Thousands of Philly mail-in ballots roll in before the primary

More than 57,700 registered voters have already submitted mail-in ballots ahead of tomorrow's primary election, according to city figures as of last Thursday.

Why it matters: Two years after the use of mail-in ballots was expanded during the pandemic, some voters are "becoming very familiar with the process," while others are not, City Commissioner Lisa Deeley told Axios.

• "There are still many voters who are not using it regularly or not at all, so I would say there is a learning curve," said Deeley, who leads the board that oversees the city’s elections.

By the numbers: A total of 105,470 people — approximately 10% of the city's more than 1 million registered voters — requested mail-in ballots for Tuesday's primary, said Nick Custodio, a deputy commissioner under Deeley.

• Yes, but: That figure, which also includes replacement ballot requests, is slightly below the 2021 general election, when more than 107,600 mail-in ballot and replacement requests were made.
• More than 73,100 mail-in ballots were submitted during the November election, Custodio said.

Between the lines: Primary elections traditionally have low turnout in Philly, far below general elections and presidential races.

• The last midterm primary election in 2020 saw 32% turnout, and 17% of registered voters participated in 2018.

Be smart: Mail-in ballots must be submitted to county election officials by 8pm on Tuesday.

• Philly has more than a dozen mail-in ballot drop boxes around the city.