HARRISBURG — One day before Pennsylvanians head to the polls, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt urged voters to make a plan, return their mail ballots on time and remember that every vote counts, whether cast in person or by mail.

Speaking Monday afternoon at the Capitol Media Center, Schmidt outlined the final preparations for Tuesday’s municipal election and emphasized both accessibility and security in the state’s voting process.

“Tomorrow is election day in Pennsylvania,” Schmidt said. “These are the offices that represent us closer to home — district attorneys, mayors, school boards, township supervisors. They’re incredibly important and voters should take part in choosing them.”

As of Monday morning, more than 1.13 million mail ballots had been sent to registered voters, with roughly 828,000 returned, about 73 percent. Ballots must be received by county boards of elections by 8 p.m. Tuesday to be counted.

“You can’t just put it in the mail tomorrow or it won’t be counted,” Schmidt reminded voters. “At this point, make sure to hand deliver it to your county board, satellite office, or secure drop box.”

Polls will be open statewide from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters in line by closing time will still be allowed to cast a ballot. For people who requested a mail ballot but didn’t return it, Schmidt explained that they may bring the ballot to their polling place and surrender it to vote in person, or if they forget it, they can still vote using a provisional ballot.

Throughout the press conference, Schmidt returned to one central theme — participation. Historically, municipal elections draw lower turnout than presidential or gubernatorial contests, but he called that trend both unnecessary and unfortunate. “Every election is important,” he said. “These are the people who affect your daily life. They deserve your participation.”

Schmidt also emphasized the state’s commitment to both secure and verifiable voting. Every voter, whether in person or by mail, uses a paper ballot that can be reviewed and audited. “There’s a paper record of every vote that’s cast,” he said. “No election official knows how anyone individually voted, but we do have a record that’s used in two separate audits after every election.”

Addressing concerns about ballot rules, Schmidt confirmed that counties are required to count mail ballots even if the voter mistakenly omits or miswrites the date on the outer envelope — a policy upheld in a recent Third Circuit Court decision. “If a voter wrote their birthday instead of the date, that ballot will still count,” he explained. “The counties time-stamp all ballots when they’re received, so the written date doesn’t affect whether the voter returned it on time.”

He credited the Department of State’s partnership with counties and design experts for reducing ballot errors, especially among elderly voters. “Every vote is precious,” Schmidt said. “We’ve worked hard to make the process more user-friendly and make sure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised because of a simple mistake.”

When asked about the reliability of the state’s election systems, Schmidt said Pennsylvania’s voting infrastructure remains strong. The state’s existing SURE voter registration system, which has been in use for years, continues to be supported and updated while a modernized replacement is in development. “We’ve worked closely with our vendor and other departments to ensure that the system is ready and secure,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt also reiterated that any form of voter intimidation or coercion is illegal and urged anyone who encounters problems at the polls to report them right away, whether to their county election office, district attorney, or the Department of State’s hotline at 1-877-VOTES-PA (1-877-868-3772). Assistance for voters with disabilities, elderly voters, or those with limited English proficiency remains available.

The Secretary reminded reporters that patience will be essential once polls close. By state law, counties cannot begin processing mail-in ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day. “It takes time to count millions of ballots,” he said. “County election officials will spend days making sure every eligible vote is counted correctly, and they deserve our respect and patience as they do that work.”

When asked about the increased spending on judicial retention races and political advertising this cycle — which drew attention from both parties and even national figures — Schmidt struck a neutral tone, noting that such attention may boost turnout. “When there’s more advertising, no one makes it through tomorrow without remembering that it’s election day,” he said. “And that’s important.”

For official results, Schmidt directed voters to electionreturns.pa.gov, where results will be posted as they come in from each county. General voting information is available at vote.pa.gov.

As the press conference closed, Schmidt thanked reporters for their role in educating the public. “It’s not complicated,” he said. “It’s not a difficult process. We want everyone to take part in it, because every single vote matters.”

The Nov. 4 municipal election will include races for statewide judicial offices and many local positions across Pennsylvania, from school board members to township supervisors.