HARRISBURG, Pa. — Today is the deadline to register to vote in the upcoming Pennsylvania primary election.
Whether you have to register to vote or you need to update your voter registration, May 3 is the last day you can do so. The May 18 Pennsylvania primary election is quickly approaching.
The upcoming municipal primary election is less than one month away. For weeks, county and state officials have been encouraging eligible Pennsylvanians to register to vote.
“I encourage all eligible voters to make sure that they are registered, and their information is up to date," Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid said.
She said municipal elections give residents the opportunity to select the local leaders who make decisions that affect their daily lives.
On May 18, voters who are registered as Republican or Democrat will choose their parties’ nominees for seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, County Common Pleas Courts, and Philadelphia Municipal Court, Degraffenreid said.
Also on the party ballots will be a wide variety of county, school board, and local seats such as mayor, city or borough council member, township commissioner or supervisor, magisterial district judges, and precinct election officials.
So, who is eligible to vote?
You must be 18-years-old, a U.S. citizen, and a resident of the Pennsylvania district where you wish to register for at least 30 days before the election.
To register to vote -- you can submit your application online, here. You must do so by 11:59 p.m. on May 3.
You can also deliver it to your county registration office before they close or have it postmarked by May 3.
If you'd like to vote by mail ballot in the primary, you must apply by May 11. Officials have said the earlier the better so it can be returned in plenty of time before the election. You can apply online, by mail, or in person at your county election office.
For more information on voter registration, or first time voter information, call the Department of State’s toll-free hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) or visit votesPA.com.