Does voter registration expire in Pa? How to make sure you’re ready to vote

The election is less than 45 days away, and you haven’t been to the ballot box since the last presidential election.

Here’s what you need to know to make sure you’re ready to vote on Nov. 5.

Does voter registration expire?

In Pennsylvania, your voter registration doesn’t have an official expiration date. But, you can be removed from the voter rolls under certain circumstances.

If you’ve moved and didn’t update your registration, or if election mail sent to you has been returned as undeliverable, the state may send a confirmation notice to verify your address. If you don’t respond to the notice or miss voting in two consecutive federal elections, your registration may be considered inactive, and you could be removed from the rolls.

It’s not technically an expiration, but you can be taken off the list of eligible voters at your polling place. So, it’s a good idea to confirm your registration status if it’s been a few cycles since you last cast a vote or if you’ve moved since the last time you voted.

You can check your status at the Pennsylvania Department of State's website, vote.pa

How do I know where to vote?

Once you know you’re registered to vote, you’ll want to know where to go to cast your ballot.

Your polling place is determined by the address on your voter registration. If you’ve moved and updated your address, your polling place may have changed as well.

In Pennsylvania, voters typically get information in the mail about their polling place before Election Day.

You can also check for your location on the state website, vote.pa

Polling places are usually open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, and as long as you’re in line before the polls close, you’ll still be able to vote.

Do I have to vote in person?

If you don’t want to go the polling place on Election Day, or won’t be in town on Nov. 5, you have options for ensuring your vote is cast.

Pennsylvania allows mail-in and absentee voting for all registered voters and you don’t need to provide a reason for using those options.

To vote by mail, you have to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot. That deadline is usually seven days before the election, so this year it would be Oct. 29.

You generally can apply online, by mail or in person at your county election office.

Once you get your official vote-by-mail or absentee ballot, make sure to fill out immediately — and correctly — and mail it in or drop it off before polls close on Election Day.

And if you decide to vote in person but requested a mail-in ballot, you’ll need to bring your mail-in ballot and surrender it at the polling place. Otherwise, you may be required to vote by provisional ballot.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Does voter registration expire in Pa? Some can be taken off voter list