WEST GOSHEN — Four days after voter registration closed in Pennsylvania, more than 68,000 voters in Chester County have already cast their votes in the hotly contested federal and state elections.

As of Thursday, 110,517 voters had requested a mail-in ballot and 70,578 of those had been returned, according to figures provided by the county Office of Voter Services. And from those who returned, 68,373 votes were counted; That’s just over 17 percent of the county’s total registered voters.

Voters have until October 29 to request a mail-in or absentee ballot and return their ballots until the polls close on Election Day, November 5.

There are 393,916 registered voters in the district; That number represents an increase of 13,678 from the number of registered voters in 2020, when Joe Biden ran against then-President Donald Trump. Biden defeated Trump in the county, garnering 182,372 votes to Trump’s 128,565, which helped boost Biden’s narrow victory in the state with 80,555 votes.

More than 9 million people are registered to vote in Pennsylvania. The last day to register was October 21.

Democratic voters in the district cast a total of 38,261 votes, while Republicans cast 20,431 votes. Unaffiliated voters or those who voted as third-party members received an additional 6,930 votes.

Although Democrats have historically voted by mail in higher numbers, their overall statewide registration advantage has diminished over the past four years. The GOP has gained more than 428,000 of its 3.7 million voters since 2020, while Democrats have lost 257,000 voters and fallen to just under 4 million, reducing their statewide lead to less than 300,000.

The district has 162,840 registered Democrats and 156,183 registered Republicans, helping the “blue” party maintain its advantage of 6,657 voters, but fewer than were available in the primary. Last month, Republicans registered 1,979 voters to Democrats’ 1,198.

Polls show the race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is neck-and-neck, with most showing Harris leading within the margin of error.

Polling stations in the district will open at 7 a.m. on November 5 and close at 8 p.m.

For more information about polling places, Voter Services satellite offices, and drop box locations, visit the Voter Services site at www.chesco.org.