for which more than one candidate is to be voted for, he has not individually marked for such office the full number of candidates for which he is entitled to vote.