PENNSYLVANIA IS HOLDING ITS CRUCIAL MIDTERM ELECTIONS – MAKE SURE YOUR VOICE IS HEARD!
What elections are there in Pennsylvania? What am I voting for?
Voting has never been more important and your vote is crucial!
Pennsylvania will hold its Midterm elections for US Representatives and US Senate as well as state-wide offices for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, and your State Representatives and State Senators.
All Pennsylvania overseas voters can vote in these important elections!
All overseas voters can vote for their US Representative and US Senator. AND you may also be able to vote for Governor, Lt Governor, and your representatives to the Pennsylvania state legislature. It depends on the category you choose when you request your ballot:
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If you "intend to return": You are eligible to vote in Pennsylvania state elections.
*You don't have to have a set date of return and it doesn't have to be within a set time frame, but you do need to have an intention to return at some time in the future.
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If your “return is uncertain”: You won’t be eligible to vote in Pennsylvania state elections, but you can vote [in the federal elections for the US House and US Senate.
*Please note: Registering to vote and voting doesn’t change your tax status.
But selecting “intend to return” rather than “my return is uncertain” may be one of several factors Pennsylvania uses to determine whether you may be subject to state income tax. Before you note that you “intend to return” on your FPCA form, you may consider seeking advice on these matters from a tax professional.
Pennsylvania is always a major battleground, especially this year with an open US Senate seat – John Fetterman currently has a 10 point lead over New Jersey “transplant” Dr Oz. This is a rare opportunity to gain a new Democratic seat and increase the Democratic majority.
And Democratic Gov Tom Wolf can’t run again, but Josh Shapiro is running well ahead of January 6 participant and "Big Lie" proponent Doug Mastriano.
Please vote for all the races on your ballot – Pennsylvania state elections are hugely important! State governments are responsible for voting and state policies on abortion and reproductive rights, climate change, education, and so many other issues that affect us no matter where we are in the world.
Want to join the Democrats Abroad Pennsylvania State Team? If you’d like more info on DA’s efforts for Pennsylvania, write to: [email protected] or click here
1) Register to Vote and Request Your Ballot Today
It's easy to request your ballot – and your ballot request covers all elections in 2022, including any possible Runoffs or Special Elections.
Go to www.votefromabroad.org and follow the prompts to fill out the form to request your ballot, the Federal Post Card Application form (FPCA). (If needed, it will also serve as a voter registration.) To ensure you receive your ballot in time, please check the box on the FPCA to have your blank ballot sent to you by “Email/Online” or “Fax”.
You can send in your FPCA to your local election office in Pennsylvania by email (recommended) or fax or mail:
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If you are registered to vote, you MUST still send in an FPCA to request your ballot in 2022 to vote in this election. Your FPCA must be received by November 7, 2022.
- If you are NOT registered to vote, your FPCA must be received by October 24, 2022.
You can check your voter registration status online using: www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/voterregistrationstatus.aspx
You may need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access these pages from outside the US. For more information about how to use a VPN, please click here.
2) When You Get Your Ballot, Fill It Out and Mail It Back Right Away
Ballots started going out on September 24, 2022. If you asked for your ballot by email, be sure to check your spam folder and any secondary inboxes.
If you experience any issues when retrieving your ballot, you can call the PA Dept of State's Help Desk at 1-866-472-7873 (option 4), available Monday - Friday, 8 am - 8 pm (Eastern). Or email them at: [email protected]
When you get your ballot, fill it out and mail it back right away. You aren't required to fill out the blanks for "Ward" and "District." But you can find the information online using: www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/FindYourDistrict.aspx
Note: some voting addresses may not have a Ward or a District.
For detailed instructions how to download your ballot materials, please click here.
For detailed information how to fill out and return your ballot materials, please click here.
You must return your ballot by mail. Your ballot must be postmarked no later than November 7 (the day before Election Day) AND it also must be received in Pennsylvania by November 15, at 5pm Pennsylvania time.
For ideas on how to mail your ballot back by the deadline, please click here.
And to contact DA volunteers in the country you're living in now for specific ideas for mailing back your ballot, please click here to go to the DA page for your country.
3) Send in a Backup Ballot Now
You don’t need to wait until ballots come out in late September! If you have any concerns that your ballot won’t make it back in time to meet the deadline, you can send in a Backup Ballot NOW.
The Backup Ballot (the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot, or FWAB) is only for overseas voters and protects your right to vote in case your official ballot doesn't arrive in time. For detailed information how to use the Backup Ballot, please click here
When you use the Backup Ballot for a federal election, the website will indicate the candidates for US Senate, and the candidates for US House in your Congressional District.
And if you’re eligible to vote in state elections, you can also use the Backup Ballot for state elections, but you will need to add those to the “Write In Candidates” section. You can use this website to find the candidates in your jurisdiction: http://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup
In the "Write in Candidates" block, type in the name of the office. Then type in either the candidate’s name or “Democrat.”
4) Confirm That Your Ballot Was Accepted and Counted
After you send in your ballot, make sure your vote is counted!
You can check your ballot status online using: www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/BallotTracking
You may need to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access these pages from outside the US. For more information about how to use a VPN, please click here.
Or, you can email or call your local election office directly. You can find the contact information at: www.votefromabroad.org/states/PA; scroll down to "Find Your Election Office"
And if there is a problem with your ballot, you may be able to fix it – but the earlier you send it in, the more time you’ll have.
NEED HELP? EMAIL US AT [email protected]
Want to join the Democrats Abroad Pennsylvania State Team?
Write to: [email protected] or click here