FAQ

You can vote in U.S. elections if you are a U.S. citizen, meet your state’s residency requirements, and are 18 years old on or before Election Day. Each state makes its own voting rules, including how to confirm your registration. Check with your state or local election office to get the most detailed and up-to-date information for where you live. Learn more about voter eligibility.

Register to vote through TurboVote.
If you’re already registered, you can still sign up for TurboVote to receive all the election information you need to be an informed voter!

Rules for mail-in and absentee voting differ by state. Check your state’s early, mail-in, and absentee voting rules. In Pennsylvania, any registered voter can request a mail-in ballot. Read Pennsylvania’s mail and absentee voting FAQ. When you vote by mail, make sure you follow all the instructions that come with your ballot. Check out this video from Allegheny County (2021) about correctly sending in a mail-in ballot! (Instructions may vary by state and county, always double check yours!

The sooner the better! Registration deadlines differ by state. Check your state’s registration deadlines.

You can change your voter registration through TurboVote. You can only be registered in one place at once.

Find your polling location. Living on-campus? View Residence Hall Polling Locations.

Voter identification requirements differ by state. In Pennsylvania, you only need to bring an ID if you’re a first-time voter- but we recommend bringing one along if possible. Approved forms of photo identification include a PA driver’s license or PennDOT ID card, any ID issued by the U.S. government (including out-of-state driver’s licenses), Student ID, Employee ID, U.S. passport, U.S. Armed Forced ID, or ID issued by any Commonwealth agency. Look up your state’s voter ID laws.

Check out the State Elections Guide and Local Elections Guide from the Campus Election Engagement Project.

Read about what’s happening in PA elections here or look up what’s on your specific ballot using Ballotpedia’s Sample Ballot Lookup tool!

You are eligible to register to vote in Pennsylvania at your Pitt address if you are a resident of Pennsylvania and the election district you want to register in for at least 30 days in advance of the next primary, special, municipal, or general election. This does not necessitate legal residency or a Pennsylvania driver’s license; you only need to physically reside at the address you register with for at least those 30 days ahead of the election. You can register and vote where you live while attending college in PA or at your prior home address, provided your family or guardian still reside there. If you are registering where you live while attending college in PA, you can use either an on-campus or off-campus address. You can only be registered in one place at a time. More about voting as a college student.

You must register 15 days before Election Day in Pennsylvania. For the upcoming Spring 2023 Municipal Primary, the deadline to register is May 1. The deadline to request a mail-in or absentee ballot is May 9.

Any registered voter in PA can request a mail-in ballot. The deadline to sign up to vote by mail in the 2021 Primary Election is May 11. From the time when your county receives your mail ballot request to when they receive your voted ballot, you can track the progress of your absentee or mail-in ballot. Read Pennsylvania’s mail and absentee voting FAQ.  When you vote by mail, make sure you follow all the instructions that come with your ballot. Check out this video from Allegheny County (2021) about correctly sending in a mail-in ballot! (Instructions may vary by state and county, always double check yours!)

If you have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, or are in pretrial detention, you may be eligible to vote in Pennsylvania. More about voting if convicted of a felony or misdemeanor.

If you are a member of the military or an overseas civilian voter, you have options for how you register and vote in Pennsylvania. More about voting when out of the country.

TurboVote is a product of Democracy Works, a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that works to modernize the voting process and increase voter accessibility. More about Democracy Works.

Through TurboVote, you can register to vote, change your voter registration, start the absentee or mail-in ballot request process, receive text and email reminders about upcoming elections, and more!

TurboVote is committed to protecting your data, so it’s only every used to provide you with voting information and services. They do not sell information or collect any more than is necessary to power voter services. View the TurboVote privacy policy.