Voting information available online ahead of November election

PITTSBURGH — Got questions about your polling place or how to vote? Pennsylvanians can get answers to these and other election questions ahead of the Nov. 2 election online from the state.

Voters can verify their registration, find their polling place and find out how to return their mail-in ballot.

Pennsylvanians voting by mail-in or absentee ballot should return their voted ballot as soon as possible, delivering it in person to their county election board. Check vote.pa.gov to find ballot drop-off locations and hours for your county. The deadline for county election boards to receive voted mail ballots is 8 p.m. Nov. 2, Election Day. Postmarks do not count.

Under Pennsylvania law, voters may only return their own ballots. The only exceptions to this are for voters with a disability who have designated someone in writing to deliver their ballot, or voters who need third-party delivery of their emergency absentee ballot.

Voters who have not voted by mail ballot can vote in person at their polling place on Election Day. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voters who applied for and receive a mail ballot and then decide they want to vote at the polls must bring their entire mail ballot packet with them to be voided, including the outer return envelope with the voter’s declaration.

If a voter applies for a mail ballot but does not receive it or no longer has the mail ballot and envelopes, they may vote by provisional ballot at the polls on Election Day. Their county board of elections will then verify that they did not vote by mail before counting their provisional ballot.

At vote.pa.gov, citizens can:

• Confirm their voter registration status.
• Locate their polling place and get directions.
• View a demonstration video of the voting system used in each county.
• Find contact information for each county election office.
• File a complaint if they encounter any difficulty or questionable situation at their polling place.

On Nov. 2, Pennsylvania voters will elect judges on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, county Common Pleas Courts and Philadelphia Municipal Court, as well as a wide variety of county, school board and local officials, such as mayors, city and borough council members, township commissioners and supervisors, magisterial district judges and precinct election officials.

Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid reminded registered voters that they have the right to cast a provisional ballot at the polling place if they believe they are registered at the precinct but are not listed in the poll book or supplemental poll book. Provisional ballots will be reviewed by county officials within seven days after the election to determine whether the voter was eligible.

Voters appearing at a polling place for the first time will need to show proper identification, which may be either photo or non-photo ID. There is no identification requirement for voters returning to vote at a polling place for the second or subsequent election.

A voter who is unable to enter the booth or use the balloting system is entitled to have assistance at the voting booth. The voter can choose who will provide the assistance, except for the voter’s employer, an agent of the employer, an officer or agent of the voter’s union or the precinct’s Judge of Elections.

For more information on voting and elections in Pennsylvania, visit vote.pa.gov, call the Department of State’s toll-free hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA (877-868-3772), or follow along on social media with the hashtag #ReadyToVotePA.

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