All registered voters are eligible to request to vote by mail. You can request your mail ballot online, through a paper form (found in English and Espanol), in person at your County Election office or through a signed letter to your County Election Office. The last day to request an absentee ballot is 7 days before the election. Voted ballots must be received by Election Day in order to be counted. You can sign up to track your mail ballot on your Department of State website. Absentee ballots start being counted on Election Day.
Emergency absentee ballots are available! If you have a last minute unexpected illness, disability or absence after the deadline to request an absentee ballot you can request an emergency absentee ballot.
Those who requested an absentee ballot but end up voting in person: If you already submitted a mail-in or absentee ballot, you cannot vote at your polling place on election day.
If you did not return your mail-in or absentee ballot and you want to vote in person, you have two options:
- Bring your ballot and the pre-addressed outer return envelope to your polling place to be voided. After you surrender your ballot and envelope and sign a declaration, you can then vote a regular ballot.
- If you don’t surrender your ballot and return envelope, you can only vote by provisional ballot at your polling place. Your county board of elections will then verify that you did not vote by mail before counting your provisional ballot.
For specifics, you can find your local county clerk contact info here.
You may now request your absentee ballot online! You can vote absentee if you are:
- A college student
- Out of town on Election Day
- Have a disability or illness that prevents you from getting to your polling place
- A member of the military
- Have a conflict due to a religious holiday
All registered PA voters can cast their ballot by mail. After applying, you can track the status of your ballot here.
The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is one week before the Election Day.
When you apply for an absentee ballot you must provide a driver’s license number or a Social Security Number. If you don’t know have a driver’s license or a Social Security Number you must present a copy of an acceptable photo ID.
If you are a UOCAVA voter, a voter with a disability or voters over 65 and affected by the Voting Accessibility for Elderly and Handicapped Act you do not need to provide any ID to apply for your absentee ballot.
Deadlines for returning your voted absentee ballot:
The deadline to return your ballot is 8pm on Election Day.
If you have an emergency and did not apply for an absentee ballot by the deadline you may download and apply for an Emergency Absentee Ballot. This application must be notarized before it is submitted. More information about Emergency Absentee Ballots can be found here.
