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Photo of polling place in Philadelphia

A polling station in Philadelphia.

Voting Resources for Philadelphians

Justice-Impacted Voters

The only true barrier to voting faced by a justice-impacted Pennsylvania resident is being incarcerated for a felony conviction at the time of the election. Everyone else with a criminal record can vote either in person or by absentee ballot. The American Civil Liberties Union of PA lists the following individuals as eligible to vote:

  • You are on probation or parole
  • You are living in a halfway house ( you must use a previous or future address, you cannot use the address of the halfway house as your registration address)
  • You are in jail awaiting trial (can vote with  an absentee ballot)
  • You are currently incarcerated for a misdemeanor conviction (can vote with an absentee ballot.)
  • You are under house arrest (can vote with an absentee ballot)

The Center for Returning Citizens Community Healing Center (TCRC-CHC)

Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (PLSE)

  • PLSE  provides free legal advice to Philadelphians with criminal convictions, including education and training, expungement help, pardon help, and fair employment opportunities. They offer “Know Your Rights” talks that help demystify voting and other topics. Contact PLSE at (267) 519-5323, email them at info@plsephilly.org, or visit their website: https://plsephilly.org/ 

Community Legal Services (CLS)

  • CLS provides free legal help to low-income Philadelphians, including returning citizens and those impacted by the justice system. Their lawyers regularly hold record-clearing clinics and offer assistance with the pardon process. They can also help justice-impacted voters understand their rights at the polls. Contact CLS at (215) 981-3700 (Center City office) or (215) 227-2400 (North Philadelphia office). Both offices have walk-in hours. For more information, visit their website: https://clsphila.org/ 

Voters with Disabilities 

Federal law requires that all polling stations used for federal elections must be fully accessible to voters with mobility issues and those 65 years of age or older. For a full list of the legal requirements aimed at ensuring that all Pennsylvanians have equal access to the polls, visit https://disabilityrightspa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/June2020-Voting-AAA.pdf or scan the QR code below:

Disability Rights Pennsylvania (DRP)

  • Disability Rights PA offers free advocacy services to state residents with disabilities. DRP can help with information, referrals, and legal action pertaining to voting access. Contact the Philadelphia office at (215) 238-8070. For information on accessibility at the polls, ballot marking assistance, and voting as a resident of a long-term care facility, visit their election webpage: https://www.disabilityrightspa.org/election2024/ 

REV UP Philly 

  • REV UP Philly is a coalition of local nonprofits that promote education and civic engagement to protect voting rights for people with disabilities. REV UP holds quarterly national calls to share opportunities and discuss voting advocacy. The calls provide American Sign Language (ASL) and Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) to participants with visual and hearing impairments. For more information, visit their website: https://www.disabilitypridepa.org/revupphilly

Legal Clinic for the Disabled (LCD)

  • The Legal Clinic for the Disabled conducts outreach to people with disabilities to help make them aware of their rights. LCD partners with local nonprofit groups to host Know Your Rights Clinics, which can provide information, resources, and support on a host of issues facing the disability community, including voting rights. For more information call (215) 587-3158, email legalinfo@lcdphila.org, or visit their website: https://lcdphila.org/ 

Civic Activation Groups  

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)

  • The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is a national organization that combines education, advocacy, and technical assistance for local organizations to promote civic engagement among Asian American immigrants and citizens. Each year, AALDEF organizes volunteers to monitor the polls and conduct multilingual exit surveys. For more information about how to become a poll watcher or conduct surveys of Asian American voters in Pennsylvania, visit their website: https://www.aaldef.org/programs/voting-rights-and-democracy/ 

Asian Americans United (AAU)

  • AAU’s Chinatown Votes initiative aims to increase civic awareness in Chinese-speaking communities by deploying volunteers to assist people with voter registration, voter turnout, and language assistance at the polls. The group also organizes legal clinics and citizenship screenings to help non-English proficient residents complete paperwork and access financial support. For more information, call (215) 925-1538, email aau@aaunited.org, or visit their website: https://www.aaunited.org/chinatown-vote 

Black Voters Matter

  • Black Voters Matter is a national nonprofit dedicated to coalition building, voter registration, and voter turnout through community engagement activities in predominantly Black neighborhoods. The organization hosts rallies and resource fairs in Philadelphia throughout the election season. For more information, visit their website: https://blackvotersmatterfund.org/ 

Ceiba – Latino Equitable Development Collective

  • The Ceiba-LEDC coalition of Latino-serving organizations promotes civic education and engagement through nonpartisan programs targeting Latino voters. Contact Ceiba at (215)-634-7245 or visit their website: https://www.ceibaphiladelphia.org/ 

Committee of Seventy

  • The Committee of Seventy educates Philadelphians about voting rights, the democratic process, and how our city government functions. They promote civic participation through in-person and online events, interactive voter guides, summaries of City Council meetings, and more. For more information, call 215-557-3600, email bettergov@seventy.org, or visit their website: https://seventy.org/ 

PA Youth Vote

  • PA Youth Vote engages youth in the civic process through various educational efforts and community events. The organization encourages young people to apply for paid positions as organization ambassadors, canvassers, campaign workers, poll workers, and more. For more information, email info@payouthvote.org or visit their website: https://www.payouthvote.org/ 

The Welcoming Center 

  • English: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) 
  • Español: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) 
  •  (عربى Arabic: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287) 
  • Mandarin (普通話), Cantonese (廣東話), Korean (한국어), Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt), Tagalog, Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)

PA Link: 1 800 753 8827 (older adult voters and voters with disabilities)

PA State Election Bureau: 1-877-VOTESPA (877-868-3772)
National Association for the Deaf: 301-818-8683 (ask questions and get answers in American Sign Language)