Pennsylvania

Open your Pennsylvania ballot

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Local guides in Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia
• Pittsburgh

Key dates

• Last day to register online: Mon, Oct 19Register or update online at pavoterservices.pa.gov until 11:59 PM on Monday, October 19 (15 days before the election). You need a PennDOT driver's license or ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number.
• Last day to register by mail: Mon, Oct 19A paper application must be received by your county voter registration office by Monday, October 19. The official calendar says 'Voter Registration Mail Applications must be received by the county voter registration commission not later than the deadline to register.' a postmark is not enough. Mailing one this late is risky; register online or in person instead.
• Last day to register in person: Mon, Oct 19Hand in a paper application at your county election office (or a PennDOT driver's license center) during business hours on Monday, October 19. The calendar says 'Paper and in-person registration applications may only be received during the hours when the county office is open for business.' Philadelphia: County Board of Elections, City Hall Room 140, or any satellite election office, or the Voter Registration Office at 520 N. Columbus Blvd. Allegheny County: Elections Division, County Office Building, 542 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM; satellite sites on Oct. 17 and 18 (9 AM to 4 PM) also take registrations.
• Last day to ask for a mail ballot: Tue, Oct 27Your county election office had to receive your application by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, October 27. The official calendar: 'Last day before the November election on which official applications for mail-in ballots may be received by the county boards of elections, due at 5:00 PM.' That deadline has passed; you can still return a ballot you already have. Emergency absentee ballots (sudden illness or emergency after 5 PM Oct. 27) can be requested until 8 PM on Election Day; ask your county.
• Can you vote before Election Day?Pennsylvania has no early voting. Voting a mail ballot in one visit at a county or satellite office ended at 5 PM on October 27. You can still return a ballot you already have by 8 PM on November 3: in Philadelphia at City Hall Room 140, a satellite office (Monday to Friday 9 AM to 5 PM, Saturday and Sunday 10 AM to 4 PM) or a drop box; in Allegheny at the County Office Building, 542 Forbes Ave. (Ross St. entrance), any day now through Nov 3, or a staffed return site October 30 to November 2. A sudden emergency after October 27? Ask your county about an emergency absentee ballot, due by 8 PM on November 3.
• Mail ballot deadline: Tue, Nov 38:00 PM ET
  • mail (USPS), only if you mail at least a week before Election Day
  • your county election office during its hours. Philadelphia: City Hall Room 140. Allegheny: County Office Building, 542 Forbes Ave., Mon to Fri 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, and on Election Day at the Ross Street entrance 7 AM to 8 PM.
  • Philadelphia: any of about 35 official drop boxes, open 24/7 through 8 PM on Election Day, and any satellite election office during its hours. List: vote.phila.gov/ballot-drop-off
  • Allegheny County uses staffed ballot return sites. The 13 locations are Allegheny County Emergency Services Building; Avalon Public Library; Boyce Park Four Seasons Lodge; Carnegie Library Lawrenceville; Carnegie Library Squirrel Hill; CCAC Allegheny, Center for Education, Innovation, and Training; CCAC Homewood; Community Library of Allegheny Valley; County Office Building; Dormont Pool; Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank; North Park Ice Rink; and South Park Ice Rink. Open October 30 and November 2, 11 AM to 7 PM; October 31 and November 1, 9 AM to 5 PM. The County Office Building, 542 Forbes Ave. (Ross St. entrance), also takes ballots every day now through Nov 3: Wednesday to Friday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday Nov 2 until 7 PM, and Nov 3 from 7 AM to 8 PM. These sites accept completed ballots; they do not issue new ones. Check the county page for locations before leaving.
  • Not your polling place. Poll workers cannot accept a voted mail ballot on Election Day.
• Election Day: Tue, Nov 3You can vote from 7 AM to 8 PM. If you are in line at 8:00 PM, stay in line. You get to vote.

How voting works in Pennsylvania

Most people vote in person on Election Day, 7 AM to 8 PM. Mail ballot applications closed at 5 PM on Tuesday, October 27. If you already have one, your county must receive it by 8 PM on November 3. There is no early voting in Pennsylvania.

Where to vote

• Find your Election Day polling place
• Find a ballot drop box
• Track your mail ballot
• Check your registration

What to bring

ID needed only for some first-time voters.

• Only if it's your first time voting at that polling place. DOS: 'When voting at a polling place for the first time, you must show proof of identification, either with photo or other ID.' Everyone else just signs the poll book.
• Photo ID (not expired): Pennsylvania driver's license or PennDOT ID card, ID from any Commonwealth agency, ID from the U.S. government, U.S. passport, U.S. Armed Forces ID, student ID (digital student IDs count), employee ID
• Non-photo ID showing your name and address: voter registration card or other confirmation from the county, non-photo ID from the Commonwealth or U.S. government, firearm permit, current utility bill, current bank statement, paycheck, government check
• Mail ballot: no ID is shown; your application is verified with your PennDOT ID number or last four of SSN.

No ID? A first-time voter at a new polling place who has no ID can vote a provisional ballot. It's counted once the county confirms you're registered. The DOS new-voters page does not spell this case out; it is Election Code 25 P.S. 3050(a.4). Check its status at pavoterservices.pa.gov with the receipt number.