Frequently Asked Questions
May 20, 2025 primary election
Last updated: April 26, 2025
Voting in Pennsylvania is easier and more accessible than ever before. Pennsylvanians now have several options for voting, thanks to Act 77, which reformed Pennsylvania's election law. You can:
Vote early at your county election office, or
Vote by mail, with multiple ways to return your ballot, or
Vote in person on November 5
Important Dates
Monday, May 5, 2025 - Last day to register to vote in this Primary Election.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025 - Last day to request a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot for this Primary Election.
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 - Election Day! Polls are open 7 am - 8 pm. Also the last day for the Delaware County Board of Elections to receive completed mail-in and absentee ballots (must be received by 8 pm).
We will keep these pages updated as more information becomes available, so please check back frequently for the most current information.
How do I know if my mail-in or absentee ballot application was received and is being processed?
What if I apply for a mail-in ballot and then change my mind and want to vote in person?
If I sign up to vote with a mail-in ballot, do I have to sign up again for every election?
Is it possible to do "early voting" in Pennsylvania? Where do I go?
I heard there are new voting machines! What do I need to know?
I heard more help is needed at the polls on Election Day. How do I sign up?
1. When is Election Day?
Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. If you are voting in person, as long as you are in line by 8 p.m, you may vote. The new mail-in option is addressed below.
2. What happens on Primary Election Day?
On a Primary Election Day, voters select their preferences for their party’s candidates for various national and state offices. Registered Democratic and Republican voters can determine who will be on the ballot in the November General Election for each of their parties.
People who are registered as Independent (no party affiliation) or are registered with a third party (Green Party, Libertarian, etc.) cannot vote for Democrats or Republicans in a primary.
In Haverford Township, Primary Election results will determine who will be the General Election candidates in November for the following offices:
Judge of the Superior Court
Judge of the Commonwealth Court
Judge of the Common Pleas
County Council
Sheriff
County Controller
Register of Wills
School Director Haverford School District
Auditor
Commissioner
3. Am I registered to vote?
Check by going to vote.pa.gov and click on “Register to Vote,” and then from the drop-down menu, click on “Check Your Voter Registration.” The deadline to register for the Primary Election is Monday, May 5, 2025.
4. How does mail-in voting work and how do I sign up for it?
All registered voters have the option to use a mail-in ballot to vote rather than going to their polling place on Election Day. Sign up by going to vote.pa.gov and click on “Apply for a Mail Ballot.” You must have a PA Driver’s License or a PennDOT ID. If you do not have one, see question #6 below.
There are two ways to vote by mail: mail-in and absentee ballots. When you apply online for a vote-by-mail ballot you will be asked three questions. If you answer “no” to all three online questions, you will receive a mail-in ballot. If you answer “yes” to any of the questions, you will receive an absentee ballot. The difference is mail-in ballots do not require a reason to use them, but absentee ballots do require a specific reason for using them. For further information, see question #8 below about absentee ballots.
Your application for a mail-in or absentee ballot must be received by the Delaware County Bureau of Elections by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. To be on the safe side, we recommend you apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot immediately if you choose to vote by mail. You can apply online, by mail, or in person at the Voter Service Center in Media, PA.
5. I want to apply for a mail-in ballot online, but I don’t have a driver’s license or other official PA non-driver’s license ID. What should I do?
If you do NOT have a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license or a PennDOT photo ID card to apply for an absentee or mail-in ballot, you have two options:
Option 1: You can include the last 4 digits of your social security number on the online application form for an absentee or mail-in ballot. You must also upload a picture of your signature.
Option 2: You can download a paper application and mail it or deliver it to the Voter Service Center in Media, PA. They must receive the application by Tuesday, May 20, 2025, by 8:00 p.m.
6. How do I vote with a mail-in ballot?
After you apply online or send in your mail-in ballot application, you should receive an actual ballot in the mail.
Once you receive your ballot, follow the instructions closely, and mark your ballot using a blue or black pen. To vote for all available positions, you must completely fill in the circle for a candidate (or multiple candidates where so indicated) running for each position.
After voting, use BOTH of the envelopes provided: First, place your ballot in the secrecy envelope (plain, with no address). Do not make any marks on the outside of the secrecy envelope. Next, put that secrecy envelope inside the official envelope that is pre-addressed to your Election Bureau office.
Be sure to sign and date (the current date, not your date of birth) the declaration on the official envelope where indicated or your ballot will not count. This process is how the Election Bureau protects your privacy and assures there is no voter fraud. Follow the instructions to make sure your ballot counts!
The official envelope for you to return your ballot is postage paid, so no need for a stamp. If you plan to mail your ballot, please do so IMMEDIATELY so it arrives at the county election office by Election Day, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, by 8:00 p.m. Leave enough time for the post office to deliver your ballot. Your ballot will NOT be counted if it arrives late.
You can also hand-deliver your ballot in-person before 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, to the Voter Service Center in Media or a local drop box. You cannot drop it off at a polling location. And finally, your ballot will NOT count if you hand-deliver it after 8 p.m.
You can track your ballot online.
It is recommended that you request your ballot as soon as possible and, upon receipt, complete the ballot and mail it immediately to be sure your vote is received and counted in time. If you receive your ballot and are not sure it will arrive at the county election office in time, consider using a drop box or taking your ballot to the Voter Service Center in Media (see info below in question #7).
7. What are my options for returning my mail-in ballot?
There are multiple ways to return your mail-in ballot:.
Mail your ballot via the U.S. Postal Service as soon as you receive it and fill it out using the steps outlined above. Ballot envelopes are postage-paid. It is vital you mail it out quickly to allow for timely delivery to the Election Bureau.
Hand-deliver your ballot to a local Ballot Drop Box. This must be YOUR OWN ballot ONLY—it cannot legally be deposited by someone else unless they are providing assistance to a disabled voter or an emergency absentee voter. If assistance is needed, a declaration form needs to be filled out and submitted to the Delaware County Bureau of Elections. Delaware County has installed ballot drop boxes in the municipalities throughout the county. Both mail-in ballots and absentee ballots can be brought to these drop boxes. They are generally located at municipal buildings.
Haverford Township’s drop box for mail-in ballots will be open 24/7, starting Monday, May 5, through 8 p.m. on Election Day, May 20, 2025. It is located near the entrance to the township administration building at 1014 Darby Road. There is easy parking lot access, turn right off of Darby Road before the Wawa on Manoa Road.
View a list of all the drop box locations in Delaware County
Ballots must be returned to the specific county that issued it. A Delaware county ballot cannot be returned in Montgomery county or vice versa.
In addition, you cannot return your completed ballot to your polling place. This option was only available by exception for the June 2020 primary.
3. Hand-deliver your ballot to the County Election Bureau (also known as the Media Voter Service Center) by 8 p.m. on Election Day, May 20, 2025. This must be YOUR OWN ballot ONLY—it cannot legally be deposited by someone else.
The Delaware County Bureau of Elections is located at the Government Center of the Delaware County Courthouse, Ground Floor, 201 Front St., Media, PA. Hours of operation: M-F, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Phone: 610-891-4673
To get to the Election Bureau office inside the Government Center, you can either walk through the courthouse to the back or you can go directly to the back of the courthouse, walk through the courtyard and enter through the brick building attached to the back of the courthouse. There is parking on Orange Street and other surrounding streets.
The Montgomery County Election Bureau is located at One Montgomery Plaza, 425 Swede St., Suite 602, Norristown, PA. Hours of operation: M-F, 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Phone: 610-278-3275
8. Why do some voters get absentee ballots and others mail-in ballots? Do I need an absentee ballot?
In Pennsylvania, “absentee” ballots are intended specifically for those who are military or civilians abroad, those who will be away from their municipality during the election, and those who have an illness or physical disability which renders them physically unable to go to their polling place. Three questions will be asked to determine if you meet these criteria if you apply for your ballot online. If you answer YES online to any of these questions, you will receive an absentee ballot instead of a mail-in ballot. Absentee ballots require you, as the voter, to attest to the reason that you cannot physically get to the polls on Election Day. Mail-in ballots require no reason and no excuse.
If you cannot apply online for your absentee ballot because you do not have a PA driver’s license or PA non-driver’s license identification, you can print out your application. View and download an absentee ballot so that you may print it out and mail it yourself.
If you don’t have a printer, a paper application can be mailed to you by requesting it from your county election office or you can contact the Department of State to request an application by emailing ST-VoterReg@pa.gov or calling 1-877-VOTESPA.
Applications for absentee ballots must have been received by the county no later than 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
Most absentee ballots will be counted on Election Day, but if you are a military or overseas voter, you must affirm that you mailed your ballot no latter than 11:59 p.m. on the day before Election Day (May 19th). Then, Tuesday the County Election Office must receive your ballot no later than 7 days after Election Day by 5 p.m.
9. How do I know if my mail-in or absentee ballot application was received and is being processed?
The county election office will email you when they have received your application, but you can also track its status on the state’s voter services website.
10. What if I apply for a mail-in ballot and then change my mind and want to vote in person?
If you want to vote in person and you applied and received a mail-in ballot but did not send it back, you can bring your ballot, secrecy envelope and mailing envelope (you MUST bring all three) to your polling place and tell the Judge of Elections you now prefer to vote in person. The Judge will spoil/void your mail-in ballot and give you a regular in-person ballot.
If you did not receive your mail-in ballot or you no longer have it, you can still vote in person but you will be given a provisional ballot. Be advised that this is a time-consuming process at the polling location.
If you already voted by mail and decide you want to vote in person, you will have to fill out a provisional ballot at your polling place. The mailed ballot must be received by your county election office by May 20th, 8:00 p.m. A postmark by 8 p.m. May 20th is not sufficient. If the mailed ballot does not arrive by the due date, the provisional ballot will count.
11. What if I don’t receive my mail-in ballot?
If you applied for a mail-in ballot and did not receive it, first try to track your ballot through the state’s voter services website. If the status is still pending or says it has been sent and you still have not received it by early April, we strongly recommend that you contact your county election bureau. You can seek a replacement mail-in ballot by mail (though this may also be delayed).
12. If I sign up to vote with a mail-in ballot, do I have to sign up again for every election?
There is not a simple yes/no answer to this question. If you signed up to be a "permanent mail-in ballot" voter before the primary election this year, you are automatically signed up to receive a ballot for the general election. Additionally, this also enrolled you in the state’s Annual Mail-in and Absentee Voter list (section 7 of the mail-in application).Voters signing up for this will automatically receive an application for mail-in voting by mail in early February each year that, if returned, will let them receive all ballots in the calendar year in which they are eligible to vote. So, generally, you have the option of signing up in February to receive mail-in ballots for all elections held that year. In other words, “permanent” in PA really only means one year.
13. Is it possible to do "early voting" in Pennsylvania? Where do I go?
Yes! You are essentially voting by mail in person. You can go to your county election bureau (see addresses listed in question #8), request a ballot, fill it out and submit the ballot on the spot. Please note:
You must ALREADY be registered to vote.
If you applied for a mail-in ballot but it has not arrived by mid-October, you can go to the Bureau of Elections to request a replacement ballot.
If by Election Day, you have still not received a ballot and you have not voted by a replacement ballot, go to your polling place. The poll book should show that you were sent a ballot, but it should also show that a completed ballot has not been received back at the Elections Bureau. As long as both of these are true, the Judge of Elections should allow you to vote via a provisional ballot. You will not be able to vote via a regular ballot because the Elections Bureau must verify that they do not already have a completed ballot from you that arrived by 8 p.m. that day before they count your provisional ballot. This ensures that you are not allowed to vote twice.
This new option is fraud-protected: the PA voting system will not allow a person to vote more than once. Every PA ballot bears a unique barcode, which is linked to the voter’s county and registration.
14. Where do I go to vote? Has my polling place changed?
Go to Find Your Polling Place to find your polling location for the primary election or use this interactive map to see your polling place.
By PA law, voters should be informed by their county board of elections if their polling places have changed, however, this notice may be given as late as 15 days before an election (for this election, by May 5, 2025). Polling place change notifications should be physically posted at or near the previous polling place, but because we do not work for the bureau of elections, we cannot guarantee that will happen. You can confirm where your polling place will be by calling the Delaware County Bureau of Elections (610-891-4673) or click on the link above as Election Day approaches to confirm.
15. I heard there are new voting machines! What do I need to know?
Delaware County uses new ballot scanners implemented in the November 2020 election. Voters will fill out their paper ballots using blue or black ink pens, then take the ballot and feed it into the scanner. You can review your ballot, and the screen on the scanner will alert you if there are any problems with your ballot (for instance, if you missed voting for one of the races or voted for more than one candidate for a race). You can make corrections to your ballot if you like or cast the ballot as is. Ballots then drop into the secured locked ballot box.
For voters who cannot fill out a paper ballot due to a disability, there are ADA accessible ballot-marking devices at every voting precinct. Ballot marking devices are a way for voters to vote independently and privately if, because of their disability, they cannot mark a mail-in ballot without assistance. By law, anyone can use an ADA accessible ballot-marking device upon request, without having to explain why they need to use it.
16. Do I need an ID to vote?
First-time voters must show ID, and ID may be needed if there is a question about your signature, or another issue with your registration. It does NOT need to be a photo ID. For a list of approved forms of identification, see this list at the PA state voting website.
If you have voted in your precinct before, you should not be asked for identification and you are NOT required to show ID.
17. What if the poll worker says I cannot vote there?
If you go to your polling place to vote and your name does not appear in the poll book or supplemental poll book, you can still vote. You should ask for the Judge of Elections on site to help you determine if you are in the right location. If they do not know, they will call the county bureau of elections to confirm your registration and correct polling location. If you are registered but you are in the wrong precinct, you will be directed to the correct polling place. If the poll workers cannot find your name in the voter registration database, or if you are unable to go to another precinct, you are entitled to use a provisional ballot. You must be careful to follow the instructions when filling out the provisional ballot envelope. Voting by regular ballot is preferred; voting by provisional ballot should be the last resort.
18. What if I need assistance when voting?
You have the right to assistance at the polling place, including language or literacy assistance or assistance because of a disability. You may select any person to assist you as long as the person is not your employer or union representative or the Judge of Elections. Voters do not need to be designated in the poll book as “assistance permitted” to receive help. A person who wants assistance will be asked to sign an Assistance Declaration form at the precinct, unless the poll book already indicates “assistance permitted.” Voters also have the right to refuse assistance.
19. Can ex-felons vote in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Pennsylvania is one of 21 states that immediately restores voting rights after an individual has completed their sentence. Most ex-felons can vote after registering to vote. Only two groups of felons or ex-felons can't vote: individuals serving time for felonies who are still incarcerated on Election Day and people who have been found guilty of violating Pennsylvania election laws in the past four years.
20. Can people who are incarcerated vote?
Some persons who are incarcerated or still sentenced can vote in Pennsylvania. These persons include: people in jail or prison who have been convicted of misdemeanors (they must vote with an absentee ballot), people who are under house arrest (they must vote with an absentee ballot), people who are on probation or on parole, people who are on probation or parole and living in a halfway house or community corrections center (they must vote with an absentee ballot and cannot use the address of the halfway house as their registration address, instead they must use a previous or future address), and people being held in jail while they are waiting to go to trial (they must vote with an absentee ballot).
21. Why does it matter if I vote in a Primary Election?
Democracy depends on We the People! The Primary Election is your chance to determine who represents your party in the November General Election. Only the winners of the Primary Election will be on the ballot in the November General Election.
A representational democracy depends on citizens exercising their right to vote in each and every election. Do not miss this opportunity to use your voice!
22. I heard more help is needed at the polls on Election Day. How do I sign up?
If you feel comfortable working at the polls, you’re needed to help keep polling locations open! You can email the Delaware County Election Bureau at DelcoElection@co.delaware.pa.us or call 610-891-4673 to volunteer. If you live in Montgomery County, email voters@montcopa.org or call 610-278-3280. Training will be provided. These are paid positions, and half-day shifts are often available. You can only be a poll worker in the county where you live.
23. What’s your plan?
No matter who you choose to vote for, we encourage each and every one of you to vote.
Have you applied for a mail-in ballot or absentee ballot? Go to vote.pa.gov.
Do you plan to vote in person? Use the Find Your Polling Place website to find your polling place.
What time of day will you vote—morning or evening or in-between? Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Make a plan and we’ll see you at the polls!