Pennsylvanians Reminded to Register to Vote by May 3 for Primary Election

HARRISBURG – With the May 18 municipal primary election fast approaching,Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid reminds eligible Pennsylvanians that the deadline to register to vote is May 3.

“I encourage all eligible voters to make sure that they are registered, and their information is up to date. Municipal elections give residents the opportunity to select the local leaders who make decisions that affect our daily lives,” Degraffenreid said. “It’s easy to register to vote or update your registration online.”

On May 18, voters who are registered as Republican or Democrat will choose their parties’ nominees for seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, county Common Pleas Courts and Philadelphia Municipal Court.

Also, on the party ballots will be a wide variety of county, school board and local seats such as mayor, city or borough council member, township commissioner or supervisor, magisterial district judges and precinct election officials.

All registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, will be eligible to vote on four ballot questions in the primary election –­­ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­three proposed constitutional amendments and one question regarding fire and EMS company eligibility for an existing state loan program.

In addition, all registered voters in the following four districts, regardless of party affiliation, will be voting in special elections to fill vacancies:

• 22^nd State Senate District (Lackawanna County and parts of Luzerne and Monroe counties) 
• 48^th State Senate District (Lebanon County and parts of Dauphin and York counties)
• 59^th State House District (parts of Somerset and Westmoreland counties)
• 60^th State House District (parts of Armstrong, Butler and Indiana counties)

Individuals who wish to register to vote in the May 18 primary must be:

• A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the primary.
• A resident of Pennsylvania and of the election district in which the individual plans to register and vote for at least 30 days before the primary.
• At least 18 years of age on or before the date of the primary.

Eligible voters also can register by mail or in person at a county voter registration office; county assistance offices; Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program offices; PennDOT photo and driver’s license centers; Armed Forces recruitment centers; county clerk of orphans’ courts or marriage license offices; area agencies on aging; county mental health and intellectual disabilities offices; student disability services offices of the State System of Higher Education; offices of special education in high schools; and Americans with Disabilities Act-mandated complementary paratransit providers.

Applicants using the online voter registration system must complete and submit their application by 11:59 p.m. on May 3. Traditional paper voter registration forms must be received in county voter registration offices by close of business or postmarked by May 3.

Pennsylvania voters wishing to vote by mail ballot in the primary must apply for their ballot by May 11, but the earlier the better so they can return it in plenty of time before the election. They can apply online, by mail or in person at their county election office to receive the ballot as soon as it is available.

For more information on voter registration, call the Department of State’s toll-free hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) or visit votesPA.com.