Voting in Pennsylvania

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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.

This article includes the following information about voting policies in Pennsylvania:

See Election administration in Pennsylvania for more additional information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, and post-election auditing practices.

Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.

Voter registration

Eligibility and registration details

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Pennsylvania, an applicant must be a citizen of the United States for at least one month before the next election, a resident of the district in which he or she is registering for at least 30 days before the next election, and at least 18 years old by the day of the next election.[1] The deadline for registering to vote is 15 days before the election.[1] Registration can be done online, in person, or by mail. Prospective voters can register in person at the county voter registration office or at a number of state agencies, including Pennsylvania Department of Transportation centers. The Pennsylvania voter registration application is available online and can be mailed to the county voter registration office.[2] On September 19, 2023, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) announced that the state had implemented automatic voter registration.[3]


In-person voting

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

In Pennsylvania, all polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[4]

Voter identification

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Pennsylvania does not generally require voters to present identification while voting. However, a voter who is voting at a polling place for the first time must present identification.[5]

Voters can present the following forms of identification. This list was current as of March 2023. Click here to ensure you have current information.

“ Approved forms of photo identification include:
  • Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT ID card
  • ID issued by any Commonwealth agency
  • ID issued by the U.S. Government
  • U.S. passport
  • U.S. Armed Forces ID
  • Student ID
  • Employee ID

If you do not have a photo ID, you can use a non-photo identification that includes your name and address.

  • Confirmation issued by the County Voter Registration Office
  • Non-photo ID issued by the Commonwealth
  • Non-photo ID issued by the U.S. Government
  • Firearm permit
  • Current utility bill
  • Current bank statement
  • Current paycheck
  • Government check[6]
 ”

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Pennsylvania permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting


Beginning with the April 28, 2020, primary election, all Pennsylvania voters are eligible to cast absentee ballots. The change came about as a result of SB421, an omnibus election law bill which Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) signed into law on October 31, 2019.[7][8]

Local election officials

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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for convicted felons

In Pennsylvania, people convicted of a felony automatically regain their voting rights upon completion of their incarceration, with the exception of violations of the Pennsylvania Election Code, which bar people from voting for four years after conviction for the offense.

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[9]


Election agencies

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See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Pennsylvania can contact the following state and federal agencies.

Pennsylvania Secretary of State; Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation

210 North Office Building
401 North Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120-0060
Phone: 717-787-5280
Website: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/
Email: ST-VOTERREG@pa.gov

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Telephone: 301-563-3919
Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

Noteworthy events

Court rules on undated and wrong dated mail ballots (2022-2023)

On February 8, 2023, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court made a final ruling on the validity of absentee/mail-in ballots that voters have either left undated or dated wrong. Justice David N. Wecht wrote the majority opinion, which said the dating requirement spelled out in state law is clear: For absentee or mail-in ballots to count, they must be dated with the date voters completed them. The opinion said that undated and wrong dated absentee and mail-in ballots should be rejected in future elections, and it confirmed that individual county boards of elections “retain authority to evaluate the ballots that they receive in future elections.”[10]

On October 17, 2022, the Republican National Committee and the Pennsylvania Republican Party filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent counties from counting undated and wrong dated absentee and mail-in ballots.[11]

On November 5, 2022, the court issued a preliminary order, saying that mail-in ballots were to be rejected for the November 8 midterm election if the handwritten date was before September 19 or after November 8, and absentee ballots were to be rejected if the date was before August 30 or after November 8.[12]

Universal mail voting declared unconstitutional (2022)

On January 28, 2022, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court struck down Act 77, which made absentee/mail-in voting available to all eligible electors, as a violation of the Pennsylvania Constitution. The court voted 3-2 on the matter, with Judges Mary Hannah Leavitt, Patricia McCullough, and Christine Fizzano Cannon (all Republicans) forming the majority and Judges Michael Wojcik and Ellen H. Ceisler (both Democrats) dissenting.[13]

On March 3, 2022, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court stayed the Commonwealth Court's order, allowing the law to stand pending resolution of the appeal. The court heard oral argument on March 8, 2022.[14]

On August 2, 2022, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed the ruling of the Commonwealth Court. The court voted 5-2 on the matter, with Chief Justice Max Baer and Justices Debra Todd, Kevin M. Dougherty, David N. Wecht, and Christine Donohue (all Democrats) forming the majority. Justices Sallie Mundy and Kevin Brobson (both Republicans) dissented. Writing for the majority, Donahue said:[15]

“ The Commonwealth Court’s declaration that the universal mail-in voting provisions of Act 77 were unconstitutional was premised on its conclusion that it was bound by the definition of 'offer to vote' in Article VII, Section 1 of our Constitution as construed in the Chase and Lancaster City decisions. ... [T]he pronouncements in those cases do not control our interpretation of the Constitution in effect when Act 77 became law. Based upon our analysis of Article VII, Section 1 of our Constitution, we conclude that the phrase 'offer to vote' does not establish in-person voting as an elector qualification or otherwise mandate in-person voting. We reiterate that our General Assembly is endowed with great legislative power, subject only to express restrictions in the Constitution. We find no restriction in our Constitution on the General Assembly’s ability to create universal mail-in voting.[6] ”

In her dissent, Mundy wrote the following: "When Article VII is viewed as a whole, ... the naming of certain classes of electors who are given the right to vote absentee necessarily implies that those are the only electors who may do so. It seems a stretch to conclude that the framers of the 1967 Constitution, in guaranteeing absentee voting to the identified classes, intended thereby to cede control over this delicate balance to the Legislature."[16]

Absentee, registration, and voting rule changes (2019)

On October 31, 2019, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) signed SB421, an omnibus election law bill, into law. The law provided for the following changes to the state's electoral system:[7]

  • All voters became eligible to cast absentee ballots, effective with the April 28, 2020, primary election.
  • The voter registration deadline was extended from the 30th day preceding an election to the 15th day preceding an election.
  • Straight-ticket voting, wherein a voter can select one party's entire slate of candidates for every office by making a single mark on the ballot, was eliminated.

Upon signing the bill, Wolf said, "For too long Pennsylvania has made it too hard for the citizens to actually fully participate in our democracy. These changes will make it easier for people to vote, participate in our democracy, actually to take care of the most fundamental responsibility of citizenship: voting."[7]

The bill cleared the state House on Oct. 29 by a vote of 138-61. In the House, 105 Republicans and 33 Democrats voted in favor of the bill. The Senate followed suit the same day, approving the bill by a vote of 35-14, with 27 Republicans and eight Democrats voting in favor. State Rep. Malcom Kenyatta (D), who voted against the bill, took issue with the provision eliminating straight-ticket voting: "We’re making this process more difficult. We’re ignoring the cultural concerns of people who have voted in that way for years and years and years. And we’re doing it all at a time when we are changing the entire voting system, which is going to lead to lines lead to delays – and, actually, maybe lead to people not exercising their right to vote."[17]

Secretary of State requires voting machines with paper record (2018)

On February 9, 2018, Acting Secretary of State Robert Torres issued a directive to county election officials stipulating that all voting equipment purchased thereafter provide for a paper record of all votes cast. The directive did not mandate that counties obtain new equipment, but it did establish specifications for new equipment that counties could purchase should they opt to replace their existing voting systems. In a press release, Torres said, "This directive will ensure that the next generation of the commonwealth’s voting systems conforms to enhanced standards of resiliency, auditability and security. The current voting equipment in counties works and can be audited. But new voting machines with paper ballots or voter-verifiable paper backup will improve auditability and augment security."[18][19]

On April 12, 2018, Torres issued another directive to county election administrators instructing them to ensure that all voting machines, regardless of purchase date, provide for a paper record of all votes cast. Torres set a deadline of the end of 2019 for counties to comply with the directive. Torres said, "We want to bring about the system upgrades so Pennsylvania voters are voting on the most secure and auditable equipment as promptly and feasibly as possible." According to Verified Voting, as of November 2016, Pennsylvania was one of seven states in which both paper ballot and direct recording electronic (DRE) systems without paper trails were used. The other six states were Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. For more information about the voting equipment used in the United States, see this article.[18][19][20][21][22]

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See also

Elections in Pennsylvania


External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Department of State, “Voter Registration Application,” accessed March 21, 2023
  2. ↑ Department of State, “Contact Your Election Officials,” accessed March 21, 2023
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named paavr
  4. ↑ Department of State, “First Time Voters,” accessed March 21, 2023
  5. ↑ Department of State, "First Time Voters," accessed March 21, 2023
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 PennLive, "Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf signs historic election reform bill into law," October 31, 2019
  8. ↑ Pennsylvania.gov, “Voting in Pennsylvania,” accessed October 1, 2019
  9. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
  10. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "New Pa. Supreme Court opinion opens the door for a patchwork of county policies on wrongly dated ballots," February 8, 2022
  11. ↑ Election Law Blog, "'Republicans want the Pa. Supreme Court to stop undated mail ballots from being counted,'" October 17, 2022
  12. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "The Pa. Supreme Court has issued a second order on mail ballot dates as the legal fight continues," November 5, 2022
  13. ↑ Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, "McLinko v. Pennsylvania: Opinion and Order," January 28, 2022
  14. ↑ The Times, "PA Supreme Court allows mail-in voting for the time being, reviewing state maps," March 3, 2022
  15. ↑ Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, "McLinko v. Commonwealth: Opinion," August 2, 2022
  16. ↑ Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, "McLinko v. Commonwealth: Dissenting Opinion," August 2, 2022
  17. ↑ WHYY, "Automatic straight-ticket voting divides Democrats in statehouse election reform talks," October 23, 2019
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Pennsylvania Pressroom, "Wolf Administration Directs that New Voting Systems in the Commonwealth Provide Paper Record," February 9, 2018
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Associated Press, "Pennsylvania to require voting machines with paper backup," February 9, 2018
  20. ↑ Verified Voting, "The Verifier - Polling Place Equipment - November 2018," accessed February 14, 2018
  21. ↑ BuzzFeed News, "Pennsylvania Will Eliminate Paperless Voting Machines In Time For The 2020 Election," April 12, 2018
  22. ↑ PA.gov, "Department of State Tells Counties to Have New Voting Systems in Place by End of 2019," April 12, 2018
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