To register to vote in Pennsylvania, you must:

1. Be a citizen of the United States for at least one month before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.
2. Be a resident of Pennsylvania and the election district in which you want to register and vote for at least 30 days before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.
3. Be at least 18 years of age on or before the day of the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.

Registration is not complete until processed and accepted by the individual’s county voter registration office.

Check voter registration here.

Special Populations:

1. Formerly Incarcerated:
   • You can register and vote if you:
     • • Are a pretrial detainee, confined in a penal institution awaiting trial on charges of a felony or a misdemeanor.
       • Were ever convicted of a misdemeanor.
       • Got released or will get released by the date of the next election from a correctional facility or halfway house. This must be upon completion of the term of incarceration for conviction of a misdemeanor or a felony.
       • Are on probation or released on parole. This includes parolees who are living in a halfway house.
       • Are under house arrest (home confinement). If this is you, you can vote no matter your conviction status or the status of the conditions of confinement.
   • Not eligible to register and vote if you:
     • • Are currently confined in a penal institution for conviction of a felony and will not get released from confinement until after the next election. This is even if you are also incarcerated for one or more misdemeanor offenses.
       • Are in a halfway house or other alternative correctional facility on pre-release status for conviction of a felony and who will not get released until after the date of the next election.
       • Got convicted of violating any provision of the Pennsylvania Election Code within the last four years.
   • Where do you register to vote?
     • • If in a penal institution, your residence for voter registration is:
         • • The last address where you registered to vote before confinement, or 
           • Your last known address before confinement, or
           • A new residence established while confined. For example, if your spouse moves to a new address where you intend to live when you get released.

Note: When registering to vote, you cannot use a penal institution or a halfway house as your residence address where you live. However, you may use these locations as an address to get mail.

1. • How to vote:
     • If confined in a penal institution, you will vote by absentee ballot.
     • If you are not confined, you will vote at your polling place. You may vote by absentee ballot if you meet the requirements to request an absentee ballot.
       
       1. 1. Learn about voting by absentee ballot.
          2. Learn about voting at the polling place.
          3. Contact your county election office for more information. 
   • Law?
     • • On December 26, 2000, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the law in Pennsylvania that governs whether people convicted of a felony could vote was not constitutional.
         • • This law used to say that people convicted of a felony could not register to vote for 5 years after their release from prison. This is no longer true.
           • If you are a person with a felony conviction, you may be able to register to vote.  If filling out an old version of the Voter Registration Mail Application (VRMA) form, strike through the felony conviction line at Section 9(2). Then sign your name.
             • Read and Print the Convicted Felon Brochure.
       • Pennsylvania does remove voting rights for people with felony convictions. Voting rights are lost only while incarcerated, with automatic restoration after release. Individuals who have been convicted of violating any provision of the Pennsylvania Election Code within the last four years cannot register and vote.
2. Unhoused Individuals:
   1. 1. If you are homeless, use the map on the voter registration application to show where you spend most of your time. 
         • • How to fill in the map:
             • • Write the names of the roads or streets nearest to where you live. 
               • Draw an X to show where you live. 
               • Use a dot to show the location of landmarks, such as schools, churches, or stores, and identify them by name.
      2. If you do not have a photo ID, you can use a non-photo identification that includes your name and address.
         • • Confirmation issued by the County Voter Registration Office
           • Non-photo ID issued by the Commonwealth
           • Non-photo ID issued by the U.S. Government
           • Firearm permit
           • Current utility bill
           • Current bank statement
           • Current paycheck
           • Government check

      3. To obtain an ID at no cost, individuals experiencing homelessness must apply in person at a PennDOT Driver License Center and must meet identification and other requirements. The applicant must inform the Driver License Center counter staff they are applying for or renewing their existing Pennsylvania photo ID and are requesting a free ID due to their homeless status. The individual will be required to certify on the application that they are homeless as defined in Section 103 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

         • • For initial issuance of a photo ID, the applicant must bring one acceptable proof of identification (see Publication 195US or Publication 195NC), Social Security Card or Social Security Administration ineligibility letter and acceptable forms of address verification. In the case of homeless individuals, PennDOT will accept a letter from a shelter indicating an individual is staying at the shelter or uses the shelter as an address of residency to pick up mail.

3. College Students:
   • • Choice of which address to use to register to vote:
       
       • • Can register and vote where you live while attending college in PA or at your prior home address, provided your family or guardian still reside there.
         • If registering where you live while attending college in PA, you can use either an on-campus or off-campus address.
         • can only be registered in one place at a time.
         • Have the right to register and vote where you live while attending college in Pennsylvania. You can use either an on-campus or off-campus address.

Whatever is chosen, must register to vote at least 15 days before the election.

Voter Registration Deadlines:

• Online registration deadline: 15 days before Election Day
• Register by mail deadline: Must be received 15 days before Election Day
• In-person registration deadline: 15 days before Election Day

In-Person Registration:

• • • To register to vote:
      • • Fill out a voter registration application form. 
        • Your county voter registration office reviews the form.  
    • If your registration is accepted, you will get a voter registration card in the mail. The voter registration card will show your name, address, party affiliation, and the address where you will vote.
    • You have 4 ways to register to vote. You can register:
      • • Online
        • by mail
        • in person at your county voter registration office
        • at PennDOT and some other government agencies.
          • • PennDOT
    • Forms for Registration Drives
      • • The Secretary of the Commonwealth and all county voter registration offices will provide printed copies of the Voter Registration Application to anyone who asks for them. This includes candidates, political parties or organizations, and other federal, state and municipal offices.
        • To request copies of the Voter Registration Application email  ST-VOTERREG@pa.gov or call 1-877-868-3772. Be sure to include the number of voter registration forms you want.

Online Registration

1. 1. You can check your voter registration status at DOS Voting & Election Information
   2. The Online registration deadline: 15 days before Election Day
      1.  
   3. Have your PA driver’s license or PennDOT ID available to reference as you complete the online registration application.

10/24/2022 is the last day to register before the 11/08/2022 election.

ID Requirements (For showing up to the polls)

• Approved forms of photo identification include:
  • • Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT ID card
    • ID issued by any Commonwealth agency
    • ID issued by the U.S. Government
    • U.S. passport
    • U.S. Armed Forces ID
    • Student ID
    • Employee ID
• If you do not have a photo ID, you can use a non-photo identification that includes your name and address.
  • • Confirmation issued by the County Voter Registration Office
    • Non-photo ID issued by the Commonwealth
    • Non-photo ID issued by the U.S. Government
    • Firearm permit
    • Current utility bill
    • Current bank statement
    • Current paycheck
    • Government check
• Annual Mail Ballot List
  • • As an annual mail voter, you must submit a request to vote by mail ballot every year and then two things will happen:
      • • You will automatically receive a mail ballot for every election until the 3rd Monday in February of the following year.
        • In early February, you will automatically receive another paper request form for mail ballots for the following year. Or you can submit a request online.
    • To double-check you are an annual mail voter:
      • • Contact your county board of elections. They can tell you if you will receive mail ballots for the year or if you need to submit a request. Remember, even if you received mail ballots last year, you must submit a request every year.

Early Voting/Advanced Voting:

• What to bring?
  • • You will need your PennDOT ID number or the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. Please refer to the list of ID requirements for mail-in or absentee ballots for more information.
• How to vote early:
  • • First, check your county’s website or call your county to see if ballots are finalized and available. If ballots are available, you can go to your county election board or other designated location in person and apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot. The county will process your application while you wait and, if you are eligible, they will give you your 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.
    • Reminder: If you return your voted mail-in or absentee ballot, then you cannot vote at your polling place on Election Day.

May 10th, 2022 is the last day to vote early in-person for the May 17, 2022 primary election

• Where can you vote early?
  • • You can vote early at your county election board or other officially designated location. You may drop off your mail-in ballot in person until 8 p.m. on Election Day, so long as you have applied for it before the deadline. The deadline to apply for a ballot in-person for the 2022 Primary Election is 5 p.m., May 10, 2022.
      • • Locate here:
          • • https://www.vote.pa.gov/Resources/Pages/Contact-Your-Election-Officials.aspx
• Absentee Voting:
  
  • • Deadlines for the November 8 Election
      • • November 1, 2022 at 5 p.m. – APPLICATIONS for a mail-in or absentee ballot must be received by your county election board.
        • November 8, 2022 at 8 p.m. – VOTED BALLOTS must be RECEIVED by your county election office – postmarks are not enough
        • Missed the deadline? If you have an emergency (such as an unexpected illness or disability or last-minute absence from your municipality) you may still be able to get a ballot after the deadline. Find information about how to get an emergency absentee ballot.

Any registered voter may request a mail-in ballot. Absentee ballots can be requested by voters with disabilities or an illness that prevents them from going to their polling place on election day, or those who will be absent from their municipality on Election Day. Request forms must be received by your county election board by 5 pm on November 1, 2022.

Important Dates 2022

• May 2, 2022, is the last day to register before the May 17, 2022, primary election.
• May 10, 2022, is the last day to register for an absentee ballot/mail-in before the May 17, 2022, primary election.
• October 24, 2022, is the last day to register before the November 8, 2022, general election
• November 1, 2022, is the last day to register for an absentee ballot/mail-in before the November 8, 2022, general election.

National Representatives

• U.S. Senate
• U.S. House

Statewide Representatives

• Two state executive offices are up for election in Pennsylvania in 2022:
  • • Governor
    • Lieutenant Governor

Local Representatives

Under considerations: https://www.phillyvoice.com/philadelphia-consider-ranked-choice-voting-city-elections/

State Polling Summary

Find Your Polling Location