HARRISBURG – Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt is reminding Pennsylvanians that the deadline to register to vote in the May 16 municipal primary is just weeks away.
Ensuring that elections are conducted freely and fairly, and that every eligible voter can make their voice heard, are top priorities of the Shapiro Administration.
“I urge every eligible Pennsylvanian who is not yet registered to vote to register online before the May 1 deadline,” Schmidt said.
“It takes only a few minutes to register, and then you can exercise your fundamental right to vote and let your voice be heard in the upcoming primary election.”
To be eligible to vote in the May 16 primary, an individual must be:
- A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the primary.
- A resident of Pennsylvania and 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.
Pennsylvanians who are already registered to vote can check their registration status online and update their voter record with any name, address, or party affiliation changes.
Because Pennsylvania has a closed primary, only voters registered as Democrats and Republicans can vote for their party’s nominees to run in the Nov. 7, 2023, municipal primary election.
Eligible voters will have the opportunity to cast a ballot for their parties’ nominees for judicial and local government positions. The department’s candidate database lists all candidates running for office.
Regardless of party affiliation, all registered voters can vote on any local ballot questions that may be on the primary ballot, and all registered voters in the following districts can vote in special elections for state representative also to be held on May 16:
- 108th Legislative District in Montour and Northumberland counties and
- 163rd Legislative District in Delaware County.
In addition to registering online, eligible Pennsylvanians can register by mail or in person at the following locations:
- their county voter registration office,
- county assistance offices,
- Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program offices,
- Pennsylvania Department of Transportation photo and drivers’ 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.
Registered voters can also request a no-excuse mail-in or absentee ballot online. Mail-in or absentee ballot applications must be received by a voter’s county elections board by 5 p.m. May 9.
Voted mail ballots must be received by county election offices by 8 p.m. on May 16. Postmarks do not count.
The department’s website, vote.pa.gov, is available in English and Spanish and offers printable voter registration applications, a polling place locator, and county boards of elections contact information.
It also includes tips for first-time voters and members of the military. In addition, voters going to the polls can familiarize themselves with the voting system they will use on Election Day.