The future of the state Supreme Court, Philadelphia’s District Attorney race, and other important contests will be decided in the upcoming general election on Nov. 4.
That means it’s time for voters to make sure they’re registered, request a mail ballot if they want one, and fix any possible problems with their mail ballot that could prevent their vote from being counted.
We’ve rounded up some key upcoming deadlines and guidance on how to vote, depending on your situation.
We also have a searchable list of people with flawed mail ballots, where you can plug in the names of your friends and neighbors to see if they need to get in touch with the Board of Elections.
We’re still putting the final touches on our Procrastinator’s Guide to the candidates, so stay tuned for that to come out later this month.
Registration cut-off coming up
The deadline to register to vote in time for the upcoming election is next Monday, Oct. 20.
Check your registration status by calling the City Commissioners at 215-686-1590 or looking it up at the Pa. Department of State website.
You can register online at the state voter services page. Or, you can register in person at the Board of Elections office in City Hall, Room 140; at the Voter Registration Office at 520 N. Columbus Blvd, at Spring Garden Street; or at one of the city’s 10 satellite election offices.
Those offices are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.
You can also pick up a voter registration application at post offices, public libraries, state liquor stores, and state government offices. You can call the commissioners and ask them to mail you one, or print out the form at home. Just make sure to mail it in ASAP, given the upcoming deadline.
For more on how to register, including information for people with criminal records, check out the City Commissioners’ registration page.
Voting by mail (or absentee)
Any registered voter can vote by mail. The deadline to apply for a mail ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 5 p.m.
You can apply at the City Hall or Columbus Boulevard elections offices, or any of the satellite election offices mentioned above. If you go to an election office in person, you can apply, fill out, and return your ballot on the spot, in one visit. (And register first, if needed.)
Another option is to fill out an online application to have a ballot mailed to your home.
An absentee ballot is different from a regular mail ballot, and is only for people who will be out of town on Election Day, or who have an illness or physical disability that prevents them from going to the polls. Here are the instructions for applying for an absentee ballot.
For more information on how to apply for, fill out, and submit a mail or absentee ballot, and deal with various special situations — e.g., if you change your mind at the last minute and decide to vote in person instead — check out our comprehensive explainer from last year or the City Commissioners’ guide.
Meet that deadline!
The Board of Elections must receive your completed ballot by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 4, or it won’t count. So make sure to mail it in at least several days before then, or deposit it in an official drop box. Here’s a map of the drop boxes.
Note that people who vote by mail are required to write the date that they filled out the ballot, in a designated space on the back of the ballot envelope. If they don’t, their ballot could be thrown out without being counted.
That requirement has been the subject of years of litigation. A federal court in August ruled that the requirement is unconstitutional, and the state Supreme Court heard arguments on the issue in September. For now, however, voters are still asked to write the date on the envelope.
If you’re planning to kick it old school and vote in person on Election Day, here’s a ton of useful info from the City Commissioners, including sample ballots listing candidates and a searchable map of polling places.
Fix those flawed ballots
Every election, some would-be mail voters end up not having their vote counted because of a problem with the delivery or filling-out of their ballot. As of mid-October, the commissioners’ latest list included nearly 1,200 voters who need to fix ballot problems.
The issues include:
- No signature on the exterior envelope
- No date on the exterior envelope
- Incorrect date on the envelope
- No secrecy envelope (aka a “naked ballot”)
- Undeliverable, possibly due to a wrong address
- Unverifiable identification
You can check out the searchable list at the bottom of this page to see if you need to fix your ballot.
Some of the Philadelphia voters on the list are marked as having unverifiable identification. They should fill out an ID verification form and submit it along with a picture or photocopy of an acceptable ID, if available, to phillyelection@phila.gov or via fax to 215-686-3398. They can also call 215-686-3469. Those are due by Monday, Nov. 10.
The other voters on the list made errors when completing their ballots, or their ballots were never delivered to them because the addresses were wrong, or there was a problem at the post office.
They can get a replacement ballot at any of the city’s election offices or by filling out an online form. Replacements can be filled out and submitted on the spot, or deposited in a drop box. The Board of Elections has more detailed information on fixing flawed ballots.
The list below was current as of Oct. 13. Visit the Board of Elections page for updated versions.
This story is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. The William Penn Foundation provides lead support for Every Voice, Every Vote in 2024 and 2025 with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Comcast NBC Universal, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation, and Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation.
To learn more about the project and view a full list of supporters, visit www.everyvoice-everyvote.org. Editorial content is created independently of the project’s donors.
