County officials warn not to take new online absentee vote applications for granted.

“Don't wait until the last minute,” said Shari Brewer, director of the Butler County Bureau of Elections.

Gov. Tom Wolf announced the new online application Monday, citing a commitment to accessibility to the voting system.

“Applying for an absentee ballot online will make the process faster and more accessible for thousands of voters,” Wolf said.

The application will come in the form of a mobile-friendly website: votesPA.com/ApplyAbsentee.

Online applicants will need a Pennsylvania driver's license or ID number to be processed electronically.

The site will go live Sept. 16, and the deadline for the application is 5 p.m. Oct. 29.

Brewer urged voters to apply as soon as possible.

“If they wait (until) the last minute to apply for an absentee ballot, they're still risking not getting the ballot in time or not getting it back to us in time,” Brewer said. “We can't guarantee what the mail's going to do. We can't control the mail.”

When a resident completes the online form, the information is forwarded directly to the county elections office for processing.

Voters still will receive their absentee ballot by mail, and they must return it by mail or hand-deliver it to their county election office by 5 p.m. Nov. 1, the Friday before the Nov. 5 general election.

“The deadline for absentee ballots and the ballots themselves are still the same,” Brewer said.

Brewer said the new online application makes one part of a longer procedure more convenient.

“I think it will be convenient for people to do,” Brewer said.

Since Wolf launched online voter registration in 2015, more than 1.4 million voter registration applications or changes have been submitted online.

The system is accessible to all domestic Pennsylvania voters and will be available to military and overseas voters by 2020, according to Wolf's announcement.

“This builds on the option to register to vote online, which Pennsylvania launched four years ago, and it will provide an easier way for people to exercise their right to vote,” Wolf said.

Brewer said anyone considering leaving the county around the election should apply. She said if plans change, voters still can legally bring their absentee ballot to the polls on election day to have it voided and vote in person.

“It's better to be safe than sorry,” Brewer said.

Brewer said voters can return only their own ballot.

“A wife can't turn in their husband's absentee ballot,” she said.

Brewer said while technology has removed legwork for voters, it can complicate things at the election office.

She said voters can check with the office on the status of an application.

“They'll fill out a form online and fill out a paper form, too,” she said. “Sometimes, we'll process the same voter two different times.”

Brewer said a quick phone call can give the voter assurance and eliminate extra paperwork.