PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The municipal election in Pennsylvania is just a few weeks away.
If you haven’t prepared yet or simply forgot, there’s still some time to get everything in order.
Here’s what you need to know.
This municipal election covers judges on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Superior Court, Commonwealth Court, county Common Pleas Courts, and Philadelphia Municipal Court. It also includes county, school board and local officials.
The deadline to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 18.
Registered voters have until 5 p.m. on Oct. 26 to apply for a mail-in ballot. Mail-in ballots must be received by your county board of elections by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Check your county’s website for more information on drop-off boxes and sites.
Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid suggested voters should submit mail-in applications as soon as possible to “allow sufficient time for their ballot to be mailed to them and then returned to their county election office in time to be counted.”
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Voters also have the option to vote early in person by mail, up until 5 p.m. on Oct. 26. Sounds confusing, but here’s how it works: Apply for a mail-in ballot at your county election office. Once an election official verifies your status, you can cast your ballot, all in one visit.
Voters can check the status of their ballots online.
Forgoing mail altogether, there’s still the option to vote in person at the polls on Election Day. Polls will be open on Nov. 2 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
You cannot vote in person the day of if you already applied for and returned a mailed ballot. However, if you did request a mailed ballot and want to vote in person, you can bring it with you to the polls on Election Day and vote that way. Bring the ballot and pre-addressed return envelope.
If you requested a mailed ballot and didn’t get it or don’t have it, you can still vote, but by a provisional ballot at your polling place. Those ballots will be reviewed by your county after Election Day to determine whether or not they will be counted.
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For our friends across the Delaware, the deadline to register in New Jersey has already passed.
The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Oct. 26, or Nov. 1 at 3 p.m. if you opt to apply for a mailed ballot in person at your county election office.
Ballots must be postmarked on or before 8 p.m. on Nov. 2 and mailed back to your county on or before Nov. 8. Drop-off boxes are also available.
New this year, registered voters in the Garden State can vote early in person via voting machine between Oct. 23 and 31, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Regular polls will be open on Nov. 2 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Most notably on the New Jersey ballot is the governor’s race between incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and his Republican challenger, Jack Ciattarelli.
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For more information on voting in New Jersey, click here.
For more information on voting in Pennsylvania, click here.