Did you know we are less than a month away from the deadline to register to vote or apply to vote by mail in the municipal primary?
Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt wants to remind all Keystone State residents of the important deadlines that are fast approaching.
The deadline to register for the May 16 primary election is Monday, May 1.
If you are not a U.S. citizen and a resident of Pennsylvania at least 30 days before the next election, you cannot register to vote. It is also important to note that your registration is not complete until processed and accepted by your county voter registration office.
Applications can be submitted:
- On the PAVoterServices.pa.gov website
- Delivered to your county voter registration office
- By mail to the county office, received by 5/1/2023
- If you are on active duty in the military, or you are a hospitalized or bedridden veteran, you can register at any time by going to www.fvap.org
“Every Pennsylvania voter who wants to vote using a mail ballot should apply for a no-excuse mail-in or absentee ballot today,” Schmidt said. “Voters should allow for as much time as possible when using the postal service to ensure their ballot is received on time.”
Pennsylvania voters can choose from two vote-by-mail options: mail-in or absentee ballot.
Mail-in ballots
To date, 626,509 voters have applied for mail-in ballots ahead of the primary. If you would like to add your name to the list, you can apply for a ballot online or download and print an application from the Department of State’s website – vote.pa.gov.
Absentee ballots
As of today, 44,374 voters have applied for absentee ballots for the primary. Voters who will be away from their home municipality on Election Day or who have a disability or illness that prevents them from going to the polls can apply for an absentee ballot online.
Mail ballot applications must be received by a voter’s county elections board by 5 p.m. May 9.
Upon receiving their mail ballot, voters should:
- Fill out the ballot by following the instructions on how to mark selections.
- Seal the ballot in the inner secrecy envelope marked “official ballot.” Do not make any stray marks on the envelope.
- Then seal the inner secrecy envelope in the pre-addressed outer return envelope.
- Sign and put the current date on the voter’s declaration on the outer return envelope.
Under Pennsylvania law, voters are allowed to mail or hand-deliver only their own ballot to their county board of elections. The only exceptions to this rule are for voters with a disability who have designated someone in writing to deliver their ballot and for voters who need an emergency absentee ballot.
County boards of election offices must receive all completed mail ballots – whether they are mail-in or absentee ballots – by 8 p.m. on Election Day, May 16. Mail ballots received after that time, even if postmarked by 8 p.m. May 16, will not count.
Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day for those eligible voters who want to vote in person.
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