What to do if you have problems voting at the polls in Pennsylvania on Election Day

Election Day is Nov. 7, when Pennsylvanians will get to cast their votes in the 2023 municipal election.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and will remain open through 8 p.m. Anyone over 18, who has been a U.S. citizen and a Pennsylvania resident for at least 30 days before Election Day, can vote.

There are two ways to cast your vote, in-person or by mail. If you choose the latter, (you needed to have requested it by Oct. 31) return it to the county election office, drop-off sites, or drop boxes before 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Planning to vote in person? We’ve broken down the answers to some common problems in case you run into any trouble at the polls.

In Pennsylvania, only first-time voters and folks voting at a new polling place need to show an ID. If you lose your photo ID right before the elections, don’t skip the polls. Instead, find a non-photo ID that shows your name and address, such as a current utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck. Government checks and non-photo IDs issued by the Commonwealth or the U.S. government can also work.

» READ MORE: Your guide to the Philly mayor's race and the Nov. 7 election

Check the Department of State’s Polling Place Search tool or call your local election office.

Polling places can change up to 20 days before Election Day. Counties are required to notify voters of any location shift. If you weren’t notified, and your regular polling place is closed, visit pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/PollingPlaceInfo.aspx and enter your address to find the new location.

If the system can’t find your polling place, contact the local election office. Philly voters can call the County Board of Elections at 215-686-3469, or the Voter Registration Office at 215-686-1590.

Pennsylvanians can only vote in-person at their assigned polling place. Use the Department of State’s Polling Place Search tool to double check that you’re at the polling location that matches your voter registration.

If you are at the right polling place, politely ask the poll worker to take another look and spell your name out for them. If your name still can’t be found, you can vote using a provisional ballot.

Provisional ballots are used when county election officials need more time to determine a voter’s eligibility status. After voting on a provisional ballot, you will get a receipt. Make sure to keep it so you can check whether or not your vote was counted. It can take up to seven days after Election Day for the information to be displayed because the county board of elections needs to verify your information.

There are two ways to vote in person when you sign up to vote by mail: on a regular ballot or by provisional ballot.

Folks who haven’t filled in the ballot can surrender the entire mail ballot packet, including both envelopes, to their polling location. Once the ballot is voided, you can cast your vote on a machine.

If your mail ballot never arrived or you don’t have it, your vote can be cast on a provisional ballot, and will be counted after the county board of elections verifies that you haven’t already voted by mail.

Statewide polling hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If the polls close while you’re still in line, stay in line. You have the right to vote as long as you show up before 8 p.m.

In Pennsylvania, it’s illegal for anyone to intimidate or coerce you to vote for or against a particular candidate or political issue. If you feel intimidated or threatened at the polls, notify a poll worker immediately. Many have been trained in de-escalation tactics, and all poll workers serve to help you move through the polling process smoothly.

Intimidation at the polls can range from being questioned about your citizenship status, criminal record, or political beliefs to physical and verbal violence. Being prevented from accessing your polling place and experiencing discrimination at the polls also falls under this category.

If the situation feels life-threatening, don’t hesitate to call 911. You should then call one of the following hotline numbers, which will be open for 24 hours on Election Day.

If you can’t read or write, aren’t able to read the names on the ballots, have difficulty understanding English, or are blind, disabled, or unable to operate the voting machine, you can bring someone to assist you in the voting process — as long as they aren’t an employer, union representative, or judge of elections. You will be asked to sign an Assistance Declaration at your polling location, unless the poll book already indicates “assistance permitted.”

Keep in mind that by law, Berk, Lehigh, and Philadelphia Counties are required to provide voting materials and assistance in Spanish. Philadelphia is also required to offer resources in Chinese.

Yes, they should. All polling places in Pennsylvania should have accommodations for voters who need them, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you find that voting isn’t accessible to you at your polling place, you can contact your local election board.

Voting machines also have accessibility features. Counties across Pennsylvania use different voting systems, so you’ll have to check what voting system your county uses at tinyurl.com/PAVotingSystems. There you can learn what accessibility features and devices are available to you while voting in person.

Voting machines in Philadelphia include:

Ask for help from a poll worker to set up the assistive devices you want to use.

In many states, including Pennsylvania, you must sign your name in the poll book at your polling location before casting a ballot. Poll workers verify that your signature matches the one on file with the board of elections. If a poll worker challenges your signature, you can still vote following an affidavit process to confirm your identity.

If you have an unexpected emergency, including testing positive for the coronavirus or needing to quarantine at home, you can fill out an Emergency Absentee Ballot at votespa.com/Voting-in-PA/Pages/Mail-and-Absentee-Ballot.aspx. You must also fill out an authorization form that allows a designated person to drop off this ballot for you. Your Emergency Absentee Ballot must be submitted by 8 p.m. on Election Day to your county board of elections.

If you included your email address in your mail-in ballot application, you should receive an email notification once your ballot is received. But anyone can track their ballot at pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/BallotTracking.aspx. The “Ballot Received” column tells you the date that your county received your ballot, and the “Status” column tells you if your vote was recorded.

If you have questions about the status of your ballot, call your local election office, but know that they’re likely receiving a high volume of calls and might not immediately answer. If you dropped off your ballot at a county election office or other official county drop-off location or drop box, your ballot was received. But the state’s online ballot tracker doesn’t always reflect ballot recordings in real time, said a spokesperson for the City of Philadelphia, and you might see delays.

If you submitted your ballot by mail and are concerned because it’s still not marked as received, you can show up at your local polling place and vote by provisional ballot. The county board of elections will verify if your mail ballot was processed and any duplicates will be voided.