Pennsylvania Voting Guide

If you have a Pennsylvania driver's license, you must provide your driver's license number on your registration form. If you do not have a Pennsylania license you must supply the last 4 digits of your social security number. If you do not have a Social Security Number, write none in the space provided for this number.

The deadlines for registering is 30 days before each election.

You can now register to vote online! Click here to fill out your application. Or, you can print your registration form here.

For more information contact your local board of elections.

If you are unable to vote at your polling place on Election Day, you may be able to vote by absentee ballot. You are able to vote absentee if you are:

• A person who is in the military service of the United States
• A spouse or dependent residing with or accompanying a person in the military service of the United States who expects to be absent on Election Day
• A member of the Merchant Marine and your spouse and dependents residing with you expect to be absent on Election Day
• A member of a religious or welfare group attached to and serving with the armed forces and your spouse and dependents living with or accompanying you expect to be absent on Election Day
• An individual who, because of the elector's duties, occupation or business expects to be absent on Election Day
• A qualified war veteran elector who is bedridden or hospitalized due to illness or physical disability and will be absent on Election Day
• A person who, because of illness or physical disability, is unable to attend your polling place or to operate a voting machine with assistance by distinct and audible statements
• A spouse or dependent accompanying a person employed by the Commonwealth or the federal government, in the event that the employee's duties, occupation or business on Election Day require you to be absent
• A county employee who expects that your Election Day duties relating to the conduct of the election will prevent the employee from voting
• A person who will not attend a polling place on Election Day because of the observance of a religious holiday

Beginning in November 2012, voters must provide a driver's license number, last 4 digits of Social Security number or a copy of an acceptable photo ID when applying for an absentee ballot. You may provide this information to the county over the phone, by email or by mail. Identification will be verified by the county before the voter's ballot with be counted. You have 6 days following the election to provide the necessary ID. UOCAVA voters and voters affected by the Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act are exempt.

To apply for an absentee ballot, download and print the absentee ballot application and send it to your county election office.

You may also apply for an absentee ballot through a letter. This letter must be signed by the voter and must include the same information as the forms provided by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

The County Board of Elections must receive the applications no later than 5pm on the Tuesday before Election Day.

If you have an emergency and did not apply for an absentee ballot by the deadline you may download and apply for an Emergence Absentee Ballot. This application must be notarized before it is submitted. More information about Emergency Absentee Ballots can be found here.

Pennsylvania does not have early voting. If you meet any of the below requirements you may vote before Election Day through an Absentee Ballot. Please see the "Absentee Ballot Process" question above for more information on voting Absentee Ballots.

Absentee Ballot requirements:

• A person who is in the military service of the United States
• A spouse or dependent residing with or accompanying a person in the military service of the United States who expects to be absent on Election Day
• A member of the Merchant Marine and your spouse and dependents residing with you expect to be absent on Election Day
• A member of a religious or welfare group attached to and serving with the armed forces and your spouse and dependents living with or accompanying you expect to be absent on Election Day
• An individual who, because of the elector's duties, occupation or business expects to be absent on Election Day
• A qualified war veteran elector who is bedridden or hospitalized due to illness or physical disability and will be absent on Election Day
• A person who, because of illness or physical disability, is unable to attend your polling place or to operate a voting machine with assistance by distinct and audible statements
• A spouse or dependent accompanying a person employed by the Commonwealth or the federal government, in the event that the employee's duties, occupation or business on Election Day require you to be absent
• A county employee who expects that your Election Day duties relating to the conduct of the election will prevent the employee from voting
• A person who will not attend a polling place on Election Day because of the observance of a religious holiday

In order to be a poll worker in Pennsylvania:

• You must be registered to vote in Pennsylvania
• You must be at least 18 years of age
• You must be a resident of election district for the 30 days prior to the election.
• Students enrolled in a high school who are 17 years old with residency in the county may be appointed with written permission from a parent or guardian and school principal

You will be entitled to compensation

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

Time off to vote is subject to the employer. Pennsylvania state law does not require employers to grant time off to vote for employees.

You are provided the opportunity to cast a provisional ballot if:

• You appear to vote and claim to be properly registered and eligible to vote in the election district but your name does not appear on the district register (poll book) and elections officials cannot determine your registration.
• Regardless of whether your name appears on the general register, you do not have an approved form of identification when you appear to vote in an election district.
• An election official asserts that you are not eligible to vote. (In a primary election this includes if you claim to be registered for a particular political party, but the district register indicates you are registered as a member of another political party.)

You are required to vote by provisional ballot if:

• Your voting as a result of a Federal or State court order.
• You are voting as a result of an order extending the time established for closing the polls by state law that is in effect 10 days before an election.

If you vote on a provisional ballot, you will be asked to:

• Complete and sign the provisional ballot affidavit on the back of the provisional ballot affidavit envelope.
• Complete a provisional ballot in an accessible and private area of the polling place.
• Seal the completed provisional ballot in a secrecy envelope.
• Seal the secrecy envelope in the provisional ballot affidavit envelope.
• Sign the front of the provisional ballot affidavit envelope.
• Return the sealed provisional ballot affidavit envelope to a polling place election official.
• Receive your provisional ballot identification receipt.

If you already voted by absentee ballot for this election, you will be asked to cancel your absentee ballot. Within seven days after the election, the county board of elections will examine the provisional ballot to determine the validity of your completed provisional ballot. At least seven days after the election, using the information provided to you on the provisional ballot identification receipt, call 1-877-VOTES-PA or visit the department of state. Provide your provisional ballot identification number. You will be told whether your provisional ballot was counted, partially counted or not counted. If your provisional ballot was not counted, you will be told why.

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures may be available here.

To see a list of available races, visit the race index.