PITTSBURGH — The next election in Pennsylvania is the 2020 primary election on June 2. In March, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill which moved the date of the primary due to the coronavirus outbreak.
We’ve put together this handy guide to help you ensure you are registered and able to vote on or before the election.
How does a primary election work?
When you vote in a primary election, you are choosing the candidate(s) you want to see on the general election ballot in November. However, you are not actually choosing a nominee since each party announces its candidate at its national convention.
Who can vote?
To register in Pennsylvania, you must:
- Be a citizen of the United States for at least one month prior to the next election
- Be a resident of Pennsylvania and the election district in which you want to register and vote at least 30 days before the next election
- Be 18 years old on or before the next election
For more election coverage and stories from our Washington D.C. bureau, visit our Politics page.
Voter Registration
If you are a Pennsylvania resident and you’d like to vote in the June 2020 primary election, you must register to vote by May 18. There are four ways to do that:
- Online
- By Mail
- In-person at your county voter registration office
- At PennDOT and some other government agencies
If you’re mailing in your signed voter registration application, it must be received by your county election office by May 18. Applications postmarked by the deadline are not accepted.
You can check your voter registration status HERE.
Absentee and Mail-in Ballots
If you were planning to vote by absentee or mail-in ballot, the deadline to complete the application has already passed. As of Tuesday, May 26, the Allegheny County Elections Division had received 277,185 mail-in and absentee ballot applications. There are 775,201 registered, eligible voters in the county.
The deadline for the elections office to receive a mail-in or absentee ballot was extended to June 9.
An absentee ballot is for voters who plan to be out of the municipality on Election Day or those who have a disability or illness.
A mail-in ballot is for voters who are not considered absentee voters. Any registered voter may apply for a mail-in ballot.
You can request either of those ballots HERE.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY INFORMATION ON MAIL-IN, ABSENTEE BALLOTS
Allegheny County Election Officials will have employees staffing a counter in the lobby of the County Office Building for four days so voters can drop off their ballots:
- Saturday, May 30 from 10 AM to 5 PM
- Sunday, May 31 from 10 AM to 5 PM
- Monday, June 1 from 5 PM to 8 PM
- Tuesday, June 2 from 7 AM to 8 PM
Voters may also submit their ballot directly to the Elections Division on the 6th floor during regular business hours (8:30 AM to 5 PM) the remainder of this week and on Monday, June 1.
Absentee and mail-in ballots cannot be dropped off at your polling place.
Lisa Sylvester sat down with voters in several local counties to talk about the issues they want to see the next president address. You can find all of her Coffee and Conversations stories on our Politics page.
Polling Locations and Hours
On Election Day, polls in Pennsylvania will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. If you are in line to vote when polls close, you are entitled to vote. The state does not offer in-person early voting.
To find your polling location, enter your address online here. It may be a good idea to double check the location ahead of the primary as there could be new locations due to coronavirus concerns.
If you have voted at your polling location before, you do not need to bring ID to vote. Only voters who are voting for the first time in their election district need to show ID, according to the Pennsylvania voter guide.
Acceptable IDs for first-time voters:
- Driver’s license
- U.S. passport
- Military, student, or employee ID
- Voter registration card
- Firearm permit
- Current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government check
- Any ID issued by the commonwealth or federal government
Note: An ID without your photo must have your address on it.
Who is on the ballot?
The ballot for the June primary will include choices for President of the United States, Pennsylvania Attorney General, Pennsylvania Auditor General, State Treasurer, delegates to the National Convention, state representatives specific to your voting district and local offices.
Your county elections office should be able to provide you with a sample ballot ahead of the primary if you want to take a look before voting.
CLICK HERE to find your county election office.
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