A Voter Registration and Mail-In Ballot Guide for Germantowners

Important Dates

October 18th is the last day to register before the November election.
October 26th is the last day to apply for a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot. Applications must be received by 8 PM.
November 2nd is the last day for the County Board of Elections to receive mail-in and absentee ballots. Residents must submit ballots by 8 PM–postmarks may not be honored.
November 2nd is the Municipal Election.

Registering to Vote

By law, to register to vote in Philadelphia, you must be:

18 years of age on or before the day of the next election.
A citizen of the U.S. for at least one month before the next election.
A resident of Philadelphia and your election district for at least 30 days before the next election.

There are four ways to register to vote.

Register to Vote by Mail

You can visit public libraries, U.S. Post Offices, state liquor stores, and other state government offices to find voter registration applications.

You can also print out a paper application by visiting the Philadelphia Votes website and choosing your preferred language (16 available).

All applications should be signed and delivered to:

520 N. Columbus Blvd

5th Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19123

Mon-Fri, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

(215) 686-1590

Register to Vote In Person

Philadelphia County Board of Elections

Room 142 City Hall

Philadelphia, PA 19107

Mon-Fri, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

(215) 686-3469

Register to Vote at PennDOT

You can register to vote at your local PA Department of Transportation photo license center when you obtain a photo identification card or a driver’s license.

Germantown’s nearest PennDOT is located at:

7121 Ogontz Ave

Philadelphia, PA 19138

Tues-Sat, 8:30 AM to 4:15 PM

Register to Vote Online

Visit the PA Voter Services website to fill out and submit an online voter registration application.

You must update your voter registration if you:

had a name change (married or divorced)
wish to change political party affiliation
Move or change your address.

You can check the status of your registration by visiting the PA Voter Services website.

Mail-In and Absentee Ballots

Mail-In ballots are available to any qualified voter without reason. Absentee ballots are for residents who plan to be out of the municipality on election day. Absentee ballots are also for disabled or chronically ill persons who cannot make it to their polling places on the day of the election. You must be registered to vote to receive either ballot type.

There are three different ways to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot.

Apply Online

Use your PA Driver’s License or PennDOT ID number to apply here. Suppose you don’t have either of those ID numbers. In that case, you will need to provide the last four digits of your Social Security number and upload your signature or download a paper application and mail it to your County Board of Elections.

Apply by Mail

If you have a printer at home, you can print a mail-in or absentee ballot application at home using the following links:

If you don’t have a printer at home, you can have an application mailed to you by completing an online request form. You can also request a paper application from your county election board, emailing ra-voterreg@pa.gov, or calling 1-877-VOTESPA (868-3772).

All applications must be received by 5 PM on October 25th. Please send them to the Philadelphia County Board of Elections (refer to the top for address).

Apply In Person

You can apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot in person by visiting the Philadelphia County Board of Elections.

You can check the status of your mail-in and absentee ballot here.

Ballot Drop Boxes

After you receive your mail-in and absentee ballots, you should fill them out as soon as possible and return them to the Philadelphia County Board of Elections. Ballots can additionally be dropped off at various locations near Germantown before or by 8 PM on November 2nd. Locations include:

Pleasant Playground

305 Slocum Street

Philadelphia, PA 19119

(Wheelchair Accessible)

Kendrick Recreation Center

5800 Ridge Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19128

(Wheelchair Accessible)

Stenton Playground

4600 N. 16th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19140

(Wheelchair Accessible)

To obtain more information and assistance with completing an absentee ballot, including emergency absentee ballots, application assistance completion, and alternative ballots for disabled persons and people over 65, visit the Philadelphia Votes website.

Polling Places

Polling places will be open on Tuesday, November 2nd, from 7 AM to 8 PM. You can find your nearest polling place by visiting the city’s Atlas website or calling the Philadelphia Voter Registration Office at (215) 686-1590.

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The information from this article was collected from the PA State voting website and the Philadelphia Votes website.