How to vote in Pennsylvania this election with president, Senate, and more on the ballot

Are you registered to vote?

The deadline to do so in time for the the general election in Pennsylvania is fast approaching.

The fate of the U.S. presidency and U.S. Senate could be in the hands of the commonwealth’s voters, considering Pennsylvania’s critical swing state status. Races for a number of key statewide offices like attorney general and auditor general are also on the ballot.

Here’s what you need to know about the November election and how to register to vote:

The general election will take place on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The registration deadline for the general election is Oct. 21.

Voters must be at least 18 years old on the day of the election, as well as a U.S. citizen and a resident of Pennsylvania at least 30 days prior.

You can register to vote online on the Pennsylvania voter services website. You can also register at your county voter registration office, or print out an application and deliver it or mail it to the office. If you’re mailing your registration, it must be received by the deadline.

Pennsylvania residents are now also automatically registered to vote when they get their driver’s license, unless they opt out of doing so.

Pennsylvanians who are on active duty in the military, or are hospitalized or bedridden veterans, are able to register at any time. More information is available online.

If you’re already registered to vote in Pennsylvania, you only need to update your registration if you have changed your name or political party affiliation, or have moved. If you moved to Pennsylvania from another state, you need to re-register.

The deadline to update your registration for the general election is the same as the Oct. 21 registration deadline.

You can check your voter registration status online on the Pennsylvania voter services website.

Pennsylvanians will vote for president and their representatives in the U.S. House and Senate, as well as state-level offices including attorney general, auditor general, treasurer, and representatives for the General Assembly.

Pennsylvania voters chose their party’s nominees in the April 23 primaries. In Pennsylvania, voters could only participate in the primary election of the party with which they were registered. The primary winners will appear on the general election ballot. All registered voters can participate in the general election, and can vote for whoever they want, regardless of party.

Polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you are in line by 8 p.m., you can still vote. You must vote at your designated polling location, which can be found on the state department website.

If it’s your first time voting at a polling location, you will be required to bring an approved form of identification.

All Pennsylvania voters can apply to vote by mail, but must request a mail ballot from your county election office by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29 and get it back to your local county election office by 8 p.m. on Nov. 5. You can send the ballot in the mail or bring it to a county drop box, but you must deliver your own ballot. People with disabilities can fill out a designated agent form for an exception.

If your county has official satellite offices, mail ballots can also be returned there.

The mail ballot application can be accessed here and you can find your local board of elections’ office addresses and contact information here.

If you requested a mail ballot and either didn’t receive it or have lost it, you can vote by provisional ballot at your polling location. You can also surrender your mail ballot with its outer envelope at your polling place and vote in person instead.

If you have an emergency like an unexpected illness, you may be able to obtain a mail ballot after the Oct. 29 deadline by requesting an emergency absentee ballot after 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election. The deadline to submit an emergency ballot is still 8 p.m. on Election Day.

In Pennsylvania, if you’ve completed the terms of your incarceration for a felony conviction and have been released from a correctional facility or halfway house by the election, you can vote.

Pretrial detainees and people on probation or released on parole (including parolees living in a halfway house) can also vote. People under house arrest, regardless of their conviction status or conditions of their confinement, are also eligible.

People who are in prison, a transitional house, or other alternative correctional facility on pre-release status for a felony conviction during the election are not eligible to vote.

Those who have been convicted of violating the Pennsylvania Election Code within the last four years also cannot vote.

Correction: Earlier references to the primary election instead of the general have been updated.