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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Information for Justice-Involved Individuals

    Even if you have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, or are incarcerated in a correctional facility, you may be eligible to vote.

    View the Convicted Felon Brochure

    Can I register and vote?

    To vote in Pennsylvania, you need to be at least 18 years old at the time of the election, a United States citizen for at least one month before the election, and a Pennsylvania resident for at least 30 days before the election.

    Provided you meet these criteria, you can register and vote if you:

    • Are a pretrial detainee. This means that you can register and vote even if you are confined in a correctional facility awaiting trial on charges of a felony or a misdemeanor, so long as you have not been sentenced to incarceration or are not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction.
    • Are currently serving a sentence for a misdemeanor conviction only. A misdemeanor — whether you are incarcerated or not — has no effect on your ability to register and vote, unless the misdemeanor was a violation of the Pennsylvania Election Code. 
    • Have a felony conviction and were released or will be released from a correctional facility by the date of the next election. You only need to wait for release if your term of incarceration is for conviction of a felony.
    • Are on probation or released on parole. This includes parolees who are living in a halfway house.
    • Are under house arrest (home confinement). If this is you, you can vote no matter your conviction status or the status of the conditions of confinement.

     

    Who cannot register and vote?

    You are not eligible to register and vote if you:

    • Are currently confined in a correctional facility for conviction of a felony and will not get released from confinement until after the next election. This is true even if you are also incarcerated for one or more misdemeanor offenses.
    • Were convicted of violating any provision of the Pennsylvania Election Code within the last four years.

     

    I am living in a halfway house or another type of alternative correctional facility (such as a work release program). Can I vote?

    Whether you can register and vote when living in an alternative correctional facility or halfway house depends on whether you have been released from incarceration:

    • If you are on probation or released on parole, you may register and vote.

    When registering to vote, you cannot use a correctional facility or a halfway house as your residence address where you live. However, you may use these locations as the address for receiving your mail ballot. 

     

    Still not sure if you can vote? Ask yourself these questions:

    Step 1: Have you been convicted of a felony or of violating Pennsylvania’s Election Code (felony or misdemeanor)? If no, you are eligible to vote. If yes, go to step 2. Step 2: Are you currently incarcerated because of a felony conviction? If yes, you are not eligible to vote right now. If no, go to step 3. Step 3: Have you been convicted of violating any part of Pennsylvania’s Election Code in the last four years? If yes, you are not eligible to register to vote yet but will be four years after the date of your conviction. If no, you are eligible to vote. Source: “Guide to State Voting Rules That Apply After a Criminal Conviction,” US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.

    Where do I register to vote?

    If you are in a correctional facility, your residence for voter registration is: 

    • The last address where you registered to vote before confinement, or 
    • Your last address before confinement, or
    • A new residence established while you are confined. For example, if your spouse moves to a new address where you intend to live when you are released.

    When registering to vote, you cannot use a correctional facility or a halfway house as the residence address where you live. However, you may use these locations as the address for receiving your mail ballot. 

     

    How will I register to vote?

    If you are qualified to register to vote you may apply to register:

    • Online. You may visit and submit an online voter registration applications.
    • Print. Download and print the voter registration application.
    • Mail. You can obtain a voter registration application by contacting your county board of elections.
    • Phone. You may also request a voter registration mail application over the phone by calling the Department of State at 1-887-VOTESPA (1-887-868-3772).

     

    How will I vote?

    If confined in a correctional facility, you can vote by absentee or mail-in ballot.

    If you are not confined, you can vote at your polling place or by mail-in ballot. You may vote by absentee ballot if you meet the requirements to request an absentee ballot.