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Are you a student in Pennsylvania? Make your voice heard by voting in the Presidential Preference & State Primary Election on April 23. Your vote matters and can make a difference in your community and country. Don’t miss this opportunity to have a say in your future!
Voter Registration Deadline: 15 days before Election Day.
2024 Election Information
Primary Election: April 23, 2024
General Election: November 5, 2024
More election information at:
Online voter registration available at:
Mail-in/Absentee ballot request forms available at:
Students have a decision about where to register to vote.
You have a right to register to vote at the address you consider the place where you live, whether that is your family’s home or the place where you attend school. You should update your registration anytime this home address changes.
You may only be registered and vote in one location.
Pennsylvania’s voter registration form asks for your Pennsylvania driver’s license or state ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Be sure to provide one of these numbers if you have it.
Pennsylvania does not require voters to present an ID to vote unless you are voting in Pennsylvania for the first time or voting at a new polling place. If so, you must bring one of the following photo ID’s. If you do not have a photo ID, some non-photo identification forms are permitted.
Photo ID’s
Non-photo IDs
Make a plan. Look up your voting site and hours at:
Mail-in Ballot (no excuse required): All Pennsylvania voters can vote by mail. Voters with a Pennsylvania driver’s license or photo ID from the PA Department of Transportation may request a mail ballot by completing an application online. Voters may also apply using a paper application form that may be printed and return by mail or in person to your County Board of Election’s office. To request a mail ballot using the paper form, you must provide your driver’s license number, state-issued ID number, the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, or a photocopy of a current ID that shows your name, photograph, and an expiration date.
Voters with disabilities can request an accessible remote ballot marking solution. More information is available at: bit.ly/PABallotMarking
For more information, visit:
vote.pa.gov/Voting-in-PA/Pages/Mail-and-Absentee-Ballot.aspx
Absentee Voting (excuse required): The state will continue to offer absentee voting alongside mail-in voting. Absentee voting is available for voters that plan to be out of the municipality on election day or have a disability or illness preventing them from going to their polling place on election day. Request and return deadlines are the same for the mail-in ballots.
An absentee ballot application for printing and returning by mail or in person is available at: bit.ly/PAMailInApplication
Early Voting: Any registered voter may request and cast a mail-in or absentee ballot in person at their county election board or another designated location. For early voting locations and hours, please contact your county election board.
Election Day: Voting sites will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. If you are in line by the closing time then you have the right to vote.
Does Registering to Vote Affect my Federal Financial Aid?
Where you register to vote will not affect federal financial aid such as Pell Grants, Perkins or Stafford loans, or your dependency status for FAFSA.
Does Registering to Vote Affect my Status as a Dependent on My Parents’ Taxes?
Being registered to vote at a different address from your parents does not prevent them from claiming you as a dependent on their taxes.
Does Registering to Vote impact my Tuition Status?
Being deemed out-of-state for tuition purposes does not prevent you from choosing to register to vote in your campus community.
Will registering to vote in Pennsylvania affect my driver’s license or car registration?
All new PA residents who own out-of-state driver’s licenses must exchange them for Pennsylvania ones within 60 days of declaring Pennsylvania residency, regardless of voter registration status. You may wish to contact the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for more information.
Fair Elections Center and Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Pennsylvania legal professional.
Last updated March 2024
Testimony Opposing Wisconsin SB 935, Which Would Impose New and Needless Requirements for Absentee Ballot Certificate Envelopes (2022)
Under Pennsylvania law, in order for their ballots to count, voters must record the date they sign their declaration. In late 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of State (DOS) redesigned the outer envelope for mail-in and absentee ballots so that the first two digits of the year (“20”) are preprinted in the handwritten date field.
In the April primary elections, certain counties including Lancaster County chose to ignore guidance from DOS urging them to count ballots with envelopes that included the day and month but not the last two digits of the year and adopted a policy to reject such ballots. A lawsuit filed by Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans, represented by Fair Elections Center and LeVan Stapleton Segal Cochran LLC, argues that counties may not lawfully reject these ballots under Pennsylvania statutes and the Pennsylvania Constitution, given that the current year is displayed on the ballots themselves and the year in which they are issued and cast is self-evident.
