As voters cast their ballots, the Pennsylvania Department of State (DOS) warned against voter suppression and advised first-time voters how to make their vote count in the 2024 Election.
Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt urged Pennsylvanians to study up on voting rights to protect themselves from voter intimidation, according to a press release from DOS.
“It’s important that voters know their rights and are informed about how to cast their ballot and make their voice heard,” Schmidt said. “They can find a wealth of useful information at the Department of State’s voter information website.”
DOS has a list of voting rights on its website. Under U.S. and state law, it is illegal for any state or local government to discriminate against voters by their race, ethnicity, national origin or spoken language.
Schmidt’s guidelines for voting:
- First-time voters or those who recently moved: Bring your ID. “Acceptable ID includes both photo and non-photo ID. First-time voters who do not bring ID to the polls can return with identification or must be offered a provisional ballot,” said Schmidt.
- Voters who moved within the state: They can still vote one time at their old voting place, “but they must update their address at the polling place,” said Schmidt.
- Voters who applied for a mail-in ballot can still vote at the polls: "[Voters] must bring their mail ballot – including the outer return envelope – with them to be voided,” said Schmidt. If a voter does not bring their mail ballot or return envelope, they can vote by a provisional ballot.
- Voters who are at the wrong precinct: Voters can find their polling place online. “Registered voters who are in the wrong polling place should go to the correct polling place to vote, but a voter who believes they are registered in that precinct and should be listed in the poll book is entitled to cast a provisional ballot there,” said Schmidt.
- Voters whose right to vote is challenged: “Identity and residency are the only bases for challenging a voter at a polling place,” said Schmidt. The voter can vote normally by signing a challenge affidavit and by bringing a witness who is also a registered voter in the precinct. The voter may also cast a provisional ballot.
- Voters have the right to assistance at the polling place: Voters can get language or literacy assistance and they have the right to refuse help, said Schmidt.
- Voters have the right to vote without suppression: All voters are protected from intimidation, harassment or discriminatory conduct. Schmidt pushes voters who experience intimidation at the polls to report it to their Judge of Elections, county elections office or the DOS’s year-round voter hotline at 1-887-868-3772.
Tomorrow’s polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Voters can cast their vote as long as they are in line by 8 p.m., according to the Department of State. To find your polling location, visit DOS’s polling places website.
For information on candidates running across our region, read our 2024 Voter's Guide.
For an inside look into the races that will decide Pennsylvania and the nation's future, read our Election Preview.
