It's busy both inside and outside the Bureau of Elections in Luzerne County as workers prepare for the 2020 election, less than three weeks away.
"Today in Luzerne County, you're able to vote a couple of different ways. The first option is always you can vote at the polls. We have 129 polling places available and open on November 3. The second would be your mail-in ballot option. You take your mail-in ballot, you get it in the mail, place it in your secrecy envelope, put it back in the mail, or drop it back off at the election bureau," said Luzerne County Manager Devid Pedri.
There is a third option known as walk-in or early voting.
"Voting by mail in person, either by absentee or mail-in ballot, that's for the people who have not yet applied for their mail-in application or their absentee application," said Luzerne County Director of Elections Shelby Watchilla.
Here's how walk-in voting or voting by mail-in person works. The voter comes to the Bureau of Elections office, fills out an application for a mail-in ballot, but instead of waiting for it in the mail, it's processed at the bureau.
"It would be processed here while they wait. Their packet would be put together the same way it would be put together as if it would be going to them in the mail," Watchilla said.
Then you would take your ballot packet to a privacy area, vote, and then deposit your mail-in ballot in the office.
Six parking spaces outside Penn Place, where the Bureau of Elections is located, have been marked off, so anyone coming to walk-in vote can park for free.
"If you applied for your mail-in ballot, they started being mailed out on Friday. If you haven't received your mail-in ballot yet, we encourage you to check the status on the Department of State website. They will also have the ability to tell you exactly where your ballot is and where we are in processing them," Pedri said.
Folks were already in line on Thursday to cast their votes in person. Officials with the county say they have faith in the process and are prepared for what's ahead.
"I think the eyes of the world could potentially be on Pennsylvania, and that means they'll be on Luzerne County. We have trained staff; they are ready to go. We are ready to assist every single person that comes through here. We are confident that we're going to have a fair, open, and transparent election, though we will feel much better when this election is over," Pedri added.
Officials stress that this walk-in voting option is for people who have not requested a mail-in ballot. If you have requested a mail-in ballot, officials ask that you wait to receive it and then put it back in the mail as soon as possible, or come down and drop it off in person.