With local and state elections drawing near, it can be really easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of choices and lack of information we are faced with. I’m not here to tell you it’s really easy to vote; it’s not. It takes work to be an informed voter, but it’s our responsibility to do that work to make sure we are protecting ourselves, and our communities. The worst part about doing something is starting, so let me do that for you! Here is a jumping off point for you to become an active participant in voting.
Registering to Vote or Updating Your Registration in PA:
The first thing you need to do is register. Unfortunately, registering for the upcoming election is closed. If you send in a registration form, it will be processed after the election. But, there will be many more elections for you to vote in, so let’s get registered now! The first and easiest way to get registered is online. Follow this link to open the registration application. The application has straightforward directions for you to follow. It will take 5-10 minutes to fill out, and requires you to have your social security or your driver’s license number.
Through this link, you can also download and print out the mail-in registration application. If you decide to mail it in, you’ll have to figure out which location you need to mail in or drop off your application. You can use this link to select your county and find the address for your county election office.
If you are a college student, remember, if you move apartments, you should also move your registration. Following this link, you can change your voter registration address, name, or party.
Requesting a Mail in Ballot:
You may have noticed if you filled out the online voter registration application, there is a second portion of the registration that asks you if you would like mail-in ballot. I like to receive mail in ballots, because it gives me time to look at and review all of my choices while voting, instead of rushing through a booth. You can request a mail-in ballot for any reason, but be aware, requests for mail in ballots close 10/31. Also remember, your ballot must be RECEIVED by the election office or dropbox before 8:00 pm on ELECTION DAY (which is November 7th this year). It must be received, not mailed, by 8:00 pm on election day.
If you are already registered to vote, and would like to request a mail-in ballot, follow this link.
Once you have received and completed your ballot, you can follow this link to figure out where to mail or drop your ballot off. If you are mailing your ballot, ensure that you are mailing it at least a week (ideally 2 weeks) before election day. If you are scared your ballot will not make it in time with the mail, you can always find a drop box! Make sure you are using the county where you are registered to vote. For example, if I registered to vote with my Oakland apartment address, I would be dropping/mailing my ballot to the Allegheny voting office at the County Office Building, 542 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Voting in Person:
Voting in person can be a little trickier than mail-in voting, because where your polling station is is much more dependent on your address. Luckily, the PA voter services has an online tool to help you find your polling place. Here is the link.
Something you must also remember when voting in person is this: If you’re in line by 8:00 pm on election day, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO VOTE. Even if the line is 20 minutes long, as long as you made it into the line before polls close, you are still allowed to vote.
To help your polling place workers keep the line moving, it’s good to have done prior research on your candidates, races, and ballot measures before you go. You can write down everything prior to the election if you’re unable to remember it, and bring it with you.
If you are a first-time voter, you must show ID before voting. Any form of ID listed in this link is sufficient.
Researching Candidates, Races, and Ballot Measures:
By far the most time consuming and daunting part of voting is figuring out who to vote for. Depending on the election, there can be many different places where you can get important and concise information. My favorite is Ballotopedia. Ballotopedia has an extensive amount of information on all things voting, and you can also preview your ballot online through their tool. Once you have seen your ballot, you can then begin looking up people who are running, or what the ballot measure you are voting for are. Remember, some of these elections can be hard to find information on. If you cannot find the information you want on Ballotopedia, you can always look up the candidates name and find their website. Many candidates also do interviews, debates, and participate in other means of sharing their platforms.
If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of candidates or don’t fully understand the positions, races, or ballot measures, you can always find voter guides from your personally trusted organizations. Many organizations, especially ones that operate locally, will have voter guides that help you see what and who like-minded people are voting for. For example, if you affiliate with Planned Parenthood, you can look up “Planned Parenthood PA voter guide 2023” and it will lead you to this page, which shows what candidates Planned Parenthood has endorsed. Asking family, friends, and colleagues who they are voting for is also a possibility, if you feel comfortable doing so. Alternatively, you can wait outside a political science classroom, and grab the first person you see! (don’t do this, but you can make friends with political science majors and lots of them would die to tell you what elections are happening and who they’re voting for).
Wrap-Up:
While this may seem like a lot of information, voting in PA really is not insanely difficult. The worst part is figuring out who to vote for. But if you’re willing to do a little bit of research (even just 30 minutes) you can really help your fellow constituents!