HARRISBURG, Pa (WKBN) – The Shapiro Administration wants to make Pennsylvanians aware of an important deadline.
On Monday, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt urged every eligible Pennsylvanian to register to vote by October 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.
Schmidt encouraged Pennsylvanians to use the Online Voter Registration (OVR) system, which is a fast and convenient way to register to vote. In addition to registering through the OVR system, eligible 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,
- The 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.
A form of automatic voter registration can also be found at PennDOT driver and photo license centers which provides eligible Pennsylvanians a way to apply to register to vote when they obtain a new driver’s license or ID card or renew their existing identification.
Voters can also request a mail-in or absentee ballot. Those who wish to vote by mail-in or absentee ballot must apply by 5 p.m. on October. 31. The deadline for county boards of elections to receive mail-in and absentee ballots is 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 7. Voted mail ballots received after that time do not count, even if they are postmarked before the deadline.
Regardless of which way eligible Pennsylvanians choose to register, county elections offices must receive their voter registration application by 5 p.m. on October 23.
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.
Voters who prefer to vote in person on Election Day can find their polling place on vote.pa.gov.
