Municipal elections in Pennsylvania in 2021 are on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021. COVID-19 makes this election unique and there a number of new regulations voters should watch out for. Below we provide answers to these questions.
First things first. Who are we voting for on November 2, 2021? What are the municipal elections?
We are voting for a number of critical races in 2021. Registered Independents, Democrats and Republicans will be casting votes for the following statewide and local offices (for other counties, please check your county website or wait for the digital voter guide to be active):
- Nominees for vacancies on the Supreme, Superior, and Commonwealth courts.
- Local races in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Lancaster, Allegheny, Lehigh, and Philadelphia counties including District Attorneys and School Board members.
- Committee of 70 has a helpful Build Your Ballot tool that voters can utilize. Enter your address and populate your ballot here: ballot.seventy.org
What is the deadline to register to vote in the election?
The deadline is October 18, 2021. You need to be:
- a citizen for at least 30 days before the election,
- 18 years old on/before November 2, 2021, and
- a resident of Pennsylvania for 30 days to be eligible to register.
Register in a few minutes at pa.cair.com/vote
Who is ineligible to vote?
- People who are in prison because of a felony conviction and who won’t be released before the election.
- People who have been convicted of violating Pennsylvania election laws within the past four years.
- People who are not citizens of the United States of America.
- People under the age of 18 on the day of the election.
Not sure if you are registered to vote or at which address?
No problem. You can check your status at PA Voter Services.
How can I learn who are the people running in my area? Who should I vote for?
CAIR-Philadelphia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and does not endorse/support candidates. In the coming weeks we hope to share digital tools that list candidates and their platforms.
Committee of 70 has a helpful Build Your Ballot tool that voters can utilize. Enter your address and populate your ballot here: ballot.seventy.org
I am not sure how best to complete the mail-in-ballot. Can you help?
Applying for a mail-in-ballot is very easy. Apply online, receive your ballot, complete it and return immediately. Start at VotesPA Now.
- The deadline to request a mail-in or absentee ballot before the Municipal Primary Election is October 26, 2021.
- We recommend that you request your mail-in ballot by October 15th to get it in a timely manner.
- The deadline to return your ballot for the primary election is November 2nd, by 8 p.m.
- We recommend you return your ballot no later than October 22nd, to ensure it arrives in your county board of elections in time to be counted.
Thanks to our partners at All Voting is Local we now can also present a multilingual VBM application form in Arabic, French, Chinese, Vietnamese, Bengali, Urdu, Hatian/Creole, Russian, Spanish, Indonesian, and Hindi.
And a comprehensive walk-through guide to applying and voting by mail are currently available in Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Vietnamese, and Spanish.
Can I vote in person on Tuesday, November 2?
Yes. But be mindful that there will be fewer number of polling stations compared to 2020 elections and likely long lines. Be sure to social distance as well. Learn more about your polling station at PA Voter Services.
If I need help, where can I turn?
Report discrimination or problems during voting: pa.cair.com/report
For further questions, email: atekelioglu@cair.com
Contact: Call these nonpartisan hotlines for help:
📞 866-OUR-VOTE
English hotline
📞 888-VE-Y-VOTA
Spanish hotline
📞 888-API-VOTE
Asian & Pacific languages hotline
📞 844-YALLA-US
Arabic language hotline