HARRISBURG – In preparation for Pennsylvania’s presidential primary election on June 2, Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar reminds Pennsylvanians they can find comprehensive voting information at votesPA.com.
“The votesPA site is a one-stop shop for Pennsylvania voters. They can verify their registration, find out where to vote and even watch a video of how to cast a ballot on their county’s voting system,” Boockvar said.
“We encourage all eligible voters to be fully informed about their rights and what they can expect at the polling place.”
At votesPA.com, citizens can:
- Confirm their voter registration status;
- Locate their polling place and get directions;
- Find contact information for each county election office;
- View a demonstration video of the voting system used in each county;
- File a complaint if they encounter any difficulty or questionable situation at the polling place.
On June 2, the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Registered Democratic and Republican voters will elect their parties’ nominees for:
- President
- U.S. Representative
- State Attorney General, Auditor General and Treasurer
- State Representative
- State Senator in odd-numbered districts
- Delegate and Alternate Delegate to National Convention (Democratic and Republican)
Because Pennsylvania has a closed primary, only voters registered as Democrats or Republicans can vote for the party nominees. However, every registered voter may vote on any referendum or question on the ballot.
This year’s primary election does not include any statewide referenda or questions, but there are some local referenda. Check with county election offices regarding local ballot questions.
Pennsylvanians voting by mail-in or absentee ballot should return their voted ballot as soon as possible, either by mailing it or delivering it in person to their county election office.
Check votespa.com/county to find out ballot drop-off locations and hours for your county. The deadline for county election offices to receive mail-in ballots is 8 p.m. on June 2. Postmarks do not count.
For Pennsylvanians voting in person, polling places will be open in all counties, including those designated in the red phase of the COVID-19 emergency, although some polling places may be consolidated.
Voters should check with their county election office or visit the department’s polling place locator to verify their voting location.
The department and county officials are exercising every precaution to provide safe polling places for voters and poll workers.
The department will be providing precinct protection kits to augment supplies that counties have procured to sanitize polling places.
Each kit contains supplies such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, equipment wipes and floor-marking tape, and will be provided to counties at no charge, as well as Face Shields for poll workers, to provide even greater protection.
Voters should wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines while visiting polling places.
Boockvar 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 is also entitled to have assistance at the voting booth if he or she is unable to enter the booth or use the balloting system.
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 complete information about voting in Pennsylvania, visit votesPA.com or call 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772).
