Register to Vote

How to Register

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Once you know you are eligible to vote, the next step is to register. In Pennsylvania, a new online application makes registering to vote easier than ever before. You can also register in person, by mail and at various government agencies. Below you will find information about how to register, as well as links to voting registration forms and applications. If you have questions, check our voter registration FAQs.

Register to Vote Online

You can register to vote through the Pennsylvania Department of State’s online application. Before you begin, be sure to have your Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT ID card handy. If you don’t have one, there are other options. Once you submit your online application, it will be forwarded to the appropriate county voter registration office for processing.

Learn more about online voter registration.

Step-by-step instructional video

Register to Vote in Person

You can register to vote at a County Voter Registration Office or other designated sites.

Register to Vote by Mail

You can register to vote by mail in two ways:

  • Get a Voter Registration Mail Application form from the state or federal government. The Secretary of the Commonwealth and all county registration commissions supply Voter Registration Mail Applications to all persons and organizations who request them, including candidates, political parties and political bodies and other federal, state and municipal offices.

Register to Vote at PennDOT

You can register to vote at a PA Department of Transportation photo license center when you obtain or update your driver’s license.

Register to Vote at Government Agencies

In addition to PennDOT, you can register to vote at many other state government offices, including:

  • State offices that provide public assistance and services to persons with disabilities
  • Armed Forces Recruitment Centers
  • County Clerk of Orphans’ Court offices, including each Marriage License Bureau
  • Area Agencies on Aging
  • Centers for Independent Living
  • County Mental Health and Mental Retardation offices
  • Student disability services offices of the State System of Higher Education
  • Offices of Special Education
  • DA Complementary Paratransit offices

Voter Registration Forms

Below are links to different voter registration forms and applications. Remember that the deadline for registering is 30 days prior to each election.

  • Pennsylvania Voter Registration Mail Application Form (PDF): Use this form to register to vote by mail. Pennsylvania Voter Registration Mail Application Forms must be completed and submitted to your County Voter Registration Office.
  • Request Voter Registration Mail Application(s): To request that Pennsylvania Voter Registration Mail Applications be sent to you, please provide your full name and mailing address via the following link: ST-VOTERREG@pa.gov. Remember to indicate the number of voter registration forms that you require. To request multiple Pennsylvania Voter Registration Mail Applications for voter registration drives, please call 1-877-868-3772.

Pennsylvania law provides for permanent voter registration, unless the voter’s registration should be cancelled in accordance with law. All electors, except those in the military service of the United States and bedridden or hospitalized war veterans unavoidably absent from their county of residence, must be registered to be eligible to vote.

Voter Registration Requirements

Below you will find information about voting eligibility requirements in Pennsylvania.

Are You Eligible to Vote?

To register to vote in Pennsylvania, you must be:

  • A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.
  • A resident of Pennsylvania and the election district in which you want to register and vote for at least 30 days before the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.
  • At least 18 years of age on or before the day of the next primary, special, municipal, or general election.

Once you have registered to vote, you are not required to register again unless you change your residence, name, or political party affiliation.

Please note that any intentional false statement made on an application for voter registration constitutes perjury and is punishable by law.

Eligibility for Primary Elections

A primary election is an election in which a political party nominates its candidates for an upcoming general election. The rules for voting in primary elections vary from state to state. In Pennsylvania:

  • You must be registered and enrolled in a political party to vote in that party’s primary.
  • All registered voters are entitled to vote on Constitutional amendments, ballot questions and in all special elections that might be held at the same time as a primary election.