Elections director briefs commissioners on primary preparations, absentee-ballot and registration deadlines

Paul Hoffman, director of elections for Mifflin County, briefed the Board of Commissioners on preparations for the upcoming primary, noting the office is testing voting tablets and media sticks and preparing to mail ballots in late April or early May.

Hoffman said the last day to return or finalize an absentee ballot is May 13, 2025, and the last day to register or update registration (change address, party, or name) is May 5, 2025. He reminded the commissioners that Pennsylvania holds closed primaries, meaning only registered members of the two major parties—Republican and Democratic—may vote in their respective primaries.

On offices referenced for the primary, Hoffman said the sheriff's race includes two candidates for sheriff and that judicial and local offices, including treasurer and various school board and municipal positions, appear on the ballots depending on the municipality. He said the first early election day is May 20, 2025.

Hoffman also told the board the office had received a large batch of ballots from the supplier and was preparing to send them to municipalities for proofreading before mailing. "We currently have 570,000 ballots already," Hoffman said in the meeting transcript. He said media sticks will be tested prior to distribution and emphasized that the office will not send them out until testing is complete.

Commissioners asked routine procedural questions about identification for registration (Hoffman said the office needs the driver's license number), timelines for mailing and processing ballots, and the schedule for early voting and primary-day procedures. No formal action or vote on election procedures was taken during the meeting; the briefing was informational.