Pennsylvanians have 2 weeks left to register to vote in November’s election

WPXI.com News Staff
·3 min read

The deadline to register to be able to vote in the Nov. 7 municipal election is only two weeks away.

“Voting is the most fundamental way to participate in our democracy,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said in a release. “But you can’t vote if you’re not registered. I urge every eligible Pennsylvanian who isn’t yet registered to get registered by Oct. 23.”

To be eligible to vote, an individual must be:

  • a U.S. citizen for at least 30 days before the election,

  • a resident of Pennsylvania and the election district in which the individual plans to register and vote for at least 30 days before the election, and

  • at least 18 years old on the day of the election.

Voters are encouraged to register using the Online Voter Registration system. In addition, voters can register to vote by mail or apply in person at:

  • a county voter registration office,

  • county assistance offices,

  • Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program offices,

  • Armed Forces recruitment centers,

  • county clerk of orphans’ courts or marriage license offices,

  • area agencies on aging,

  • county mental health and intellectual disabilities offices,

  • student disability services offices of the State System of Higher Education,

  • offices of special education in high schools,

  • Americans with Disabilities Act-mandated complementary paratransit providers, and

  • Department of Transportation (PennDOT) driver and photo license centers.

Last month, it was announced that PennDOT and photo license enter now have a form of automatic voter registration. Under the new format, prompts on the computer screens in driver’s license centers will take the user to a template to register to vote. That leaves it up to them to choose not to register. Previously, prompts on the computer screen first asked the user whether they wanted to register to vote.

County elections offices must receive their voter registration application by 5 p.m. Oct. 23.

“Registered voters also can request a mail-in or, if applicable, an absentee ballot and vote from the convenience of their home,” Schmidt added. “Every vote – regardless of whether it’s cast in person or via mail ballot – is precious, and I encourage all eligible Pennsylvania voters to make their voice heard in this municipal election.”

Voters who wish to vote by mail-in or absentee ballot must apply by 5 p.m. Oct. 31. The deadline for county boards of elections to receive mail-in and absentee ballots is 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 7. Voted mail ballots received after that time do not count, even if they are postmarked before the deadline.

Voters who prefer to vote in person on Election Day can find their polling place on vote.pa.gov.

Eligible voters will have the opportunity to choose candidates in the following races:

  • Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice,

  • Superior Court judge,

  • Commonwealth Court judge,

  • Court of Common Pleas judges,

  • Magisterial District Judges, and

  • Local officials, such as county commissioners, borough council members, township supervisors and school board members.

The Department’s candidate database lists county and statewide judicial candidates.

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