This article is shared with LebTown by content partner Spotlight PA.
By Elizabeth Estrada of Spotlight PA
HARRISBURG โ Pennsylvaniaโs 2024 primary Election Day is quickly approaching. If you still have questions about where your polling place is, who is on the ballot, and how to vote, Spotlight PA has got you covered.
On Tuesday, April 23, voters across the commonwealth will determine which candidates go on to run in the general election. On the ballot are candidates for president, U.S. House and Senate, Pennsylvaniaโs three row offices (attorney general, auditor general, and treasurer), and state House and Senate. Across the state, depending on where you live, there might also be local ballot questions.
Before you submit your ballot, hereโs a last-minute checklist of everything youโll need to vote.
First, the basics:
- Make sure youโre registered. You can check your voter registration status on the Pennsylvania Department of State website. Unfortunately, if youโre not already registered, itโs too late to vote in this election cycle.
- It also is too late to request a mail ballot if you havenโt already. If you have, you can track your mail ballot on the Pennsylvania Department of State’s election ballot status webpage. To be counted, your ballot must be received by your county election office by 8 p.m. on primary Election Day. Read more about mail ballots and how to properly fill them out.
- In Pennsylvania, if you are registered as an independent, you cannot vote for candidates in the primary election because we have a closed primary system, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote in their respective party’s primary.
- If you plan to vote in person, you can find your polling place online.
- You need to bring a form of ID such as a driverโs license or a passport if itโs your first time voting at your polling location. You can find the full list of acceptable IDs on Pennsylvania’s official election website.
- For general voting and election resources, check out Spotlight PAโs 2024 Election Center. We have candidate guides for auditor general, attorney general, and treasurer. We also have a quiz to help you figure out which attorney general candidate best aligns with your values.
- Still have questions? You can reach out to your county election office for answers. Find contact information for your local county on the Pennsylvania election website.
Hereโs what you can expect to see on your ballot:
- To see a sample ballot, search for your local county on theย Pennsylvania Department of State voting and election webpage, then follow the link to your official county website, where you may be able to find a digital sample ballot. If you have any questions or have issues finding this information, contact your local county election office for support.
- For president, Republicans will see former President Donald Trump listed on the ballot, as well as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, despite her dropping out of the race. Democrats will see President Joe Biden listed, as well as U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, even though he suspended his campaign back in March.
- For U.S. Senate, there is one candidate on the Democratic ballot, three-term incumbent Bob Casey, and one on the Republican ballot, Dave McCormick.
- For U.S. House, who is listed on your ballot will be dictated by the congressional district you live in. To find who is running in your district, visit VOTE411, a tool from the League of Women Voters Education Fund.
- To find which Pennsylvania General Assembly candidates are running in your district, visit VOTE411. Consult our guide to vetting these candidates to learn more about them.
- For attorney general, Democrats will choose between Keir Bradford-Grey, Eugene DePasquale, Joe Khan, Jared Solomon, and Jack Stollsteimer, while Republicans will pick between Dave Sunday and Craig Williams. Read Spotlight PAโs guide to these candidates to learn more about them, and take our quiz to find out who best aligns with your values.
- For auditor general, Republican incumbent Tim DeFoor is running unopposed for the GOP nomination. Democrats will choose between Malcolm Kenyatta and Mark Pinsley. Read Spotlight PAโs guide to these candidates to learn more about them.
- For treasurer, Republican incumbent Stacy Garrity is unopposed in her partyโs primary. Democrats will choose between Ryan Bizzarro and Erin McClelland. Read Spotlight PAโs guide to these candidates to learn more about them.
There are no statewide ballot measures this year, but some voters may see local questions. Check your countyโs election website or sample ballot to know exactly which races and candidates you will be voting for.
Read Spotlight PAโs complete coverage, including candidate and election guides, court explainers, important cases, and more, at our 2024 Election Center.
A complete listing of Spotlight PA voter guides and coverage:
- A complete guide to the primary candidates for attorney general
- A complete guide to the primary candidates for auditor general
- Your guide to the primary candidates for treasurer
- A guide to vetting primary legislative candidates
- Your Next AG: An interactive tool to see which Pennsylvania candidates for attorney general most closely align with what matters to you.
- Elections 101: What to know about poll watchers, and what they can and canโt do in Pennsylvania
- Everything you need to know about requesting, filling out, and returning your mail ballot
- Elections 101: What to know about electronic pollbooks, which Pa. counties use them, and more
- Elections 101: Everything you need to know about Pa.’s voting machines, how the state keeps them safe, and more
En Espaรฑol:
- Elecciones Pa. 2024: Guรญa completa de los candidatos a fiscal general en las primarias
- Elecciones Pa. 2024: Guรญa completa de los candidatos a las primarias para auditor general
- Elecciones Pa. 2024: Tu guรญa de los candidatos a tesorero en las primarias
- Elecciones Pa. 2024: Una guรญa completa de quiรฉn estรก en la papeleta de las primarias, cuรกndo votar, cรณmo votar, dรณnde votar, emitir votos por correo y mรกs
- Elecciones Pa. 2024: Todo lo que necesita saber sobre cรณmo solicitar, llenar y devolver su papeleta de voto por correo
WHILE YOUโRE HEREโฆ If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.