The suspicions of mail-in voters who applied for their ballots and have not received them yet from the county Bureau of Elections were not unfounded.

Aaron Sheasley, director of the elections bureau, told county commissioners Wednesday that he was contacted Tuesday by U.S. Postal Service officials at the federal level that an investigation is ongoing into the disappearance of mail-in ballots in Butler and other counties.

He could not say which counties in addition to Butler have been affected by the issue.

Sheasley said he does not know and could not estimate how many mail-in ballots were lost or at which post office the issue arose.

He is urging mail-in voters who did not get their ballots to vote at the polls using a provisional ballot.

The judges of elections at all 89 precincts in the county will have up-to-date lists of voters who applied for a mail-in ballot and will be able to see whether their votes have been recorded, Sheasley said.

He stressed that provisional ballots are a safe means of voting.

“Those votes will absolutely be counted,” Sheasley said. “It's important that people who have not yet received a mail-in ballot proceed to their polling location.”

Mail-in voters who have not received their ballots also can vote at the elections bureau at the county government center at the intersection of West Diamond and South Jackson streets. Those planning to vote at the elections bureau must bring their identification to vote.

Sheasley said beginning Tuesday, election bureau hours have been extended.

The bureau will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, with the exception of Monday, when doors will close at 6 p.m. Saturday hours of 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. have also been added.

Sheasley said many who have not received their ballots have stood in long lines outside the elections bureau office to have their prior ballot canceled and cast their ballot on the spot. He said the original ballot's bar code is deactivated and a new one created, so the former ballot cannot be used.

Sheasley said deputies from the county Sheriff's Office will deliver ballots to those who cannot come to the elections bureau or polls to vote, such as residents of nursing homes, but the deputies cannot bring the ballots back for processing.

An email address on the county's website, butlercountypa.gov, also allows voters to email the elections bureau regarding accommodations to vote for those who cannot go to the elections bureau or polls.

In some cases, Sheasley said, ballots are being sent via overnight mail to college students living at school.

“We are pulling out all the stops and making every effort to get everyone their ballots, so they can vote,” he said.

Sheasley said he doubts the issue with the postal service will be rectified before Tuesday's election.

Regarding the county's low percentage of completed ballots scanned in, Sheasley said his department has been focusing on ensuring all voters get the chance to vote and all questions and requests by voters are addressed.

He said all mail-in ballots received by the elections bureau will be scanned in time to be counted.

Commissioner Kim Geyer advised all mail-in voters whose ballot has not been shown as “received” on www.pavoterservices.pa.gov, the state tracking website, by Monday to go to the polls and vote via provisional ballot.

Sheasley said another issue slowing scanning is that he and his staff are continuing to compare the signature on each ballot's outer envelope to the signature on file at the elections bureau, which pops up on a screen when the ballot is scanned.

He said earlier that while a recent court ruling determined that signatures are not required to match, he is continuing to compare them in case that ruling is overturned at some point in the future.

In addition, the hundreds of people lining up each day at the elections bureau to vote, submit their mail-in ballots or ask questions plus the hundreds of daily phone calls fielded by the bureau's call center has slowed down the scanning.

Sheasley said he placed a higher priority on helping voters than scanning in received ballots.

“I would hope that within the next 48 hours, we will have everything scanned in,” he said.

Regarding the thousands of calls fielded by elections bureau staff in recent weeks, Sheasley said one stood out in particular.

He said a voter called to say their dog had partially eaten their ballot, and they wondered if it could still be counted. “I have that ballot in my office. It has teeth marks,” said Sheasley, who has not been to his Cranberry Township home since Thursday. “I might frame it.”