Voting in Pa

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A special election is held when someone who is already in office can no longer serve and must be replaced. All registered voters in the district can vote in a special election.  

The United States Constitution says that a Presidential election is to be held once every fourth year, but the Presidential election process begins long before Election Day. At least one year before the election, candidates will begin raising money and campaigning for the Presidential nomination. The person each party nominates is the candidate who ultimately secures the most convention delegates based on voting in the state's primary election. Each party then announces their nominee for President at the party’s national convention. Presidential elections are held every four years, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November. The Electoral College The Electoral College is a group of citizens (known as electors) appointed by each state to cast votes for the President and Vice President of the United States on behalf of the state’s citizens. It was created to ensure that each state had a role in selecting the President. When you cast your vote for President, you are actually telling the Presidential electors who are members of the Electoral College of your state to cast their votes for that candidate. In a Presidential election, the President is elected by the Electoral College, not the popular vote. However, your vote helps decide which candidate receives your state’s electoral votes. Each state gets the same number of electoral votes as it has members of Congress.  There are a total of 538 votes in the Electoral College and a candidate must win a simple majority (270) of those votes to win the election. Pennsylvania has 20 electoral votes. Most states have a winner-take-all system, meaning that all of the state’s electoral votes are pledged to the person who won the state’s popular vote.

In Pennsylvania's Primary Elections, voters choose their party’s nominees to run in the General Election by casting ballots.   Pennsylvania holds closed Primary Elections, meaning you must be a member of the party to vote for that party’s candidate (for example, you could not vote in the Republican primary unless you are a registered member of the Republican Party).   The candidates that receive the highest number of votes in the Primary Election will be the nominee representing their party on the General Election ballot.   Primary elections in Pennsylvania are held on the third Tuesday of May in all years except Presidential years, when it is held on the fourth Tuesday of April.  General Elections are always held the first Tuesday, after the first Monday, in November. 

Receive your provisional ballot identification receipt.

County Election Officials will examine the provisional ballots within seven days after an election to determine whether you were entitled to vote in the election at the election district where you voted.

The federal Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act of 1984 (VAA) (42 U.S.C. § 1973ee et seq.) generally requires polling places across the United States to be physically accessible to people with disabilities for all federal elections. Where no accessible location is available to serve as a polling place, a county must provide an alternate means of casting a ballot on the day of the election. If you have a disability, or are at least 65 years of age and have been assigned to a polling place deemed inaccessible by the County Board of Elections, you can vote by alternative ballot. If you are qualified to vote by alternative ballot, you have the right to do so regardless of whether you are able to appear to vote at the polling place. Much like an absentee ballot, an alternative ballot is a paper ballot that can be delivered to the County Board of Elections in person, by an authorized representative, or through the U.S. mail. Applications for alternative ballot must be submitted to your County Board of Elections no later than 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before Election Day. In case of an emergency, you can submit an Emergency Application for Alternative Ballot, which must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Completed alternative ballots must be received by the County Board of Elections no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day (at the time the polls close). 

UOCAVA voters and voters affected by the Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act are exempt.

Voting is an easy process. As long as you are registered, you will be able to vote on Election Day.  Voting systems vary from county to county, so know what to expect before you arrive at your polling location.  You can view a demonstration of the type of voting system used at your polling place.  If you are not sure where your polling place is, you can search.

If the polling place is not found, check the information you entered and make sure it is the correct residential address. Click Search again. If the polling place is still not found, contact your county election office.

A list of key issues or specific proposals that are on the ballot

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 makes it illegal for any state or local government to discriminate against racial or ethnic minority groups by denying them the right to vote. It also protects against discrimination of people in language minority groups. The Voting Rights Act was extended in 1970, 1975 and 1982.   Assistance in Voting at the Polling Place Under federal and Pennsylvania law, if you cannot enter the voting booth or use the voting system due to a disability, you can select a person to enter the voting booth with you to provide assistance. You can choose anyone to assist, except for your employer, an agent of your employer, an officer or agent of your union or the Judge of Elections. The first time you use assistance, you will have to complete and sign a form provided by the Election Officials at the polling place. After the first time, your registration record will include notation of your request for assistance.

Have been a resident of Pennsylvania and the district you wish to vote in for at least 30 days before the next election.

Once you register to vote, you do NOT need to register again unless you need to change your address, name, or party affiliation.