“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting,” as Franklin D. Roosevelt once said.  Young people, ages 18-29, have consistently voted with the lowest turnout of all age groups. We are the next people to join the ranks of eligible voters in America ﹘ it is our duty to change this pattern. For any RHS seniors who are or will be eighteen by the primary election on June 2nd, here is what you need to know. 

Vote, and the choice is yours. Don’t vote, and choice is theirs.

Registering to vote

• To be eligible to vote you must be: 
  • A US Citizen one month prior to the election
  • 18 years of age before election day
  • A Pennsylvania resident by thirty days before the election
• The deadline for registering to vote is May 18th 
• 4 ways to register to vote: 
  • Online 
  • By mail
  • In person at your county voter registration office 
  • At Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and some other Government Agencies 
  • To learn more about the methods of registering to vote go to  http://www.votespa.com
• Online registration 
  • To register online go to https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/VoterRegistrationApplication.aspx
  • When filling out the form, fill in Municipality as Radnor and our county as Delaware 
  • It is easiest to register if you have your PA driver’s license or PennDOT ID with you
    • If you don’t have either of these forms of identification you can upload a signature or print and sign the form 
    • Any printed form can be brought to the county elections office at 201 W Front St, Media, PA, 19063-2728 
  • After submitting the online form, it will be reviewed by the county elections office and, by mail, you will receive a voter registration card
    •  If you do not receive a card within 14 days, you must contact the county voter registration office at  (610) 891-4120
• Checking your voter registration status 
  • In the future if any of your registration information changes, you will need to check your registrations status and update your information, which can be done at http://www.votespa.com

Going to the polls 

• To find your polling place go to https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/PollingPlaceInfo.aspx
• The polls are open from 7 am – 8 pm 
• Upon arrival, a poll worker will check your voter status by checking your name in the voter registration book
  • You will sign your name in the book 
  • If you are a first time voter or a new voter at that polling location you will be asked to show a photo ID
• You will fill out your ballot either in paper form or using a machine 
  • The machine will give you a printed copy 
  • You will scan your hard copy or printed copy in the scanner when finished 
• To observe the process in video form go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D37_QMP3Y-4&feature=youtu.be

Absentee and Mail-in ballots

• May 26th is the last day to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot 
• Absentee ballot – used if you will not be in your municipality on election day, or you have an illness or disability that prevents you from going to the polls 
  • You must provide a reason as to why you need to ballot 
  • This is how college students must vote 
  • Apply online for an absentee ballot
    • https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/OnlineAbsenteeApplication/#/OnlineAbsenteeBegin
    • You can apply as soon as 50 days prior to the election 
• Mail-in Ballot – used if you prefer to vote from home 
  • You do not need to provide a reason as to why you need the ballot 
  • Apply online for a mail-in ballot 
    • https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/OnlineAbsenteeApplication/#/OnlineAbsenteeBegin
    • You can apply as soon as 50 days prior to the election 
• When applying for a mail-in or absentee ballot you can opt-in to have one automatically sent to you every year so that you do not have to reapply annually 
• Voting with your absentee/mail-in ballot 
  • It can be sent in as soon as 50 days prior to the election
  • It must be received by the county election office by 8 pm on Election Day 
  • You cannot vote at a polling place if you have received an absentee or mail-in ballot
  • You cannot change your ballot once it is sent to the County Election Board
  • To learn more about absentee/mail-in voting go to https://www.votespa.com/Voting-in-PA/Pages/Mail-and-Absentee-Ballot.aspx

Be an Informed Voter 

• Go to Vote 411. Com (https://www.vote411.org/register) for:
  • information about registering to vote, deadlines, etc.
  • Finding your polling place
  • Researching the candidates
  • Seeing what’s on the ballot

Important dates 

• May 18th – Last day to register to vote for the upcoming election 
• May 26th – last day to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot 
• June 2nd 
  • Polls are open from 7 am-8 pm
  •  All absentee and mail-in ballots must be received by the county election office  by 8 pm

Voting During the Pandemic 

• As of now, the election will be held as normal on June 2nd
• Potentially, the election could be conducted through mail-in ballots 

Your Vote is Your Voice – Use it!