We put together this handy how-to-vote guide so that you can step into the voting booth (or fill out a mail-in / absentee ballot) with confidence.
Keep reading to find easy tips on how to register to vote in Philadelphia (and, for that matter, Pennsylvania), how to check your registration status, how to sign up for mail-in ballots, and how to find your polling place and voting district.
An informed voter is the best kind of voter (though all voters are pretty great), so we hope you’ll find this how-to list useful in the pursuit of your No. 1 civic duty.
-
- REQUEST A MAIL-IN or ABSENTEE BALLOT
- MAKE SURE YOUR BALLOT WAS ACCEPTED
- FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE IN PHILADELPHIA AND PA
- FIND YOUR VOTING DISTRICT IN PHILADELPHIA AND PA
- SEE WHO IS ON THE 2024 BALLOT
- REGISTER TO VOTE IN PA
- CHECK YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS IN PA
- CHANGE INFO ON YOUR PA VOTER REGISTRATION
General Election: Tuesday, November 5, 2024, 7am to 8pm
The deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania in the 2024 election was October 21, 2024.
VOTE EARLY IN PENNSYLVANIA
In PA, you do not need to give a reason for voting early, at your convenience, instead of in-person on Election Day. But you must register to do so.
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot for the November 5, 2024 general election is October 29, 2024.
REQUEST A MAIL-IN / ABSENTEE BALLOT
In PA, you have the right to vote early, by mail, via absentee ballot, for any reason at all. You don’t need to provide an excuse. A mail-in ballot and an absentee ballot are the same thing.
To request a mail-in / absentee ballot, you can:
- Apply online with a valid PA driver’s license or photo ID from PennDOT.
- Apply by mail by printing out a form and mailing it to your county elections office.
- Or, apply in person at your county elections office or one of Philadelphia’s many satellite election offices.
Application accepted? You will receive a mail-in ballot with instructions from your county election office.
This page answers any other questions you may have about mail-in / absentee early voting in PA.
RETURN MAIL-IN / ABSENTEE BALLOTS IN PHILLY
Your options for returning mail-in/ absentee ballots:
- By mail. A few days before Election Day, drop your properly completed ballot in a mailbox or hand it to your neighborhood post office worker. Note: Your mailed ballot must be received by 8pm on Election Day. (So, mail it the week before Election Day.)
- In person. Bring your ballot to your local County Board of Elections (which you can find here) or a satellite elections office near you. These locations are typically open during regular business hours, from 8am to 5pm. In Philadelphia, the main election office is Room 142 in City Hall, and you can call (215) 686-3469 for more information.
- Drop boxes. You can drop off your mail-in ballot at two dozens drop boxes around Philadelphia. They are accessible 24 hours a day and constantly monitored by security cameras — but drop boxes stop receiving ballots on Election Day (that’s November 5, 2024!) at 8pm.
MAKE SURE YOUR MAIL-IN / ABSENTEE BALLOT WAS RECEIVED AND ACCEPTED
- To verify the ballot you returned by mail, drop box or in person was accepted, go to this PA webpage, and fill out your name, birthdate and county.
- To make sure the ballot you returned is defect-free — as in, you correctly dated and signed it and put the yellow secrecy envelope inside the white mailing envelope — check this list of names that City Commissioners are updating daily.
- You could also call the City Commissioners at (215) 686-3460, or stop by one of their satellite election offices and ask for help.
VOTE ON ELECTION DAY IN PHILLY
Here’s what you can expect on Election Day in Philadelphia this November, including where to find your polling place and voting district, and who’s running for office.
The general election is November 5, 2024.
WHEN ARE THE POLLS OPEN IN PHILADELPHIA?
If you’re voting in person on Election Day, remember that you can get in line to vote before 7am, and you can vote as long as you were in line before 8pm — even if you don’t get into the actual voting booth after 8pm.
FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE
Polling places are subject to change, so make sure you know where to go if you’re planning to vote in person. The process is easy. If you’re a Philadelphia resident, go here, and enter your street address. If you live outside Philly in PA, go here, to enter your address. Voila!
FIND YOUR VOTING DISTRICT
Not sure what district you belong to? It’s confusing, we get it. Thankfully there’s an easy way to find out. If you’re a Philadelphia resident, go here and search by address. If you live in PA outside of Philadelphia, go here to search by address, municipality and county.
REGISTER TO VOTE IN PENNSYLVANIA
The deadline to register to be able to vote in the 2024 election was October 21, 2024.
You can vote in the United States if you are:
-
- A citizen of the United States for at least one month before Election Day
- A resident of Philadelphia and your election district for at least 30 days before Election Day
- At least 18 years of age on or before Election Day
Check all those boxes? Great! But do it quick: No matter how you choose register:
In order to vote on Election Day, November 5, 2024, you must have registered to vote by Monday, October 21, 2024.
REGISTER TO VOTE ONLINE
Click on this link to fill out the Voter Registration Application. Fill it out top to bottom, verify that you’re not a robot and hit send.
When your application is submitted, you’ll receive an application tracking number in your email. You can use that to track your voter registration application status through this form.
When you are successfully registered, you’ll receive a voter registration card in the mail, which details the address of your polling place. That should take about 14 days.
REGISTER TO VOTE BY MAIL
Download and print this application, then fill it out, sign it and mail it to your county board of elections, which you can find here. Registration applications must be received in county voter registration offices by close of business on the voter registration deadline.
In Philadelphia, that address is:
The Philadelphia County Board of Elections
520 N. Columbus Boulevard, 5th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19123
No printer? Voter registration applications are also available at the U.S. Post Office, Philadelphia public libraries and, funny enough, state liquor stores.
HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN-PERSON
When election times draw near, you may find local organizations manning voter registration drives near busy areas of the city, like groceries and public parks. These folks will have all the tools on hand to help you through the registration process — just remember to have a valid PA ID handy.
CHECK VOTER REGISTRATION
The last thing you want to do is show up to the polls on Election Day to find out you’re not even registered. It’s always a good idea to double check. We show you how to do that below, along with making updates to your registration status — whether it’s changing your address or swapping political parties.
CHECK YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION IN PA
Want to verify that you’re registered to vote in PA? The process is simple. Go to this site and enter one of three criteria: your name, driver’s license number or PennDOT ID. Voila!
CHANGE YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION INFORMATION
The deadline to change your voter registration to vote in the 2024 general election was October 21, 2024.
You can still change your voter registration for the 2025 elections.
In order to vote in the May 20, 2025 primary election, you must register by May 5, 2025. In order to vote in the general election on November 4, 2025, you must register to vote by October 20, 2025.
Did your address or name change since the last election? You can update the information on your voter registration by filling out a new voter registration application.
If you’re doing it online, click “Change of Name” or “Change of Address” on question No. 3 to be sent in the right direction. Question No. 10 on the printed-out form also gives you a chance to enter a new name and/or address.
HOW TO CHANGE YOUR POLITICAL PARTY
If you decide you want to change your party to Democrat, Republican, Green, Working Families, etc. … You can do that by filling out a new voter registration application. If you’re doing it online, click “Change of Party” on question No. 3. Question No. 3 on the printed-out form also gives you a chance to enter a new party.
In order to change your party and vote in 2025 (in the May 20 primary election and November 4 general election), you must update this information 15 days beforehand, on May 5 for the primary and October 20 for the general.
Good luck getting out the vote, Pennsylvania!
MORE ON VOTING IN PHILADELPHIA AND PA