In 2024 ACT launched a national effort to ensure African voters in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia are mobilized and ready to cast their ballot in this year’s elections. As eligible African and African immigrant voters we make up an untapped voting bloc of over 250,000 identified African voters across our 3 target states.
Our goal is to build power & increase civic participation among our African communities.
APPROACH TO THE WORK
- Activating civic engagement annually [365 days+] and not just during an election cycle.
- Educating and training our members, partner organizations and networks on how to build civic power for African and African immigrants.
- Mobilizing African people in dense areas + sharing a reflective message focused on our issues of immigration, TPS, housing justice and more.
- Creating impact through developing leaders, resourcing voter outreach and turning out the vote in up and down ballot races.
- Providing a culturally diverse relevant program that removes or significantly limits existing barriers - African to African!
Through a nonpartisan canvass and phone bank Voter Engagement Program African Communities Together aims to raise awareness, educate, prepare, turnout and protect access to the ballot for African and African immigrant voters.
PENNSYLVANIA: 81,000+ registered African voters, will have the opportunity to cast a ballot for municipal, state and federal elections during this year’s Primary, Special, and General Elections.
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
- Find drop boxes: vote.pa/return
- Find a county election office or satellite voting location: vote.pa/early
EARLY VOTING
- As soon as ballots are ready, you can request, receive, vote and cast your mail-in or absentee ballot all in one visit to your county election board or other officially designated site.
- With this option, there is no need for mail at all, and you can cast your vote at your convenience. Learn more about voting early in-person by mail-in or absentee ballot.
VOTING ON ELECTION DAY
- Voters should check their polling place as locations may have changed.
- Use vote.pa/polls as a shortcut
- 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