Pa.'s voter registration deadline quickly approaching

Eric Scicchitano, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·2 min read

Oct. 17—HARRISBURG — The deadline to register to vote in next month's general election is fast approaching.

Pennsylvanians have until Oct. 24 to register in order to cast a ballot in the Nov. 8 election. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is Nov. 1.

Up for election are the offices of governor, lieutenant governor and U.S. Senator, along with the state's 17 congressional representatives, 25 of its 50 state senators and all 203 of its state House members.

"They can register to vote, check the status of their registration and apply for a mail ballot online at vote.pa.gov," Acting Secretary of State Leigh M. Chapman said in a press release about the upcoming deadlines.

More than 8.7 million Pennsylvanians are presently registered to vote including 4.01 million Democrats, 3.47 million Republicans and a combined 1.3 million voters who belong to a third party or have no party affiliation.

According to Monday's update from the Pennsylvania Department of State, 1.19 million voters requested mail-in ballots, about 71% of whom are registered Democrat, and 237,288 have been returned.

The following requirements must be met to register: Voters must be a U.S. citizen for at least one month before the election; must be a Pennsylvania resident and reside within their respective voting district for at least 30 days before the election; must be at least 18 years old before the election.

Voters can register online, by mail, in person at county election offices and at PennDOT driver's license centers and other government offices: state offices that provide public assistance and services to persons with disabilities, Armed Forces Recruitment Centers, County Clerk of Orphans' Court offices including each Marriage License Bureau, Area Agencies on Aging, Centers for Independent Living, County Mental Health and Intellectual Disability offices, Student disability services offices of the State System of Higher Education, Offices of Special Education, DA Complementary Paratransit offices, any agency using the Compass application.

The online voter registration system can be used to confirm registration status, locate polling places and find contact information for county election offices.

For more detailed instructions including print materials, visit vote.pa.gov and follow the relevant links or call 1-877-868-3772.