Read the news of the day in less than 10 minutes.

Reader support is what keeps our newsroom running.

Want to keep our newsletter running?

You power our paywall-free journalism — thanks!

Your funds make BP function. Thank you!

On top of Philly news

Do it online, do it in person, do it by mail — no election headache needed.

Just over a million people in Philadelphia are registered to vote. That number seems big — it’s about 85% of eligible residents — but it’s actually fewer than were registered at this time in 2020.

With a big presidential contest looming, that year saw record voter registration in Philly. But midterm and local elections carry just as much significance for day-to-day life, if not more.

Registering to vote is the first step to participating in democracy and having a say in your community.

It’s pretty easy to do. Here’s everything you need to know.

Click right here to access the Pa. Department of State’s online registration form.

You can also register by mail. Print out a registration form — found here — and mail it to Philly’s voter registration office (520 N. Columbus Blvd.). To be valid, the form has to be received by the office on the deadline, Oct. 24.

Voter registration is open to U.S. citizens, and you’ll need to have some identification.

That could be a Pa. driver’s license or PennDOT ID card. If you don’t have either one, you can use your Social Security number.

The deadline to register to vote is usually a couple weeks before the election.

To cast a ballot in the 2022 general election on Nov. 8, you’ve gotta be registered by Monday, Oct. 24.

The Pennsylvania Department of State has an online portal that can be used to check your registration status, click here.

To register to vote in person, you’ll have to make it down to Phildelphia’s voter registration office on Delaware Avenue (officially 520 N. Columbus Blvd.), on the fifth floor of the Riverview Place office building. You can also register at any PennDOT photo or driver’s license center.

Yes. Whether you moved from a different part of Pennsylvania or the county, you’ll fill out the same registration form as new voters.

You can vote in Philadelphia if you’ve been a city resident at least 30 days before the election (in this case, since Oct. 8).

If you’re newer to the city than that, you cannot vote in Philly this fall — instead, you can vote via absentee ballot at your previous place of residence.

If you want to change or add party affiliation — perhaps to vote in one of Pa.’s closed primaries — you have to refile a standard voter registration form with the change made in the “Political party” section.

The answer here is a qualified “yes”: You can register IF you will be of voting age (at least 18 years old) by Election Day.

In Pennsylvania, formerly incarcerated people are generally eligible to vote. You can vote if you’re detained pre-trial, on parole, on house arrest — or even if you’re currently behind bars but set to be released before the date of the election. For the last case, you must register by mail or online.

The Philadelphia City Commissioners have more details for previously or currently incarcerated voters, but here is who explicitly cannot vote of this group of people:

Want some more? Explore other How to Philly stories.

Billy Penn’s free morning newsletter gives you a daily roundup of the top Philly stories you need to start your day.

We hope you found it useful, fun, or maybe even both. If you want more stories like this, will you join us as a member today?

Billy Penn’s mission is to provide free, quality information to Philadelphians through our articles and daily newsletter. If you believe local journalism is key to a healthy community, join us!

Billy Penn only exists because of supporters like you. If you find our work valuable, consider making a sustaining donation today.

Thanks for reading another article, made possible by members like you. Want to share BP with a friend?

Pennsylvania Department of State, City Commissioners