Watch the Recording
Know Your Voting Rights!
A virtual Mini Course Lecture panel discussion event on voting rights with a disability focus
Voter Hotlines
- State of Pennsylvania - official answers from the PA Department of State, interpreters available: 1-877-868-3772 or 1-877-VOTESPA
- For issues at Philadelphia polling places: Philadelphia County Board of Elections: 215-686-1590
- Election Protection Hotline:
English — 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683)
Spanish/English — 888-YE-Y-VOTA
Arabic/English — 844-YALLA-US
Asian Languages/English — 888-API-VOTE - National Association of the Deaf ASL Voter Hotline: 301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683)
Important Dates in Pennsylvania
Municipal Primary Election
- May 1, 2023 - Last day to register to vote in the Municipal Primary.
- May 9, 2023 - Last day to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot before the May 16, 2023 Municipal Primary.
Applications must be received by your county board of elections before 5 p.m.
Voted mail-in or absentee ballots must be received by your county election office by 8 p.m. on May 16, 2023. (Postmarks are not enough.) - May 16, 2023 - Municipal Primary Election
Polls are open on election day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Municipal Election
- November 7, 2023 - Municipal Election
Polls are open on election day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Ballots must be received by your county board of elections before 8 p.m. - PA Special Election dates and more information
Get Involved
General Voting Information and Forms
Pennsylvania Department of State
Your registration is not complete until processed and accepted by your county voter registration office.
- vote.pa.gov Official Pennsylvania voting and election information website with resources on voter registration, polling place locations, accessible voting, contacting election offices, etc.
- vote.pa.gov Voter Resource Center
- Accessible Voting for PA Citizens with a Disability
- PA Online Voter Registration Application | Online Voter Registration - How to Use
- First Time Voters
- Voting by Absentee and Mail-In Ballots How are the two different? How to request a ballot? How to return a ballot? Third party ballot delivery? Accessible remote ballot marking?
- PA Department of State Twitter @PAStateDept
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
USA.gov
Disability-Focused Voting Resources
PA Voter Fact Sheets
- PA Voter Fact Sheet: In-Person Voting
- PA Voter Fact Sheet: Mail-In Ballots
- PA Voter Fact Sheet: Voting Before Election Day
- PA Voter Fact Sheet: Provisional Ballots
- Sample Voting Plan
Disability Rights PA
- Voters with disabilities can ask questions about absentee and mail-in ballots, voting from a long-term care facility, requesting accommodations from their county, finding their polling place or other issues. Email electionday@disabilityrightspa.org or call 800-692-7443 Monday - Friday, 9 AM to 3 PM. Election Day hours: 7 AM - 8 PM.
- Disability Rights PA - Voting Guides "How to Vote in PA," "The Disability Vote Matters," "Disability Voting Issues: Access, Assistance, and Accommodations," and more.
- Disability Rights Pennsylvania Twitter: @drnpa
Disability Voting Coalition of Pennsylvania, a Project of Disability Rights PA
"The focus of our work is to promote voter registration, voting and civic engagement by people with disabilities, our families and allies. We have a strong focus on voting rights, access to voting, accessible polling places, and voter education."
- Disability Voting Coalition of Pennsylvania website
- How to become an elections poll worker
- What Are My Voting Rights? (federal laws)
- Election Day Survival Kit (emergency absentee ballot instructions, Election Protection hotline)
- Disability Voting Coalition Publications (topics include polling place accessibility and voting rights)
- Twitter: Disability Voting Coalition Twitter: @PADVC
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Voter Resources
Tuesdays with Liz video: The ABCs of Voting
Tuesdays with Liz video: Vote by Mail
Self-Advocacy
- SABE (Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered) GoVoter Project
- SABE Voter Education Toolkit (free educational materials to download and use for voter education training - includes trainer manual)
Guardianship
- Voting and Guardianship - by SABE GoVoter Project
- What Everyone Should Know About Voting and Guardianship (PDF) - by National Technical Assistance Center for Voting and Cognitive Access
RevUp Campaign and Resources
AAPD's REV UP Campaign coordinates National Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW) yearly, with a goal of increasing the political power of people with disabilities while also engaging candidates and the media to recognize the disability community. REV UP stands for Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!
Resources include Issues Guide and Election Accessibility Toolkit.
Accessibility and ADA Compliance
- ADA Checklist for Polling Places (U.S. Department of Justice technical assistance publication on polling place accessibility for voters with disabilities includes survey to guide election officials in evaluating facilities.)
- Voter Accessibility and Other Rights via Committee of 70 (voters with disabilities, language barriers, provisional ballots, reporting issues)
Research and Publications
- Voters with Disabilities: Challenges to Voting Accessibility (GAO-13-538SP, published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2013)
Election Protection, Voter Education, and Election Day Help
Election Protection (866 Our Vote)
Administered by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Website includes voter helplines, voter protection field programs, and digital tools.
Committee of 70
Nonpartisan civic leadership organization that "advances representative, ethical and effective government in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania through citizen engagement and public policy advocacy."
Other Rights and Protections Resources
- It's Your Right: A Guide to the Voting Rights of People with Mental Disabilities (PDF, updated 2018) - by Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, National Disability Rights Network, and Schulte, Roth & Zabel LLP
- Common Cause - Nonpartisan organization working to ensure voting elections are free, fair, and accessible.
- Troubleshooting Problems on Election Day - AT3 Center, published 2018
Nonpartisan Candidate and Election Information
- League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania
- PA Youth Vote
- Vote 411 - Find what's on your ballot
- Ballotpedia (Federal, state, and local election information. Find your sample ballot.)
Voter ID
- Via Committee of 70: "In Pennsylvania, there IS an identification requirement for first-time voters or individuals voting in a new division, but they may show either photo or non-photo ID in order to use the voting machines." For details visit Committee of 70 Voter ID page.
- Voter Identification (ID) for First-Time Voters: Pennsylvania Voter ID rules
Philadelphia Voters
- Visit the Office of the City of Philadelphia Commissioners website to review election procedures and voting machine instructions before Election Day (Spanish and Chinese available)
- Philadelphia Voter Rights and Responsibilities, via Committee of 70