Pennsylvania Elections

2023 Voter Education Guide

Important Dates to remember 

DateEvent
October 23rd 2023Last day to register to vote 
October 31th 2023 5pmLast day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot, or to vote early in person
November 7th 2023 7am to 8pm Municipal Election Day/Hours
November 7th 2023 by 8pmLast day to return your mail-in or civilian absentee ballot to the county board of elections

REGISTER TO VOTE

All residents of Pennsylvania can register to vote, provided they meet the following criteria:

  • Be a citizen of the United States for at least one month before the next election.
  • Be a resident of Pennsylvania for at least 30 days before the next election.
  • Be 18 or older on the day of the next election.​

IDENTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

 Voter Registration

  • To register to vote in Pennsylvania you should provide one of the following:
  • Your Pennsylvania Driver’s License Number
  • Your Pennsylvania ID Number
  • If you do not have these IDs, you may provide:
  • Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number

If you do not have one of these forms of ID and need help getting ID, go to www.voteriders.org.

Voting In-Person

  • If you registered to vote in Pennsylvania, you may be required to present a valid ID if you are voting for the first time or your registration is incomplete. You can use any ID from this list:
  • Valid Federal Issued ID
  • Valid ID Issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles, Transportation, Highway Safety, etc.
  • ID Issued by Commonwealth Agency
  • Valid Employee ID
  • Valid Pennsylvania Driver’s License
  • Valid Student ID
  • Valid Military ID
  • Valid US Passport
  • License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm

If you do not have a photo ID, you can use a non-photo identification that includes your name and address from the following list:

  • Bank Statement
  • Pay Check
  • Government Check
  • License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm
  • Voter Registration Card
  • Valid Federal issued ID
  • Valid Pennsylvania Issued ID
  • Utility Bill

A non-photo ID must contain your current address. If you do not have one of the Pennsylvania valid IDs and need help getting ID, go to www.voteriders.org.

WHERE YOU CAN VOTE 

Polling locations often change and voters are required to go to their assigned polling place.  The voter should use the Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s polling place search tool to find the voter’s polling place.

HOW TO VOTE BY MAIL

  • Any eligible PA voter can sign-up online at vote.pa/mail. Voters should request their mail-in ballot well in advance of the deadline to make sure they have time to receive their secure ballot and return it in time. 
    • Voters will need be registered and use either their PA driver’s license number or their social security number to sign-up on the state website
  • Read the instructions and make your candidate selections carefully. 
  • Make sure to vote in every race on the ballot. 

Pack and seal it

  • Put your ballot in the smaller secrecy envelope and seal it. This is the envelope that only says “Official Election Ballot.”
  • Put the smaller secrecy envelope in the larger ballot-return envelope
  • This is the envelope with space for your address on the front and the Voter’s Declaration

Sign it, date it, seal it

  • Complete the entire “Voter’s Declaration” on the ballot-return envelope. Make sure to sign and date it
  • Seal the ballot-return envelope

Return it by mail or dropbox

  • By mail— Add a stamp if needed and drop it in the mail
  • USPS will still deliver ballots with missing or inadequate postage
  • In person—Drop off at your County Board of Elections, a satellite voting location or at a secure drop box

EARLY VOTING

VOTING ON ELECTION DAY

  • Voters should check their polling place as locations may have changed.
  • If you did not return your mail-in or absentee ballot and you want to vote in person, you have two options:
    • Bring your ballot and the pre-addressed outer return envelope to your polling place to be voided. After you surrender your ballot and envelope and sign a declaration, you can then vote a regular ballot.
    • If you don't surrender your ballot and return the envelope, you can only vote by provisional ballot at your polling place. Your county election board will then verify that you did not vote by mail before counting your provisional ballot.

LANGUAGE SUPPORT:

Voters who do not speak English can get help with voting.

You can bring someone with you to help you vote as long as the person who helps you:

  • is not your employer or union representative
  • is not the judge of elections

RESOURCES:

Comms2 Voting Website: vote.pa

Official State Website: vote.pa.gov 

Register to Vote: vote.pa/register

Sign-Up to Vote By Mail: vote.pa/mail

Return Your Ballot: vote.pa/return

Early Voting: vote.pa/early 

Track Your Ballot: vote.pa/track 

Find Your Polling Place: vote.pa/polls

Keystone Votes - Know Your Rights: keystonevotes.org/know-your-rights 

(offers information in several languages)

Voter Protection Hotline: 1-866-OUR-VOTE

DOS PA Voter Hotline: 1-877-VOTESPA

Spanish/English Hotline: 1-866-VE-Y-VOTA

Asian Languages Hotline: 1-888-API-VOTE

Arabic/English Hotline: 1-844-YALLA-US

QUESTIONS ON ELECTION DAY?

Call: 1-877-868-3772

For official answers from the PA Department of State.

Interpreters are available.