Pennsylvania

You need to confirm your identity with an acceptable ID when you vote in your precinct for the first time. There are several forms of identification you can use. 

All voters must provide ID information or a copy of acceptable ID to vote by mail.

Pennsylvania ID Requirements for Voting In Person

ACCEPTABLE ID

Photo ID:

  • Pennsylvania driver’s license
  • PennDOT ID card
  • ID issued by Pennsylvania Commonwealth
  • ID issued by United States government
  • US Passport
  • Military ID
  • Student ID
  • Employee ID

OR 

You can use a non-photo form of identification that shows your name and address:

  • Voter Registration Card
  • ID issued by Pennsylvania Commonwealth 
  • ID issued by United States government
  • Firearm permit
  • Current utility bill, bank statement or paycheck

IMPORTANT NOTE

Pennsylvania’s voter ID requirement for first-time voters at a precinct is separate from the federal voter registration requirement for first-time voters. Check those rules here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Registered voters in Pennsylvania must confirm their identity when they vote at their polling place for the first time.

If you are a registered first-time voter at your precinct but do not present an acceptable ID, you may cast a provisional ballot.

If you are challenged on the basis of identity or residency, you may vote a regular ballot by signing a challenge affidavit and producing a witness who is also a registered voter in the precinct to vouch for you. If you cannot or do not want to produce a witness, you may cast a provisional ballot. Identity, residency, and qualifications as an eligible voter are the only basis for challenging a voter at a polling place.

If you vote a provisional ballot: Within 7 days after the election, the county board of elections will decide whether you were eligible to vote at the election district where you voted the provisional ballot. If you were eligible, they will count your provisional ballot.

Get in touch with VoteRiders if you have questions or need free help securing ID.

You do not need a REAL ID to vote in Pennsylvania.

Your driver’s license or state ID card will show a star in the upper corner if it meets REAL ID requirements under federal law.

Get in touch with VoteRiders if you have questions or need free help getting ID.

No. Only the physical version of your ID is acceptable if you are a registered first-time voter at your precinct. Otherwise, you may cast a provisional ballot.

Pennsylvania ID Requirements for Voting By Mail

Pennsylvania has two options for registered voters to vote by mail:

  • Absentee ballot – If you will be out of the municipality on Election Day or have a physical disability or illness, this ballot type should be requested. You must list the reason for the ballot request and sign a declaration that you are entitled to do so, including the attending physician’s information if based on illness or physical disability.
  • Mail-in ballot – If you do not qualify as an absentee voter, you may apply for a mail-in ballot and must sign a declaration that you are entitled to do so. You may simply request this ballot without listing a reason.

Note: Pennsylvania mail-in and absentee ballots must be returned using both of the two envelopes provided – the outside “mailing” envelope and the inside “privacy” or “secrecy” envelope. If you do not use both envelopes, your ballot will not be counted.

All voters must provide ID information or a copy of an acceptable ID to vote by mail.

Frequently Asked Questions

To receive an absentee ballot, you must be one of the following:

  • A person with an illness or physical disability  who is unable to go to the polling place or to operate a voting machine and obtain assistance by distinct and audible statements 
    • Note: A voter with a disability may have permanent absentee voter status.
  • A person who will not go to a polling place on election day because of the  observance of a religious holiday
  • A person who is or may be in the military service of the U.S., regardless of whether at the time of voting the person is present in the election district of residence or in the Commonwealth and regardless of whether they are registered to vote
    • Spouse and dependents residing with or accompanying them are also eligible to vote absentee
  • A member of the Merchant Marine who expects to be absent on Election Day from the Commonwealth or the municipality of residence during the entire period in which the polling places are open for voting 
    • Spouse and dependents residing with or accompanying them are also eligible to vote absentee 
  • A member of a religious or welfare group attached to and serving with the armed forces, who expects on Election Day to be absent from the Commonwealth or the municipality of residence during the entire period in which the polling places are open for voting 
    • Spouse and dependents residing with or accompanying them are also eligible to vote absentee 
  • An individual who, because of the elector’s duties, occupation or business (including leaves of absence for teaching, vacations and sabbatical leaves), expects on Election Day to be absent from their municipality of residence during the entire period the polls are open for voting 
    • Spouse and dependents residing with or accompanying you are also eligible to vote absentee 
  • A county employee  who expects that their election day duties relating to the conduct of the election will prevent them from voting

If you do not qualify as an absentee voter, you may apply for a mail-in ballot.  You must sign a declaration that you are entitled to do so. You may simply request this ballot without listing a reason.

Yes, both absentee ballot and mail-in ballot requests require one of the following:

  • Pennsylvania Driver’s License or PennDOT photo ID number
  • Otherwise, last 4 digits of your Social Security number

If you have neither of the above, check the box titled “I do not have a PA driver’s license or a PennDOT ID card or a Social Security number” in the Identification section.

If this option is selected, you must enclose a photocopy of an acceptable photo ID that shows your NAME, your PHOTO, and an EXPIRATION DATE that is CURRENT (unless noted otherwise). Some examples:

  • US Passport
  • US Military ID (active duty and retired military ID may designate an expiration date that is indefinite).
    • Military dependents’ ID must contain a current expiration date.
  • Employee photo identification issued by United States government, Pennsylvania state government, Pennsylvania county government, or Pennsylvania Municipal government.
  • Photo identification issued by an accredited Pennsylvania public or private post-high school institution
  • Photo identification issued by a Pennsylvania care facility, including long-term care facilities, assisted living residences and personal care homes

Some voters are exempt from these requirements, including:

  • UOCAVA Voters
  • Voters with a disability
  • Voters over 65 years old and affected by the Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act

Get in touch with VoteRiders if you have questions, need a copy of your ID or free help securing ID.

No, but the signature on your mail-in ballot must match your signature on file with the state.

NOTE: If you failed to provide proof of identification with your absentee ballot application, you should still receive an absentee ballot; however, the county board of elections must send a notice with your absentee ballot requiring you to provide acceptable proof of identification with your absentee ballot. You have until six (6) calendar days following the election within which to provide proof of identification to your county elections board.

Pennsylvania mail-in and absentee ballots must be returned using the two envelopes provided – the outside “mailing” envelope and the inside “privacy” or “secrecy” envelope. If you do not use both envelopes, your ballot will not be counted.

Under current Pennsylvania law:

  • If there’s a problem with your mail-in ballot, you may have the opportunity to correct it before the election, depending on your county. On October 21, 2022, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that your county board of elections can decide whether they will help you ‘cure’ (fix) some ballot errors, such as a missing signature on the outer envelope.
  • The county board of elections cannot reject your returned absentee or mail-in ballot solely due to signature comparisons.

The PA Supreme Court has ruled that if the date on an absentee ballot return envelope is missing or is incorrect, that ballot can be rejected from being counted in the November 2022 midterm elections. Mail-in ballots are to be rejected in the 2022 midterm elections if the handwritten dates fall before Sept. 19, 2022 (the start of the state’s 50-day mail voting window), or after November 8 (Election Day), and absentee ballots are to be rejected if they are dated before August 30, 2022 (70 days before Election Day), or after November 8. The Court has ordered county election boards to “segregate and preserve” any such ballots.

 


 

Watch: “Voter ID in Pennsylvania – What You Need to Know”

 

 


 

PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF STATE