When is PA deadline to register to vote in the 2024 election?

In order to vote in this year’s election by mail or in person, you must be a registered voter in Pennsylvania.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 21. More information on how to register can be found at the state’s website.

Voters are often advised to check their registration status online at vote.pa.gov in advance of an upcoming election.

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If you’re a Bucks County resident who won’t be able to make it to the polls on Nov. 5, you’ll have to do what roughly 65% of the county’s approximately 482,065 registered voters have done since 2020: vote by mail.

Whether it's your first time voting by mail or you've used mail ballots before, the website for the Pennsylvania Department of State and the Bucks County Board of Elections are the best sources for voting information.

Here’s some of the key things you need to know if you plan to vote by mail in 2024.

How do I get a mail ballot in PA?

Mail ballot applications can be downloaded online at www.pavoterservices.pa.gov, with forms you can print out and mail to the Bucks election offices.

Voters can also fill out a request on Bucks County’s election website and have forms mailed to them to apply for a mail ballot, to register to vote, to change their voter status or to be asked to be removed from the voter rolls.

Voters can also pick up or return a mail ballot application in person at 55 E. Court St. in Doylestown.

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When can I request a mail-in ballot?

Applications must be received by the Bucks County Board of Elections by 5 p.m. Oct. 29 in order to vote by mail in this election.

What are the requirements to vote by mail?

Absentee ballots require a reason why a voter won’t be able to be at their local polling place on Election Day, such as being outside of your municipality or if an illness or disability will prevent them from getting to the polls.

The no-excuse mail ballots introduced in Pennsylvania’s Act 77 of 2019 do not require a reason a voter will not be able to vote in person.

Military and overseas civilian ballots have different requirements than traditional absentee or no-excuse ballots. More information about those can be found at the state’s website.

How can I check the status of my mail ballot?

You can check the status of your mail ballot application and whether it’s been sent out online at www.pavoterservices.pa.gov.

Mail ballots should start arriving in the mail in early to mid-October, according to the Bucks County elections website.

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How do I return my mail ballot in Bucks County once completed

Mail ballots can be returned via the U.S. Postal Service, by hand-delivering completed ballots to the county election office or by delivering their mail ballot to a designated secure drop box.

Beginning last week, drop boxes will be available at the at the following Bucks County government buildings:

• Bucks County Administration Building at 55 E. Court St. in Doylestown.

• Lower Bucks Government Services Building at 7321 New Falls Road in Levittown.

• Upper Bucks Government Services Building at 261 California Road in Quakertown.

The drop boxes are to be open for voters to return their ballots between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Doylestown location and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Levittown and Quakertown buildings. The drop boxes are to also remain open until 8 p.m. Nov. 5.

In addition, the county buildings are to have drop boxes available between noon and 5 p.m. Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 only.

The county’s website includes a list of currently eight other drop box locations at libraries throughout the county and the hours they are available.

What’s the deadline to return a mail ballot?

Absentee and no-excuse mail ballots must be received by the county election offices no later than 8 p.m. Election Day.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Deadline to register to vote in Bucks County, PA for Nov. 5 election