Voting Guide 2024 Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania General Election
Election Day
Tuesday November 5
Registration Deadline
October 21 (online, in person, received by mail)
Check Your Registration status.
Automatic Voter Registration
YES
Election Day Registration
NO
How to Register to Vote
Register online via PA Online Voter Registration, PDF Application, Vote411, or Federal Registration Form
Check Your Registration status.
Early Voting
NO, but voting Early In Person by Mail Ballot* is available.
Early Voting Dates
Varies widely, check your county, must be within these dates: September 16-October 29.**
Early Voting Drop Boxes
YES, in many but not all counties. ONLY for mail-in or absentee ballots. Counties without drop boxes have early voting sites open during the early voting period.
Early Voting Locations
Mail-in Ballot
NO EXCUSE NEEDED.
Absentee Ballot
Must provide an excuse, however voters can avoid this by using mail-in ballots instead.***
Request Mail-In or Absentee Ballot
Request either via online or paper application.
Application Deadline: Received by October 29 @ 5pm
REQUEST EARLY TO RETURN ON TIME
Absentee Ballot Return
Return Deadline: Received by Election Day at 8pm
How to Vote Mail-In and Absentee Ballot
See, Vote PA Voting by Mail-In or Absentee Ballot and how to fill and return your ballot.
Mark your ballot, seal in inner secrecy envelope marked “Official Election Ballot,” seal that envelope in pre-addressed outer return envelope, and sign and date voter declaration on outer envelope.
If you change your mind about voting by mail or absentee, you may vote in person on election day.****
Sample Ballots
CHECK BACK
Election Day Vote In Person
Tuesday November 5, 7am-8pm
Election Day Polling Places
Look Up Polling Place or contact county elections official
Polling Place Electioneering
Buffer Zone: 10 feet from polling place.
Prohibited Activities: Posting or distributing campaign materials/signs/banners/literature; influencing voters/soliciting votes/political persuasion. Campaign buttons and apparel are allowed as long as voter not electioneering.***** See also, NCSL Electioneering Prohibitions. Ballot selfies are allowed, but it is recommended that they not show completed ballot. PA Dept of State Guidance.
Press Access to Polling Place
Press are not permitted within 10 feet of polling place unless voting. See Media Access Overview PA, 25 Pa. Stat. Ann. § 3060(a)-(d), and PA Dept. of State Guidance.
Poll Worker Info
Become a Poll Worker. To be poll worker, be: registered to vote in PA; 18 years old; and resident of election district for 30 days before election. If student enrolled in a high school, 17 years old, may be appointed with written permission from parent, guardian, or school principal.
Photo ID
NOT REQUIRED unless first-time voter.
First-time voters must show an ID, but it does not have to be a photo ID. More info. ******
Provisional Ballots
YES, see Voting by Provisional Ballot for rules.*******
Tracking
Track mail-in or absentee ballot status.
Ballot Measures
No citizen initiative process.
Ballot measures are only for constitutional amendments and are only by legislative referral.
CHECK BACK FOR 2024 BALLOT MEASURES
College Students
Vote in PA: Resident of PA for at least 30 days prior to election. Allowed to use campus address.
Vote in Home State: Vote absentee ballot, if allowed. See Vote411, your state election website, or another voter info site for your state’s rules.
People with Felony Convictions
Allowed to vote if completed sentence and have been released from incarceration. More info.
Helpful Websites
Vote PA, PA Sec of State Election Portal, Vote411 PA, Democracy Works PA
Photo Credit: Andrea Merovich
Footnotes
*How to Vote Early, In Person, By Mail Ballot
Submit a completed mail-in or absentee ballot application at your county election board or other designated location.
Patiently wait for your application to be verified and processed (this may take a few minutes).
Receive your ballot and mark your ballot.
Seal your ballot in the white inner secrecy envelope that indicates "official elections ballot", making sure not to make any marks on the envelope. Your ballot must be enclosed and sealed in the white inner secrecy envelope or it will not be counted.
Seal the inner secrecy envelope inside the pre-addressed outer return envelope where you must sign. Seal your ballot in both envelopes, or it will not be counted.
Complete, sign, and date the voter's declaration on the outside of the outer return envelope. If you do not sign and date the outer return envelope, your ballot will not be counted.
Hand in your ballot.
There is an option to to be added to the permanent vote by mail list. “Pennsylvania must send mail-in applications to permanent voters each February. Anyone wishing to receive a mail-in ballot must fill out the application. If applications are ignored, the voter will remain on the permanent list and will not be sent a mail-in ballot.” See Mail-In Ballot Voting on Lancaster County website, as example of rules.
** Voting Dates by County
Most populated counties listed below, see links to other county sites.
Allegheny County – “as soon as they are ready,” no date provided (return to County Election Office or Satellite Site)
Bucks County – Beginning Early- to mid-October
Delaware County – no date provided, but probably mid-October based on when primary election ballot were mailed out (return to County Election Office, Drop Box, or Voter Service Center)
Lancaster County – ballots mailed Early October (probably October 7)
Montgomery County – “by October 24” (return to County Election Office or Drop Box)
Philadelphia County – September 23 - October 5, See also Election Offices and Drop-Box Locations
***Absentee v. Mail-In Ballots
Absentee ballots allow voters to vote by mail and require voters to provide an excuse, a reason for not voting in person. Voters with a valid reason, such as being out of town during the election or physically unable to vote in person.
Mail-in ballots also allow voters to vote by mail but they DO NOT require an excuse or reason for not voting in person. All voters are eligible for mail-in ballots, which makes absentee ballots obsolete.
Seems that absentee ballots are a hold-over from before no-excuse-needed mail-in ballots were allowed.
****Absentee Ballots – Changing Your Mind to Vote in Person
If voter has received absentee or mail-in ballot, voter may change their mind and vote in person by surrendering the absentee ballot with outer return envelope to a poll worker at their polling place and signing a declaration. If voter does not have their absentee or mail-in ballot or envelope, voter can vote a provisional ballot and elections officials will verify that voter has not voted by mail before counting their vote.
*****IDs Required if First-Time Voter in PA (Photo ID Not Required)
IDs Accepted:
Pennsylvania driver's license or PENNDOT ID card
ID issued by any Commonwealth of PA agency
ID issued by the US Government
US Passport
US armed Forces ID
Student ID
Employee ID
Confirmation issued by the County Voter Registration Office
Non-photo ID issued by the Commonwealth that shows name and address
10.Non-photo ID issued by the US Government that shows name and address
Firearm permit
12.Current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government check that shows name and address
If voter is asked to show ID at the polls and does not show a valid ID, voter cannot be stopped from voting a regular ballot. Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline. If a regular ballot is denied, voter should ask for a provisional ballot.
****** Electioneering
See PA Dept of State Guidance. See also, ACLU PA (2018), “In response to a request from the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Secretary of State's office has notified county election boards that voters who wear partisan political buttons, stickers, and t-shirts to their polling places on Election Day should be allowed to vote.”
*******Provisional Ballots
You may vote a provisional ballot if:
Your name was not in the poll book or supplemental poll book (i.e., you reported to the wrong precinct or did not report a recent change of address).
You are required to show ID, but cannot show ID.
Your eligibility was challenged by an election official.
You were issued but did not successfully vote an absentee or mail‐in ballot and you do not surrender your ballot at the polling place.
You returned a completed absentee or mail‐in ballot that was rejected by the county board of elections and you believe you are eligible to vote.
There is a special court order with respect to your registration status or related to extending the hours of voting.
********College Students
Although a few states still require an excuse to use a mail absentee ballot, all states include as one of their qualified excuses simply that you will be out of county or state on election day, which would apply to most college students residing away from home. Some states specify being a college student as one of the qualified excuses, as well. See, No-Excuse Absentee Voting States and Excuse Required Absentee Voting States.
Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community. Fair Elections Center – Pennsylvania
Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.
More info at Fair Elections Center and Fair Elections Center State Voting Guides. See Vote411, your home state or county election website, or another voter info site for your state’s rules.