Make sure your vote gets counted this fall!
- Comfortable going out with a mask? Vote in person on November 3rd!
- Otherwise, vote by mail!
- Want to protect the vote? Work at the Polls (students welcome!)
To vote by mail:
- Register to Vote by October 19 (or better yet, TODAY).
- Apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot online by Tuesday, October 27 (or better yet, ASAP).
- Receive your ballot by mail (likely in mid-late September).
- Complete your ballot using the instructions included with it, making sure to fill in ovals on the ballot to make your selections – no X or check marks! See also: this helpful article.
- Make sure to SIGN as directed in the instructions.
- Mail it back ASAP. Given mail delays, aim to mail it by mid-October.
- Check ballot status and vote in person (by provisional ballot, if necessary) if your ballot has not been received by the county by November 3.
- Concerned about missing a mailing? Sign up for informed delivery with the USPS.
Legal and Civic Context
- League of Women Voters Lawsuit challenges signature verification of mail-in ballots (Case 2:20-cv-03850)
- Trump campaign sues over mail-in drop-off sites for ballots (Case 2:20-cv-00966-NR)
- PA Democratic Party files petition in Commonwealth Court of PA for declaratory and injunctive relief for General Election (407 MD 2020)
- Protect Our Vote Philly’s (POV’s) letter to the Philadelphia Board of Elections/Commissioners (news release)
Important Changes This Year
- Eliminated straight party voting
- Extended registration and submission deadlines
- Added no excuse mail-in ballot voting
- Mail-In/Absentee ballots will be counted by the county, not local precincts
- Mail-In/Absentee ballot voters must vote provisionally if they show up at the polls on Election Day and poll book does not show a returned ballot.
Current Ways to Cast a Ballot in Pennsylvania
- In person at local precinct, voting on a paper ballot on Election Day
- No excuse mail-in ballot voting
- Absentee ballot voting
- In person at county voter services – counties are now permitted to open satellite voter services offices as well, if they have the resources.
County Links
| PHILADELPHIA COUNTY | (215) 686-3943 |
| CHESTER COUNTY | (610) 344-6410 |
| BUCKS COUNTY | (215) 348-6154 |
| MONTGOMERY COUNTY | (610) 278-3275 |
| DELAWARE COUNTY. | (610) 892-0641 |
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The header image for this site is a photograph by Justin Grimes, licensed under the Creative Commons by-sa license. We use it with gratitude.