The Pennsylvania Department of State announced that Gov. Tom Corbett has issued an executive order extending the deadline for applying for, and returning, absentee ballots for emergency responders deployed in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

If you are an emergency responder who has been deployed in Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, and that deployment means you will be absent from the county in which you reside for the duration of voting on Tuesday by order of your employer or other organization, you may apply to receive an absentee ballot until 5 p.m. Monday.

The application of an Emergency Responder Qualified Absentee Elector may be signed and delivered on behalf of the voter by an immediate family member.

The Emergency Responder Qualified Absentee Elector application also may be submitted electronically.

If submitted electronically, the original application should be mailed to the county election office. It may be received up to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, as long as there is proof — a postmark or time stamp — that the application was mailed to, or delivered to, the county election office no later than Monday, Nov. 5.

A county election office must deliver an absentee ballot to an Emergency Responder Qualified Absentee Elector through electronic means upon request of the Emergency Responder Qualified Absentee Elector.

The voted ballot of the Emergency Responder Qualified absentee elector must be postmarked by Monday, Nov. 5.

The necessary application and forms can be found at the Lancaster County website  in the news/info section near the bottom of the page. The fax number for the Lancaster County Board of Elections is 717-209-3076. That office's email address, for these requests, is: voter@co.lancaster.pa.us.