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Pennsylvania
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You’ve chosen to vote in PENNSYLVANIA!

You’ve chosen to vote in PENNSYLVANIA!

⓪ What you will need

① Get registered

② Request your vote-by-mail ballot

③ What happens next?

More information

FAQ and troubleshooting for Pennsylvania issues

Where should I have my vote-by-mail ballot sent?

I don't have a valid PA State ID/Driver’s License

The name or address on my PA State ID is incorrect/out of date

I’ve moved or changed my name since registering to vote

I need to print/mail a paper form but do not have access to a printer

About this page/project

⓪ What you will need

① Get registered

Check online if you are already registered. If your home address or name has changed, re-register using the regular registration process below. >>>What if I'm registered somewhere else?<<<

Register online (or update your existing registration information) at the state voter registration page; you can register even without a PA State ID or SSN, so this is the best method!

Register by mail (only if you can’t register online) by completing a Voter Registration Application and printing and mailing it to your local elections authority (also listed on page 2 of the application itself) together in the same envelope with your vote-by-mail ballot request in Section ②.

Signatures, beware! The signature on your registration and vote-by-mail ballot request (and on your voted ballot) will be compared to the signature or your PA State ID/Driver’s License.

Make them match. Signing with a mouse may cause a problem, so it may be better to sign on paper & mail. Don't have a printer?

Deadlines. Register and request your vote-by-mail ballot as soon as possible; things take time. Here are the registration deadlines, and the vote-by-mail deadlines.

Common Issues:

② Request your vote-by-mail ballot

Prefer to vote in-person? That may be a problem this year, and we recommend requesting a vote-by-mail ballot even if you want to vote in-person. You can take your vote-by-mail ballot to your polling place (during early voting or on election day) where they will void it and let you vote in-person or let you cast your mail ballot on the spot (note that many states require you to show valid photo ID when voting in person!). Also, if you don't receive your vote-by-mail ballot in time, you can still go to the polls in-person.

How to request an absentee ballot:

Mailing address - send my ballot where?  Given the uncertainty of where you may be living due to COVID, don't have your vote-by-mail ballot sent to your campus housing address. If it arrives there and the residence hall is closed, nobody will be able to retrieve it. Instead, send to yourself at the address of a friend or relative with a stable address. They can mail it to you wherever you are. However ballots can't be "forwarded"; they have to be re-mailed in an outer envelope with new stamps. 

Request online (requires PA State ID/Driver’s License) by submitting an application here.

Request by mail (if you can’t submit online):

  1. Print neatly on the Application for Absentee Ballot in black or blue pen (including your signature, matching your registration signature)
  2. Mail the completed application (along with your voter registration application from Section ①, if registering by mail) to the address provided at the bottom of the application (or look up the address of your election authority here)

Common Issues:

③ What happens next?

More information

FAQ and troubleshooting for Pennsylvania issues

 (See also the general FAQ for non-state specific questions)

Where should I have my vote-by-mail ballot sent?

Given the uncertainty of where you may be living due to COVID, instead of having your vote-by-mail ballot sent to your campus address you may want to have it sent to a friend or relative's home. They can get it to you wherever you are. Ballots can't be "forwarded"; they have to be re-mailed in an outer envelope.

I don't have a valid PA State ID/Driver’s License

If you do not have a PA State ID or Driver’s License, you can still register online using your SSN. It doesn't work as smoothly, so don't do this unless you have to.

If you do not have either a PA state-issued ID or a SSN, you can still register online by checking the appropriate box, but you must submit a copy of an alternative form of identification that either shows your Photo or a non-Photo ID that shows your name and home address when you send in your mail ballot.

The name or address on my PA State ID is incorrect/out of date

The name or address on your ID doesn’t have to be current, however, you must provide an up-to-date home and mailing address.

I’ve moved or changed my name since registering to vote

If your address is incorrect or you have changed your name you must update/re-register to vote following the steps in Section ① of this document.

I need to print/mail a paper form but do not have access to a printer

Not a problem! Please email us at vote@colum.edu with all the documents and/or proof of residence and identification requirements you need printed and we’ll print them and mail them to you.

About this page/project