Covering Pennsylvania Elections 101

If you are a reporter, editor, producer, or other member of the media covering the 2024 general election in Pennsylvania, please read this webpage for the basic knowledge you’ll need to accurately report on election administration in the Commonwealth.

 

If you can’t find the information you need here, please email our Office of Communications and Press team at ra-st-press@pa.gov for timely assistance. 


    Who is Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Commonwealth?

Secretary of the Commonwealth, Al Schmidt

Al Schmidt became Acting Secretary in January 2023 and officially became Secretary in June 2023. 

Unlike most Secretaries of State, who are elected, Pennsylvania’s Secretary of the Commonwealth is appointed by the Governor.

Secretary Schmidt is a nonpartisan election administrator who explains how elections in Pennsylvania work. He does not engage in political commentary with the media. 

 

Before Election Day

Pennsylvania does not have “early voting” in the way other states do.

Sept. 16, 2024, is the date by which Pennsylvania’s counties must begin processing mail ballot applications. It is not a hard-and-fast date for when counties must have mail ballots ready to provide to voters who request them.

In fact, mail ballots were not be available in counties on Sept. 16 because objections and other legal actions related to third-party candidates are still pending. To track the status of the candidate cases that remain pending, you can check this page of on our website daily and click on “2024 Nomination Paper Mandamus and Objections Tracker."

The Secretary will certify a final list of candidates as soon as practicable after the resolution of those challenges, and county boards of elections will then begin delivery of mail ballots as soon as the ballot is certified and printed copies are available.  

 Once a county’s ballots are finalized and printed, a registered voter can apply for their mail ballot in person at their county election office, complete it, then submit it all in one visit. Voters should check their county's website to see when they have final ballots available and what hours their election office is open.

Voters have two other ways to request their mail-in or absentee ballot:

Although voters can request, receive, complete, and return their completed ballots before Election Day, state law does not allow election officials to open those ballots and prepare them for scanning – a process known as pre-canvassing – until 7 a.m. on Election Day. In addition, there are no polling places open for in-person voting before Election Day.

Unofficial results will begin being reported on our Election Night Returns website after the polls close at 8 p.m. Nov. 5.

Oct. 21, 2024, is the last day Pennsylvanians can register to vote in the Nov. 5, 2024, general election.

To vote in Pennsylvania, you must meet the requirements and register to vote. 

Statewide voter registration data – broken down by county, party, Congressional district, Senate district, and House district – is updated weekly on our Voting & Election Statistics page under “Current Voter Registration Stats.”

Pennsylvania voters can vote by no-excuse mail-in ballot or absentee ballot, or they can vote in person on Election Day at their assigned polling place.

Voting by mail

Thanks to bipartisan legislation passed in 2019, any registered Pennsylvania  voter can request a no-excuse mail-in ballot.

Voters who have a disability or illness that will prevent them from being able to vote in person on Election Day can request an absentee ballot.

The deadline for voters to request their mail-in or absentee ballot is 5 p.m. Oct. 29. For a mail ballot to count, it must be received by the voter’s county board of elections by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024.

Learn more about mail-in and absentee ballots.

 

Voting in person

Registered voters who do not opt to submit a ballot by mail can vote in person at their assigned polling place between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day. 

If a voter requested a mail ballot but wishes to vote in person, they may be able to cast a ballot under certain circumstances. 

Voters can also vote in person by mail ballot before Election Day by applying for and completing a mail ballot in one visit to their county election office.

 

Other voting options

If a voter has an emergency such as an unexpected illness, disability, or last-minute absence from their municipality, they can request an emergency absentee ballot between 5 p.m. Oct. 29 and 8 p.m. Nov. 5. To request one, the voter must complete an application and appear in the Court of Common Pleas in their home county.

If the voter cannot appear in court, they can designate someone else to obtain the ballot, deliver it to them, and then return the completed ballot to their county election office.

Pennsylvania also offers other accessible solutions for voters with disabilities. Pennsylvania also offers additional procedures for other types of voters, including overseas civilians

About 6 weeks before the general election – so approximately Sept. 24 – the Department will begin posting its Daily Mail Ballot Report. This point-in-time spreadsheet contains three tabs – absentee ballots, mail-in ballots, and total ballots (meaning the total of mail-in and absentee ballots) – with each tab detailing the data by county.

“Ballot curing” is a term that is sometimes used to describe a process where voters can address a mistake on a mail ballot or accompanying envelopes that, if left unaddressed, might mean that the ballot cannot be counted.

Although it is called “ballot” curing, in Pennsylvania, the errors that need to be addressed usually involve the two envelopes that must be used for the ballot to count: the inner secrecy envelope and the outer declaration envelope. Voters must pack their ballot inside the inner secrecy envelope, and the envelope must be packed in the outer declaration envelope. Voters must sign the declaration envelope and write the current date on the outer envelope. View the design of the mail ballot envelopes in PA.

Under Pennsylvania law, counties are not required to allow voters to address errors on envelopes that have been returned to their county, but they are permitted to do so. The method of how and whether to allow voters to address the errors observed on their voting materials is a matter of county discretion. To find out the procedures in a specific county, reporters should contact the appropriate county election office.

Training poll workers is the duty of each county election board. Election boards hold sessions that prepare poll workers to perform their Election Day duties and familiarize them with the voting systems and procedures specific to the county where they will be serving. In addition, the Department of State offers online training modules to further familiarize poll workers with their Election Day responsibilities.

The training of elections officials is conducted by each county board of elections, as polling place procedures vary from county to county. Reporters should contact county election offices regarding permission to potentially observe their training procedures.

Voter registration list maintenance is the responsibility of each county, and all counties do a robust job fulfilling that responsibility throughout the year.

Counties use reliable information securely obtained through various official methods, including Pennsylvania’s membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).

The Department is continually has enhancing its ability to provide training to county officials on, among other things, uniformly conducting voter list maintenance in accordance with the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and Pennsylvania’s voter registration law, which closely follows the NVRA.

Further information on voter list maintenance can be found in the Department’s annual reports on the Administration of Voter Registration in Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, each major party presidential candidate must submit the names of their electors to the Secretary of the Commonwealth within 30 days of their official nomination.  

Minor political parties and political bodies nominate their electors through nomination papers.

The Department strongly encourages everyone to verify the source of election-related information before they share it and to ensure the information comes from a trustworthy source, such as their county election office or the Department itself.

Among the resources the Department has created is this one-pager (see image to the right) to help educate the public on how to vet a source to determine if it is trustworthy.

The Department also updates its fact-check page as needed to provide accurate information about emerging widespread, pervasive claims related to Pennsylvania’s elections.

The Secretary will hold brief daily media updates in the week or so leading up to Election Day, Nov. 5. Media advisories announcing the daily briefings will be sent in advance to media members and outlets on the Department’s press distribution list. 

  • President and Vice President of the United States
  • U.S. Senate
  • U.S. House of Representatives (all districts)
  • State Attorney General
  • State Auditor General
  • State Treasurer
  • State Senate (odd-numbered districts)
  •  State House of Representatives (all districts)

Additionally, voters may vote on local referendum issues if any appear on their ballot.

To find the current list of candidates on the general election ballot, go to our candidate database.

State law prohibits Pennsylvania  residents from voting if they have been convicted of a felony and are currently incarcerated. Residents cannot vote if, on Election Day, they are confined in a penal institution for a felony conviction or if they live in a halfway house or other alternative correctional facility on a pre-release status for a felony conviction.

Upon release from incarceration, their eligibility to vote is restored. Unlike some other states, in Pennsylvania there is no need to seek a pardon or restoration of rights. However, former inmates need to submit or update their voter registration like any other citizen.

Additionally, those convicted of violating any provision of the Pennsylvania Election Code within the last four years are ineligible to vote. Learn more about criminal status and voting.

The term “ballot harvesting” often refers to an individual collecting and returning more than one mail-in or absentee ballot at a time. In Pennsylvania, voters generally are required to return their own completed mail ballot.

However, according to federal laws designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities or other impediments to voting–including the Voting Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act–certain voters may designate another person, known as a “designated agent” to assist them with all aspects of voting. That assistance includes returning a mail-in or absentee ballot on the voter’s behalf. 

Pennsylvania does not require write-in candidates to file a declaration of write-in candidacy so votes for them can be counted. However, candidates intending to run a write-in campaign are encouraged to alert the elections office in every county located in the district for which they plan to run.

Voters should also be aware that the name of the candidate they write in must be spelled correctly to be counted, as the Pennsylvania Election Code requires that votes be counted exactly as they are spelled on the ballot. 

 

On Election Day

Reporters are not permitted to enter polling places while votes are being cast and must remain at least 10 feet away from the polling place. However, reporters are permitted to speak to voters at least 10 feet away from the polling place or room where voting is taking place.

Reporters’ access to polling places at times when votes are not being cast is determined on a county-by-county level, and reporters should contact the appropriate county election office for more information.

Each county uses one of five preapproved voting systems:

  • ClearBallot
  • Dominion
  • ES&S
  • Hart
  • Unisyn

All five voting systems have been certified by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and the Pennsylvania Secretary of State. To be certified, a voting system must follow all current federal and state standards; must produce voter-verifiable paper records; and must meet the latest standards of security, auditability, and accessibility.

Here is a breakdown of which voting system is used in each county.

More than 45,000 poll workers are needed to staff the more than 9,100 polling places on Election Day.

Poll workers in Pennsylvania are either elected or appointed, depending on the position they serve in on Election Day.

The Judge of Elections, Majority Inspector, and Minority Inspector make up the district election board and are elected positions that are filled during municipal elections the year following each presidential election. However, vacancies on district election boards can be filled by county court appointees.

  • The Judge of Elections oversees the polling place and works alongside Majority and Minority Inspectors to manage the polling place, keep track of the number of voters, and ensure the returns are delivered to the county election office at the end of Election Day.
  • Clerks and Machine Inspectors are appointed by the county elections board to aid the board under the supervision of the Judge of Elections. They help check-in voters, manage the lines, and make sure voters know where to go at each step in the process.

Poll workers are elected or appointed to their nonpartisan position and manage the polling place on Election Day, help keep track of the number of voters, and ensure the ballot returns are delivered to the county election office after polls close. Poll workers swear an oath to "impartially and faithfully perform [their] duties."

Poll watchers are credentialed representatives of a candidate or political party who may be present inside the polling place during Election Day. They can make good-faith challenges to a voter’s identity or continued residence in the election district. Such challenges must be lodged directly with the Judge of Elections, and poll watchers have no authority to approach voters at the polling place or prevent a voter from voting.

In addition, poll watchers are not permitted to mark or in any way alter official election records, access the contents of ballot boxes, or interfere with the orderly process of voting.

Poll watchers must be registered to vote in the county where they serve. In addition, they must be identified by and receive official credentials from the county prior to the election.

Each candidate is able to appoint two poll watchers to an election district; however, only one of them can be present at any given time. Additionally, each political party with candidates on the ballot may appoint three poll watchers for each election district, but only one may be at the polling place at a time.

Voters are asked to provide a Pennsylvania  driver’s license number, Pennsylvania  state ID number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number when they register to vote and every time they vote by mail.

In-person voters must show appropriate ID when they vote at a new polling place for the first time. 

Mail-in and absentee ballots must be received by the county election office by 8 p.m. on Election Day for them to be counted.

Special rules apply to military and overseas voters.

Yes. At 9 p.m. on Election Day, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt will hold a press conference to provide an update on the administration of Pennsylvania’s 2024 general election.

 

After Election Day

Counties will begin uploading their unofficial results to our election results website after polls close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 5.

Remember: Counting millions of ballots takes time, and all results are unofficial until the Secretary of the Commonwealth certifies them at least three weeks later. 

Pennsylvania conducts two different types of audits after every election and before certification to ensure the accuracy of the reported election results: a 2% statistical sample of each county and a statewide risk-limiting audit (RLA).

As required by the Pennsylvania Elections Code, county boards of elections conduct a recount of a random sample of at least 2% of the ballots cast in all races – or 2,000 ballots, whichever is fewer.

RLAs use statistical methods to confirm the accuracy of election results. Pennsylvania has conducted statewide RLAs after every election since the 2022 general.

Learn more about Pennsylvania’s pre-certification audits here.

All voting machines used in Pennsylvania produce a voter-verifiable paper ballot that can be audited.

If the unofficial results between two candidates in a statewide contest is within 0.5%, then a recount is automatically triggered. 

The federal Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 (ECRA) established strict rules on when states must certify the election. Under the ECRA, Pennsylvania’s electors for president must be certified by Dec. 11, 2024.

Before the Secretary certifies the results of the election, a thorough process to ensure the accuracy of the reported results must occur.

  • Nov. 5, 2024: poll workers begin counting mail ballots at 7 a.m. on Election Day and in-person ballots when polls close at 8 p.m. Poll workers will continue to count both in-person and mail ballots into the next day.
  • Nov. 8, 2024: on the Friday after Election Day, counties begin their official canvass of the election. During this time, counties “reconcile” their votes by ensuring the number of voters recorded as having voted in each precinct matches the number of ballots counted from each precinct. Election officials also check the eligibility of provisional ballots and process all eligible provisional ballots, among other tasks.
  • Nov. 12, 2024: Counties are required to submit their unofficial results to the Department of State.
  • Nov. 22, 2024: Counties must complete the pre-certification RLA.
  • Nov. 25, 2024: Counties must certify all election results to Secretary Schmidt, who will then certify the election results statewide after review.
  • Dec. 11, 2024: Governor Shapiro must sign Pennsylvania’s Certificate of Ascertainment.
  • Dec. 17, 2024: The Electoral College meets in Harrisburg to vote for president and vice president.