Yes! You can pre-register to vote in Pennsylvania if you are going to be at least 18 years old on the day of the next election.

You can register or change your party or address of registration any time between the day after one primary or general election and 15 days before the next election.

Updated Voter Services Satellite Offices openings are listed on the official Chester County website when exact dates are available.

When available, locations and hours of operation are listed on the official Chester County website.

You can apply online for your vote by mail ballot or call 1-877-VOTESPA.

While you may apply to vote by mail as late as 5:00 pm on the Tuesday prior to the election, It is best to apply as early as possible!

All further vote by mail questions, go to the Pennsylvania Voting Website.

Yes! You must apply for an absentee or mail-in ballot for each election (both primary and general), unless you have requested an annual ballot (an annual ballot request must be renewed each calendar year; you will receive a reminder by mail every February.)

You can also download, print and complete a mail-in paper application, or you can pick up a blank application form in person (bring identification) at Voter Services, 601 Westtown Rd, Suite 150, West Chester, PA 19380.

If you apply online and enter a driver’s license or PennDot ID number, indicate your name as it appears on that state ID.

On the written application, your municipality is the political entity where you live (e.g., West Goshen), not your postal address (which, for West Goshen, would be West Chester). “Ward” applies to just a few municipalities, e.g., West Chester ward 3. “Voting district” refers to precinct number, which for that ward is 835. But those answers are not essential.

Note: If you have applied for your ballot online and included an e-mail address, you will receive notifications when your:

• application is processed
• ballot is sent
• voted ballot is received by Voter Services

You may check the status of your ballot at the Department of State website.

The Results will be one of the following:

• No Record means you haven’t applied yet or that your ballot has yet to be processed. It may take up to 10-14 business days from the time you submit your application for processing.
• Pending means your application was received and approved, but that your ballot has not been mailed yet.
• Processed means your application was received and approved, and your ballot has been mailed.
• Vote Recorded means Voter Services has received your ballot and recorded your vote.

You may also call Chester County Voter Services at 610-344-6410.

Note: It may take a week or more once you apply for your status to be updated.

When you are filling out the ballot, be sure to follow instructions precisely. Use one ballpoint pen with black ink.

Pennsylvania no longer has straight party voting. You must vote for every office individually. All races are important! Please vote your whole ballot. Do your homework online (one of the advantages of voting by mail: you can check the internet as you vote).

You have to return 3 items (see what they look like in this PA Dems video, source of image of completed back of outside envelope).

1. The completed ballot inside…
2. The inner “secrecy” envelope labeled OFFICIAL ELECTION BALLOT (do not write anything on it; seal it) inside…
3. The outer envelope, must be signed and dated.

DO NOT TAPE or REOPEN your ballot. If you have made a mistake with your ballot, please contact voter services.

Voter Services must receive your filled-out ballot by Election Day. You can drop it in a drop box by 8:00 pm on Election Day.

Postmarks on Election Day will not be counted. Your ballot must reach voter services by Election Day. If you wish to send your ballot by mail, follow the completing your ballot instructions and place it in the mailbox. Or, pay extra to use a company like UPS or FedEx. Put your ballot inside its 2 envelopes and then place it inside the commercial envelope.

Please note, you cannot drop off a mail-in or absentee ballot at your polling location. You may, however, surrender your mail-in or absentee ballot at your polling location so you are able to vote in-person. If you do not have both your ballot and outer envelope to surrender,  you will still be able to vote provisionally.

If you did not receive or 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 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.

If you qualify as an absentee voter, you must vote by absentee ballot. You will need to indicate your reason, either:

• I will be absent from my municipality
• I have an illness or physical disability

Otherwise, the process is the same as for mail-in voting.

Apply for absentee ballot now. 

There is also a provision for emergency absentee voting if a sudden emergency (like being hospitalized) after the absentee ballot application deadline prevents you from going to the polls as planned. Download the application form and the authorization form.

• The general election is always the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of that year.
• Polls are open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
• If there is a line at 8pm, and you are in the line at 8 p.m., you will be allowed to vote, no matter how long it takes.
• In a presidential election year, the primary is in April. In all other election years, the primary is in May.

In every election, polling places can change. Make sure to check to see where your voting location is before going to the polls.

See the video on how our voting machines work. Chester County led the way in Pennsylvania on using optical scan sheets, which means that in the case of a recount, all ballots can be physically inspected and the electronic count corrected as warranted.

Pennsylvania no longer has straight party voting. You must vote for every office individually. All races are important! Please vote your whole ballot. Do your homework online and talk with Dem greeters and pick up their handouts before going in to vote.

You need a valid form of identification (preferably, driver’s license or other photo ID. You may use photo student ID card, utility bill, bank statement, etc.) ONLY if you haven’t voted as a resident of your current precinct before. It is not correct to say “if you have not voted before in PA” or “in your current polling place” (the physical location can change; it is the precinct that counts). Call 833-728-6837 if you believe a polling official is requesting identification erroneously.

Note: With a first-time voter absentee vote application, send a photocopy of one of those items. In both cases, photo ID works best.

If you are a registered Pennsylvania voter, you can use the early, in-person voting option. Between the time that ballots are ready and the last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot a week before an election, you can request, receive, vote and cast your mail-in or absentee ballot all in one visit to your county election board or other designated location. With this option, there is no need for mail at all, and you can cast your vote at your convenience.

Learn more about early voting.

Note that this option may require spending extra time in the County Voter Services office and is not available after the last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot.

While this is not optimal, you may cast a provisional ballot, which may or not be counted if you are turned down for a regular ballot. This is why it’s important to be sure you know your correct polling place before you go to vote. Click here to find your polling location.

Details provided by Chesco Voter Services, 11/15:

Provisional Ballot Regs:

25 P.S. §3050

A provisional ballot is used to record a vote when there is a question regarding a voter’s eligibility. The voter has the right to vote by provisional ballot if:

• • Their name does not appear in the poll book or supplemental list and is not able to be determined their registration status immediately.
  • The poll book indicates ID REQUIRED in the poll book signature block and the voter is unable to show proper ID (ID needed when first time voting in that precinct).
  • If the voter is challenged based on their registration and they are unable to complete the Challenge Affidavit.
  • The voter is accidentally in the wrong precinct and does not have enough time to vote at their correct precinct.
  • Only those contests that match the voter’s original precinct ballot will be counted.
  • If the voter “intentionally and willfully” went to the wrong precinct to try and cast a vote, it will not be counted. (this happens often when voters assume it is ok to try to vote in a different precinct because it is more convenient to them)

• If the voter uses a Provisional Ballot but fails to sign it, or if their signature is determined to be fraudulent or not match their registration record, it will not count.

*In all cases the Judge of Elections should call Voter Services before issuing a Provision ballot. VS will research the situation and determine the voter’s registration status first.

Always Vote Because:

• You want a fair minimum wage and equal pay for equal work.
• You want students to have affordable loans.
• You want the US to catch up to other countries in health care access.
• You want a fair tax code in which the wealthy pay their fair share and the super-wealthy don’t profit from tax havens abroad.
• You want the satisfaction of saying what you want every 6 months.

Don’t skip voting in odd-year elections because you don’t think they are important. On the contrary, they shape your daily life. The individuals elected to every single municipal office have an impact on your family’s well-being and the policies that govern your township, school board, and county. For example:

• Tax assessments (which may exceed your federal taxes)
• Attention to climate change & sustainability in strategic planning
• Condition of our streets and sewers; lack of sidewalks and bicycle trails
• Capacity to attract new businesses and new residents
• Criminal justice from streets to courts to prisons to fresh starts
• Schools’ physical, social, and health environment
• Integrity of election procedures

What does down ballot even mean? Paying attention to all candidates and casting your vote for EACH & EVERY RACE is called “Voting Down the Ballot.”  Democratic executive branch leaders (Governor and President) are severely hampered without a supportive legislative branch (US Congress and PA General Assembly).

• A Democratic president needs Democrat US Senators from PA and Democratic US House of Representatives from PA to get progressive legislation passed.
• A Democratic governor needs Democratic State Senators and Democratic State House Representatives to get progressive legislation passed and to protect his vetoes of objectionable legislation.
• Likewise, with a Republican President or Governor, we need Democrats is both the US Senate and US House and PA State Senate and PA State House to halt the destruction of the what we hold dear.

So getting to the polls or voting by mail for each election is just the first step!

Unlike a river running downstream—where the runoff from the top tends to flood the banks below, Down Ballot Candidates for US Senate, US House of Representatives, PA State Senate and PA House of Representatives DO NOT automatically gain from voters for President or Governor.  We encourage you to vote the straight party ticket in the general elections, and we also encourage you to learn about all candidates.  Every Democrat needs to learn about and VOTE IN EVERY RACE ON THE BALLOT.

Much is at stake when you do not vote down ballot. Local and county governments are the closest to impacting your life and the lives of the people who you love. PA State Representatives and PA State Senators vote on bills concerning:

• education
• energy/renewables
• environment
• budget
• taxes
• individual and municipal rights
• other issues that directly impact you and your family’s everyday lives.

Please Note: In odd-numbered years, candidates for School Director, Court of Common Pleas, and Magisterial District Judge can be cross-listed; therefore, not all candidates appearing as Democrats on the November ballot are actually Democrats. Contact your zone to find out who are actually Democrats and hold Democratic values.

Unlike many states, Pennsylvania permits voting by most individuals who have a legal record. Basically, all can register and vote except those who are currently serving a sentence for a felony (the highest class of offense, more serious than misdemeanors) and who will not be released before the next election.

Or, phrased positively, the following may register and vote if they have been citizens of the United States for at least one month before the next election; have been residents of Pennsylvania and their respective election districts for at least 30 days before the next election; and will be at least 18 years of age on the day of the next election:

• Pretrial detainees (individuals who are confined in a penal institution awaiting trial on charges of a felony or a misdemeanor).
  Convicted misdemeanants (individuals who are confined in a penal institution for conviction of a misdemeanor only).
• Individuals who have been released (or will be released by the date of the next election) from a correctional facility or halfway house upon completion of their term of incarceration for conviction of a misdemeanor or a felony.
• Individuals who are on probation or released on parole, including parolees who are living in a halfway house.
• Individuals who are under house arrest (home confinement), regardless of their conviction status or the status of their conditions of confinement.

Learn More about Voting Rights for Convicted Felons, Convicted Misdemeanants, and Pretrial Detainees.