Pennsylvania

Election Day: Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (ET) on Election Day, November 3, 2026. Any voter in line at 8:00 p.m. must be permitted to vote but no other voters may join the line after 8:00 p.m.

Voting by Mail-In or Absentee Ballot: Voters may apply to cast a mail-in or absentee ballot: (a) in-person at their county election board or other designated location); (b) online (users can toggle between English, Spanish, or Traditional Chinese versions using the drop down in blue in the top right corner); or (c) by mail. Voters can access a PDF version of the application for mail-in ballot here (Spanish / Traditional Chinese/ Simplified Chinese/ Bengali/ French/ Gujarati/ Italian/ Khmer/ Korean/ Russian/ Vietnamese); and the PDF version of the application for absentee ballot here (Spanish / Traditional Chinese / Simplified Chinese/ Bengali/ French/ Gujarati/ Italian/ Khmer/ Korean/ Russian/ Vietnamese) starting on the date ballots are finalized and available.  The voter should check the voter’s County’s website or call the voter’s county to see if ballots are finalized and available.  

The deadline to apply for a mail or absentee ballot is 5:00 p.m. (ET) on the first Tuesday before Election Day. For the November 3, 2026, general election, the mail ballot application deadline is October 27, 2026. The application must be received by the county board of elections before that deadline. You cannot return your completed mail-in or absentee ballot to your polling place.

Polling locations often change and voters are required to go to their assigned polling place.  The voter should use the Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s polling place search tool to find their polling place.

Registration Deadlines

• The voter registration deadline for the Pennsylvania Congressional, State and Gubernatorial General Election is Received by Mon Oct 19, 2026.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in Pennsylvania if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
• Are a resident of Pennsylvania
• Live in the precinct where you vote for at least 30 days prior to the election

You are NOT eligible to vote in Pennsylvania if:

• You are in prison or jail for a felony conviction.
• You were disqualified from voting due to a court order
• You were convicted of violating state election code within the last four years

*Includes a halfway house or other alternative correctional facility

Restorative Requirements

• If you have completed a felony prison sentence, even if you are still on parole or probation, then you are immediately eligible to register to vote.

You are able to pre-register:

• if you will be 18 by Election Day

How to register 

• Pennsylvania Congressional, State and Gubernatorial General Election
  • Submit an Application: Received by Mon Oct 19, 2026

Pennsylvania Voter Registration Application

To register online, individuals can use this link (users can toggle back and forth between English, Spanish, and Chinese versions using the corresponding buttons in the blue header).  

To register by mail, individuals can access a PDF version of the registration form here: English version / Spanish version / Traditional Chinese version/ Bengali version/ French version/ Gujarati version/ Italian version/ Khmer version/ Korean version/ Russian version).

A voter must register no later than 15 days before Election Day. The voter registration deadline for the general election is October 19, 2026. Hand-delivered or mailed registration applications must be received by the county elections office before the close of business on the day of the deadline. An online registration application must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the day of the deadline.

Residency Requirements

To register to vote, an individual must be 18 years old, a U.S. citizen for one month, and a resident of Pennsylvania and of the election district where the individual wants to register for at least 30 days prior to the election

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• Online

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Pennsylvania Congressional, State and Gubernatorial General Election

Ballot Request:

• Received by Tue Oct 27, 2026 5:00PM

Ballot Return:

• Received by Tue Nov 3, 2026 8:00PM

Link to Submit/Download an Absentee/Mail-In Ballot Request Form

To request an absentee / mail-in ballot, voters can use this link (users can toggle back and forth between English, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese versions using the drop down in blue in the top right corner).

Individuals can access a PDF version of the application for mail-in ballot here (Spanish / Traditional Chinese/Simplified Chinese/ Bengali/ French/ Gujarati/ Italian/ Khmer/ Korean/ Russian/ Vietnamese); and the PDF version of the application for absentee ballot here (Spanish / Traditional Chinese / Simplified Chinese/ Bengali/ French/ Gujarati/ Italian/ Khmer/ Korean/ Russian/ Vietnamese). 

Where and When to Return Absentee/Mail-In Ballots

Voters may return their absentee/mail-in ballots by mail, in person at the county election board or other designated location in the voter’s county, or at a drop box if they are available in the voter’s county.

Not all counties have drop boxes.  Voters should check here to determine if their county has drop boxes and where they are located.  Voters can also visit their county’s website. 

Voters may drop off their mail ballots in person at their county election board or other officially designated location until 8:00 p.m. (ET) on Election Day.  A voter with a disability who has designated someone else in writing to deliver their ballot using the Designated Agent Form can have the person they designated deliver it to the county Elections office.  (They can also be returned by mail, but ballots must be received by 8:00 p.m. (ET) on Election Day.) Voters cannot return mail ballots to their assigned polling place for voting on Election Day; these must be returned to the county Elections office.

Location and Other Information about Early Voting in Person by Mail-in Ballot

While Pennsylvania does not have traditional early in-person voting in a voting booth, voters may vote early by appearing in person at their county election board or other designated location and apply for and vote a mail-in ballot.  This means that the voter can apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot, fill in the voter’s choices, and return the completed ballot packet to the county election office or other designated location, all in one visit. 

For locations where voters can vote in person by mail-in ballot check https://www.vote.pa.gov/voting-in-pa/pages/early-voting.aspx. 

With this option, there is no need to use the mail at all, and the voter can cast a vote at the voter’s convenience. 

Voters can check their county’s website or call their county to find out if ballots are available.  

As is true with other mail-in ballots, the deadline to apply in person for a ballot is 5:00 p.m. (ET) on the Tuesday before the election. Even if the voter received the mail-ballot in person, besides returning it at the same time they received it, they can drop it off at their county election board or other officially designated location until 8:00 p.m. (ET) on Election Day, or return it by mail, as long as it is received by the county election board, not just postmarked, by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.

More information is available at Vote In Person by Mail Ballot Before Election Day (vote.pa.gov). 

Difference Between Vote By Mail and Absentee Voting

The key difference between mail-in and absentee ballots is that while any registered voter can apply for a mail-in ballot, only the following voters may vote by absentee ballot:

• Members of the military, regardless of whether the individual is present in the voter’s municipality of residence on Election Day and regardless of whether the voter is registered or enrolled;
• Spouses or dependents residing with or accompanying a person in military service who are absent and unable to go to their polling place on Election Day.
• Members of the Merchant Marines, religious or welfare groups officially attached to and serving with the armed forces, spouses and dependents of such individuals, provided, however, the individual is absent from the voter’s municipality of resident on Election Day;
• Voters and their spouses or dependents who are outside the territorial limits of the United States because of their duties, occupation, or business, and who will be absent from municipality on Election Day;
• A voter who is ill or physically disabled and unable to attend their polling place;
• A voter who expects to be away from the voter’s municipality of residence on Election Day from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (ET) because the voter’s duties, occupation, or business requires the voter to be elsewhere; 
• A voter who is a spouse or dependent of a person employed in the service of Pennsylvania or the Federal Government within the territorial limits of the United States in the event the duties, profession or occupation of such person require them to be absent from the municipality of their residence
• A county employee who will be unable to attend the polls due to Election Day obligations;
• A voter who is unable to go to the polls on Election Day due to a religious holiday.

The Procedure to Vote by Mail and Absentee Voting

The procedure for voting by mail is the same for voting by absentee ballot.  There are three ways to apply to vote by mail-in or absentee ballot:

• Online
• In-Person
• By mail – the voter can either:
  • Download, print and complete a paper mail-in or absentee ballot application (applications are also available in 10 additional languages (Spanish, Traditional Chinese / Simplified Chinese, Bengali, French, Gujarati, Italian, Khmer, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese): mail-in / absentee), OR
  • If the voter does not have a printer, the voter can either:
    • Contact the voter’s county election board directly to request a paper application; or
    • Contact the Department of State to request an application by either calling 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) or by emailing ra-voterreg@pa.gov

• The voter should mail the completed mail ballot application to the voter’s county election office.

Voters must provide proof of identification on the application by listing a valid/unexpired Pennsylvania driver’s license number or PennDOT non-driver ID number if they have one.  If not, the voter must list the last four digits of their Social Security number.

If the voter does not have a valid PA driver’s license or PennDOT ID number or a Social Security number, the voter will need to provide with the application a photocopy of one of the following that shows name, photo, and a current expiration date:

• US passport
• US military ID
• Employee photo ID issued by Federal, PA, PA county, or PA municipal government 
• Photo ID from accredited PA public or private institute for higher education
• Photo ID from PA care facility including long-term care, assisted living and personal care homes

If the photocopy is not provided with the application, the voter should still receive a ballot; however, the voter has until six (6) calendar days after the election to provide proof of identification. If they fail to do so, the ballot will not be counted.

Voters can check the status of their mail-in/absentee ballot application here.

More information is available at Voting by Mail-In or Absentee Ballot (vote.pa.gov).

Because all registered voters may vote by mail-in ballot, it is not necessary to use an absentee ballot or comply with stricter application requirements regarding illness or disability. If the voter is ill or permanently disabled, and the voter’s attending physician certifies that the voter is physically unable to go to the voter’s polling place or operate a voting machine, then the voter may apply to be on the annual absentee ballot list by filling out the “Certificate of Permanent Illness or Permanent Physical Disability” at the bottom of the Absentee Ballot Application.

Deadlines for Mail-In Voting

The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is the same as for an absentee ballot: it must be received by the voter’s county election office no later than seven (7) days before the election, by 5:00 p.m. (ET). For the November 3, 2026, general election, the mail ballot application deadline is 5:00 p.m. (ET) on October 27, 2026. 

If the voter has an emergency (such as an unexpected illness or disability or last-minute absence from the voter’s municipality), the voter may submit an Emergency Absentee Ballot Application to the County Board of Elections any time after 5:00 p.m. (ET) on the Tuesday before the election and before 8:00 p.m. (ET) on Election Day. Given the short window between filing the application and when the ballot must be submitted, the voter may also want to consider instead authorizing a representative to pick up and/or drop off the voter’s ballot with the County Board of Elections.

If there is no emergency that prevents the voter from meeting the application deadline, then the voter will have to vote in-person on Election Day.

The voter can either return their mail-in/absentee ballot by mail or can return the ballot to the voter’s County Election Office or other Designated Location in their county.  Ballots must be received by 8:00 p.m. (ET) on Election Day; postmarks do not count.

Completing Mail-In/Absentee Ballots (Including In-Person Voting By Mail In Ballot)

To complete the ballot, the voter must follow these steps, or the ballot may be rejected and not counted:

• Read instructions and fill out the front and back of the ballot, using either blue or black ink, but not both.
• Seal the ballot in the yellow envelope marked “Official Election Ballot,” also known as the “secrecy envelope.”
  • Be sure not to make any marks on the secrecy envelope.  The voter’s ballot MUST be enclosed and sealed in the secrecy envelope or it will not be counted.
• Place the sealed secrecy envelope into the pre-addressed outer return envelope and seal the return envelope.
• Sign the declaration form that is printed on the outside of the return envelope and date it with the date you sign the declaration in the appropriate space. If the declaration is not signed, the ballot WILL NOT BE COUNTED.
  • Note: The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently held “the requirement that mail-in ballots that arrive in undated or misdated return envelopes be discarded” does not comply with the U.S. Constitution. However, the Supreme Court is considering a petition to review this ruling. Voters should make sure to date the declaration with the date the voter actually completed the declaration to ensure their ballots will be accepted regardless of the outcome of pending court cases.  
• Mail in the ballot, leaving enough time for it to be received by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, or deliver it in-person to the County Election Office or other Designated Location in the voter’s county by Election Day at 8:00 p.m. (ET).  The voted ballot cannot be returned to the voter’s polling place.
• The ballot must be received by the deadline even if it is postmarked before Election Day.

Identification is not needed for submitting an absentee or mail-in ballot (as identification generally will have been submitted at the time of the application for an absentee or mail-in ballot).

If the voter makes a mistake in completing the voter’s ballot, or if the ballot is lost or is incorrect, the voter can ask the voter’s county elections office to send the voter a new ballot and cancel the old one.  If the voter finds or receives the original ballot, the voter must make sure not to use it as it will not be counted once it’s been canceled in the system.  If the voter received a ballot intended for another voter, the voter should not vote with it; the voter cannot use or return a ballot that does not belong to the voter. The voter should notify the county election office if they receive an incorrect ballot.

Voters can check the status of their mail-in/absentee ballot here.

A voter who has received a mail-in/absentee ballot, but now wants to vote in-person on Election Day, should bring their ballot and the pre-addressed outer return envelope to their polling place to be voided. After they surrender their ballot and return the envelope and sign a declaration, they can then vote a regular ballot. Best practice, however, to avoid confusion, is to bring the whole package (the ballot, the inner secrecy envelope, and the pre-addressed outer return envelope).  

If the voter is not able to bring the mail-in/absentee ballot and the return envelope to their polling location, the voter may only cast a provisional ballot, which is a paper ballot that the voter’s county board of elections will review after election day and count if the voter is eligible to vote. 

The County Board of Elections has seven (7) calendar days after the election to determine the validity of a provisional ballot. The voter may check the status of their provisional ballot after seven days using the provisional ballot search tool or by calling 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772).

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Pennsylvania you should provide one of the following:

• Your Pennsylvania Driver’s License Number
• Your Pennsylvania ID Number

If you do not have these IDs, you may provide:

• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number

If you do not have one of these forms of ID and need help getting ID, go to www.voteriders.org.

Voting In-Person

If you registered to vote in Pennsylvania, you may be required to present valid ID if you are voting for the first time or your registration is incomplete. You can use any ID from this list:

• Valid Federal Issued ID
• Valid ID Issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Motor Vehicles, Transportation, Highway Safety, etc.
• ID Issued by Commonwealth Agency
• Valid Employee ID
• Valid Pennsylvania Driver’s License
• Valid Student ID
• Valid Military ID
• Valid US Passport

If you do not have a photo ID, you can use a non-photo identification that includes your name and address from the following list:

• Bank Statement
• Pay Check
• Government Check
• License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm
• Voter Registration Card
• Valid Federal issued ID
• Valid Pennsylvania Issued ID
• Utility Bill

A non-photo ID must contain your current address. If you do not have one of the Pennsylvania valid IDs and need help getting ID, go to www.voteriders.org.

What to Do/Who to Contact if a Voter Does Not Have One of the Required Documents

For Registering 

Although a voter must provide the voter’s PA Driver’s License or PennDOT ID number if they have it, or the last four digits of the voter’s Social Security number if they have it, a voter can still register to vote if the voter does not have any of these numbers, as long as the voter provides the voter’s signature (either by uploading a digital image of the voter’s signature to submit online with the voter registration form, or by signing the voter registration application and returning it to the voter’s county registration office).

For Voting In-Person

If the voter is required to provide ID because it is the first time the voter is voting in the voter’s current election district and the voter does not have one of the required documents, the voter can only vote via provisional ballot and must, within six (6) days of Election Day, provide proof of identification and/or an affirmation affirming that the voter is the same person who cast the provisional ballot (see “Provisional Ballot and Required ID” for more information about voting via provisional ballot).

Absentee or Mail-In Application 

If the voter does not provide proof of identification or a copy of an acceptable ID with the voter’s absentee or mail-in ballot application, the voter’s absentee or mail ballot will not be counted.  However, uniformed and overseas citizens and voters who qualify under the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act (VAEH) do not need to show ID.

More information is available here. 

Identification for Absentee and Mail-in Ballots

To apply to vote by mail-in or absentee ballot (including early, in-person voting), a voter must provide one of the following ID numbers:

• Current and valid PA driver’s license number or PennDOT non driver ID number OR,
• If the voter does not have a PA driver’s license or PennDOT ID number, the last 4 digits of the voter’s Social Security number

If the voter does not have one of the above, the voter can provide a photocopy of one of the following that shows name, photo, and a current/unexpired expiration date:

• US passport
• US military ID (active and retired military ID may designate an expiration date that is indefinite; dependent military ID must be unexpired)
• Employee photo ID issued by Federal, PA, PA county, or PA municipal government 
• Photo ID from accredited PA public or private institution of higher education
• Photo ID from PA care facility including long-term care, assisted living and personal care homes

Uniformed and overseas citizens and voters who qualify under the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped ACT do not need to show ID.

When Voters Need ID to Vote

Pennsylvania voters only must show identification if they are voting in the election district for the first time, which includes all first-time voters and voters who have moved into the district.

Any of the following forms of photo ID are acceptable:

• Pennsylvania driver’s license;
• PennDOT non driver photo ID card;
• ID issued by any Commonwealth agency;
• ID issued by the U.S. Government;
• U.S. Passport;
• U.S. Armed Forces ID;
• Student ID; or
• Employee ID

If voters do not have a photo ID, they can also present an identification document that includes their name and address.  These include:

• Registration confirmation issued by the County Voter Registration Office (voter registration card);
• Firearm permit;
• Current utility bill;
• Current bank statement;
• Current paycheck;
• Government check;
• Non-photo ID issued by any Commonwealth agency; or 
• Non-photo ID issued by the U.S. Government

Free ID for Voting Purposes

The state offers free IDs for individuals experiencing homelessness. Individuals must apply in person at a PennDOT Driver License Center and certify on the application they are homeless as defined in Section 103 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.  

For identification and other requirements, consult the PA Homeless Photo Identification Card Fact Sheet.

The forms of ID that must be unexpired for use with a mail or absentee ballot, include:

• US passport
• US military ID
• Employee photo ID issued by Federal, PA, PA county, or PA municipal government
• Photo ID from accredited PA public or private institution of higher education
• Photo ID from PA care facility including long-term care, assisted living and personal care homes

More information is available at VoteRiders, First Time Voters (pa.gov), and Identification for Mail Voting (vote.pa.gov).

Provisional Ballot and Required ID

A first-time voter who does not have proper ID is entitled to vote a provisional ballot.  

A first-time voter who was given a provisional ballot because the voter did not produce the required ID at the polls can provide the required identification to the County Board of Elections within six (6) days after the election. The voter should call their county elections board to receive updates on the status of their provisional ballot.

Moving Within the Same County and Between Counties

If the voter moved within 30 days before Election Day, but has not changed their voter registration address, the voter must vote at the polling place for the voter’s old address. When at the polling place:

• The voter must tell the election official that the voter has moved.
• The voter will then have to fill out a form to update the voter’s registration to reflect the new address.
• The voter will then be permitted to vote at the old polling place.
• The voter will be sent an updated registration card reflecting the new address.
• For all subsequent elections, the voter must vote at the new polling place.

If the voter moves more than 30 days before Election Day, the voter should update the voter’s registration to reflect the voter’s new address.  The deadline to update voter registrations is 15 days before Election Day.

If the voter moves more than 30 days before Election Day but did not update the voter’s registration, the voter can vote at the polling place for the voter’s old address for one election.

• If the voter moved within the same county, the voter must tell the election officials at the polling place of the voter’s new address.  They will update the registration and send the voter a new voter registration card.  
• If the voter moved to a different county, the voter needs to fill out a form with the voter’s new address and the county where the voter moved.  After the election, the county election office for both the voter’s old and new addresses will update the voter’s registration.  The voter will receive a new voter registration card matching the voter’s new address.

More information is available at How to Update Your Registration (vote.pa.gov).

State-specific exceptions to voting eligibility for voters who have moved

If a voter moved to Pennsylvania from another state, the voter must be a resident of Pennsylvania and the election district for at least 30 days before the next election to be able to vote in Pennsylvania.

If a voter moves out of Pennsylvania to another state, the voter may need to register before the voter can vote in the new state.  The voter can cancel their registration in Pennsylvania by filling out a Voter Request to Cancel Registration form (English / Spanish/ Traditional Chinese) and mailing it to the election office for the county in which the voter used to live.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You may include the following ID:

• Pennsylvania ID Card
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You may include the following ID:

• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Pennsylvania ID Card
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Military and Overseas Voting Processes by Mail

Military and other overseas citizens may use the standard procedure for absentee voting by mail, but there are also special provisions for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and merchant marine, commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with family members of all these groups, and other citizens who reside outside the United States (together these groups are called UOCAVA voters).

There are 3 types of military and overseas voters:

1.  Voters in the uniformed services, their spouses and dependents, and, in certain cases, military veterans;
2. Individuals registered to vote in Pennsylvania but who reside overseas; and
3. “Federal voters,” who live overseas and do not intend to return to Pennsylvania and, therefore, may participate only in elections for federal offices (President, Vice President, U.S. Senator, and Representative in Congress).

Registering and Requesting an Absentee Ballot

Registering to Vote:

There are several ways a military or overseas voter can register to vote.

• Use an official voter registration form to register online, by mail or in person.
• Use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA).  To receive the FPCA by e-mail, the voter should write to ST-UOCAVAApp@pa.gov. 
• Request that the state mail the voter a paper voter registration form. The voter should email the request to ST-UOCAVAQues@pa.gov. 
• If a U.S. citizen residing overseas previously resided in Pennsylvania but does not have the intent to return to Pennsylvania, they may not register to vote but may still cast a vote for federal offices as a federal voter under UOCAVA using the Federal Post Card Application.

Military and overseas voters should use the Federal Post Card Application (“FPCA”) to register and request a ballot. A voter’s FPCA must be received no more than 15 days before the election. However, active uniformed-service voters and veterans of a uniformed service who are bedridden or hospitalized due to illness or physical disability do not need to register to vote to cast a ballot. 

More information is available at FVAP.gov and Information for Military and Overseas Voters.

Requesting an Absentee Ballot:

Military and overseas voters may apply for an absentee ballot at any time prior to an election. There are several ways by which a military or overseas voter can request an absentee ballot:

• Use any official absentee ballot application form to request an absentee ballot.  
• Request that the state mail the voter a paper absentee ballot application. The voter should email the request to ST-UOCAVAQues@pa.gov.
• Complete and send a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) form to the voter’s County Election Office.  The United States Department of Defense distributes this form as Federal Form Number 76.  
• Members of the military may send in a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB) form to their County Election Office.  The United States Department of Defense distributes this form as Federal Form 186.

Only the voter or an adult member of the voter’s immediate family may submit the voter’s application for an absentee ballot.

More information is available at Information for Military and Overseas Voters (vote.pa.gov).

Receiving an Absentee Ballot

Members of the military and overseas civilian voters may receive their absentee ballot by email or mail.  To request the absentee ballot be sent by email, the voter can:

• Mark the box that says e-mail preference in block 5 on the voter’s Federal Post Card Application Form (Federal Form Number 76);
• Contact the voter’s local county election office by e-mail or phone; or
• E-mail the state at stsvcuocavaabs@pa.gov to request that the state e-mail the voter an absentee ballot application.  The voter should send the e-mail from the account where the voter wants to receive the application.

The voter should look for an e-mail stating that the voter’s ballot is ready.  The voter can then visit www.pavoterservices.pa.gov to download the voter’s ballot.

Due to increased security measures, some users may have trouble accessing the online website.  If a voter experiences any issues when retrieving the voter’s ballots, the voter should call the Help Desk at 1-866-472-7873 or e-mail STSVCSURE_Helpdesk@pa.gov.

If the voter does not choose to receive an absentee ballot electronically, the voter will receive the ballot in the mail.

Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB)

The FWAB works like a backup ballot and should be used if there isn’t enough time to receive and send back an absentee ballot before the election.  If the voter’s official absentee ballot arrives after sending in the FWAB, the voter should fill out the absentee ballot and send it in as well.  Only one ballot will be counted.  The FWAB must be mailed to the voter’s county election office.  The FWAB must be mailed no later than 11:59 p.m. on the day before Election Day.  The County Election Office must receive your ballot no later than seven (7) days after Election Day by 5:00 p.m.

A voter’s FWAB will be counted even if the voter’s completed official absentee ballot is not received by the seventh day after Election Day.

More information is available at Election Forms and Tools for Sending (FVAP.gov).

Uniformed service members, their eligible family members, federal voters, and overseas citizens may use the FWAB to vote for all offices and ballot measures in an election.  

Uniformed Service members and their eligible family members can use the FWAB to register to vote and vote, all at the same time. If the voter is using the FWAB to register to vote, it must be received by 15 days before Election Day. 

Overseas citizens who have already requested an absentee ballot may use the FWAB to vote in all elections for federal, state, and local offices, including ballot measures.  If they have not requested a state absentee ballot, they can only use the FWAB to vote in elections for federal office.

More information is available at the Pennsylvania specific page (FVAP.gov).

Voting Eligibility for Individuals With a Criminal Record

Even if an individual has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or is in pretrial detention, so long as they are not currently incarcerated, that individual’s criminal record does not prevent them from registering and voting (with some exceptions). 

An individual CAN register and vote if they are:

• Awaiting trial, pending a misdemeanor or felony charge, or arrested but not convicted of any offense; 
• Incarcerated on a non-Election Code misdemeanor conviction only;
• On probation or released on parole;
• A parolee living in a community confinement center, but is not in State Intermediate Punishment (SIP);
• Under house arrest;
• Released (or will be released before the date of the next election) from a correctional facility or community confinement facility upon completion of incarceration for a non-election felony conviction; and
• Adjudicated as a juvenile delinquent.

An individual CANNOT vote for a period of four (4) years after conviction of a willful violation of ANY provision of the Pennsylvania Election Code.

An individual cannot register to vote if they are currently confined in a penal institution for conviction of a felony and will not be released until after the next election.

An individual cannot register and vote if they are in a halfway house or other alternative correctional facility on pre-release status for conviction of a felony and will not be released until after the date of the next election.

If/When Someone Regains Eligibility

Once a person regains the right to vote, restoration is automatic. An individual who was previously convicted of a non-Election Code felony or misdemeanor regains eligibility to vote when the individual is released from a correctional facility or halfway house. This includes individuals who are on probation or released on parole. There is no waiting period after release from prison.

Individuals convicted of willful violations of the Pennsylvania Election Code (both misdemeanor and felony convictions) regain eligibility four years after the date of conviction.

More information is available at Criminal Status & Voting (vote.pa.gov).