Deadline: Register to vote in primary by May 4

Only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote in those parties’ closed primaries.

• Jordan Wilkie/WITF
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  As the democracy reporter for WITF, I will cover any kind of story that has to do with how we govern ourselves. That will include doing a lot of election coverage about how to access the ballot, how public officials administer elections, the technology used to run and secure elections, and the laws that govern it all.
  
  My work will also include accountability coverage for elected officials that use their positions to then undermine democratic institutions, like the legislators that voted against the certification of the presidential election results on January 6, 2021. If that weren’t enough, I foresee covering some local government decisions, fights over public records and transparency, and some candidate coverage around the major elections. As seen in my coverage of immigrant of LGBTQ+ communities, I also report on the consequences of elections for minority groups.

Close to 2.5 million Pennsylvanians are expected to cast ballots on May 19th in the Democratic and Republican primaries, based on previous midterm primary turnout. To be one of them, would-be voters must be registered with one of the major parties by May 4th. 

To cast a ballot, registration must be at a voter’s current address. Since Pennsylvania is one of 13 states that requires closed primaries, only people registered with the Republican or Democratic parties can vote for a primary candidate. That locks out the more than 1.4 million Pennsylvanians registered as independent or with a third-party, but voters can change registration for the primary and change it back afterward with no penalty. 

Anybody can register or update their registration at vote.pa.gov. Voters can also go directly to their county elections office. To check the current status of a voter’s registration, call the county election office or the state hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA. 

Registered voters have the opportunity in Pennsylvania to vote in-person on election or to vote by mail. To be sure to receive and return their ballots on-time, elections officials encourage by-mail voters to request their ballots as soon as possible, which can be done online or through the voter’s county elections office. 

Several counties offer ways to look at sample ballots online, like Dauphin and Lancaster counties. Organizations like Ballotpedia, vote411, and BallotReady also provide reliable ballot information.

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