VOTING IS OUR SACRED DUTY!

The Pennsylvania Midterm Election Is November 8—Everything You Need to Know to Vote

Voting Has Started: Commit to Report Problems with Voting

Behavioral science studies show that humans are motivated to do what other people around them are doing. A reminder to vote can make all the difference, especially when it comes from a friend. Please consider reaching out to friends and family to encourage them to register and to vote.

If you have additional resources you believe may be helpful for this resource page, please send them to s.strauss@pachurches.org.

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Principles and Our Civic Responsibilities as People of Faith

Exercising Your Right to Vote

Protecting Your Right to Vote

Other and General Resources for Voters

Voter Guides

PRINCIPLES AND OUR CIVIC RESPONSIBILITIES AS PEOPLE OF FAITH

Our Principles for Public Advocacy speaks to our responsibilities for engaging in civic society—responsibilities that we hold sacred as Christians and people of faith:

We believe that scripture is teeming with stories of people of faith accepting the challenge of God’s call to speak truth to power and step into the political world. Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other Hebrew prophets confronted the power structures of their day to demand change in how the people were ruled. In the early church, Paul lectured on the duties of citizenship. Church reformers and leaders like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Wesley took these scriptural imperatives to heart…

We believe that all persons should have a voice in government at all levels— including the right to vote—and that access not be limited because of situational factors such as economic disadvantages or distance, or demographic characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, religious affiliation, disability, or sexual orientation.

We have worked for and will continue to work for voting rules that expand access, rather than limit or erect barriers to voting. In a year where some are seeking ways to suppress the vote and to disenfranchise significant sectors of our population, this work is more important than ever.

We provide this resource for all citizens—all who have a stake in the outcomes in this 2022 General Election. We emphasize that it is not solely one election, whether the president, governor, etc. that will affect us, but it is every election. It is the outcomes at the local, county and state levels that will most affect our daily lives, so it is our responsibility to cast informed votes at every level of government. All elections are important, but for many, like in 2020, it feels as if this year’s election holds particular importance as we are witnessing a time unlike anything we have ever experienced before.

VOTING IS OUR SACRED DUTY. We urge you to vote, to encourage and empower others to vote, and to consider volunteering in some capacity on Election Day by driving people to polls, being a poll worker, or serving as a poll watcher.

EXERCISING YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE

The “Ready to Vote Toolkit” provides a wide range of information for Pennsylvania voters: https://www.votespa.com/readytovote/Pages/ReadytoVoteToolkit.aspx

Register to vote (last day May 3, 2021): https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/VoterRegistrationApplication.aspx

This page provides all you need to know to get registered. You are eligible to vote if you: (1) are a U.S. citizen (for new citizens, it must be for at least 30 days prior to November 8); (2) will be 18 by November 8; and (3) a resident of Pennsylvania at least 30 days before November 8. Felons confined in prisons are not eligible, but those who are incarcerated for misdemeanors are. Returning citizens (regardless of charge) are eligible to vote in Pennsylvania.

Check your voter registration: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/pages/voterregistrationstatus.aspx

This should be done no later than October 23, 2022 (and preferably sooner) so that you can get registered or make corrections by the October 24, 2022 deadline. Checking your status can help to ensure that you are on the voting roll and able to vote in the November 8, 2022 general election.

Mail-in or absentee voting: https://www.votespa.com/Voting-in-PA/Pages/Mail-and-Absentee-Ballot.aspx

All Pennsylvania voters are now eligible to vote by mail. You are encouraged to use this service as a means of protecting yourself and avoiding delays at the polls on election day.

      • The deadline to apply for a ballot is 5 pm on November 1
      • The deadline for voted ballots to be received is 8 pm on November 8 (election day)—postmarks are not enough

Because of delays due to changes in the U.S. Postal Service, we encourage you to APPLY NOW (applications available in English or Spanish), and to return your ballot AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE IT. Application may be made online, by mail, or in person.

You must make sure to mail your ballot as early as possible. Ballots received after 8 pm on November 8, 2022 will not be counted.

You must follow the instructions for submitting your ballot scrupulously: (1) Mark your ballot, following the instructions; (2) Place your ballot in the secrecy envelope, then place the secrecy envelope in the official envelope—MAKE SURE TO SIGN THE DECLARATION and include the date, or your ballot may not count; (3) Mail your ballot as early as possible, or your ballot can be dropped off at your county’s Board of Elections if you are concerned that it will not arrive by the 11/8/22 8 pm deadline—find your county’s Board of Elections office at https://www.votespa.com/Resources/Pages/Contact-Your-Election-Officials.aspx.

You can track the status of your ballot online! Tracking can be done at https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/BallotTracking.aspx.

If you plan to vote in-person on November 8, 2022:

Some counties have new voting systems—learn about voting systems in your county: https://www.votespa.com/readytovote/Pages/default.aspx#inperson

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PROTECTING YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE

Election Protection Hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)

This line is staffed by legal experts to provide help in the event of suppression tactics, confusing laws, outdated infrastructure, and other impediments to voting. Voters can be informed of their rights, elections officials can receive help for problems in real time, and legal teams can be notified when the courts’ interference is needed. For more information on this hotline: https://www.commoncause.org/voting-tools/get-help-voting/

Become an Election Protection Volunteer: https://protectthevote.net/

Volunteer to be a Poll Worker: https://www.votespa.com/resources/pages/be-a-poll-worker.aspx

This is needed more than ever as threats have created a shortage of poll workers . There is a need for new workers throughout Pennsylvania. Please consider serving in this capacity if you feel called to do so.

OTHER AND GENERAL RESOURCES FOR VOTERS

VOTER GUIDES

Updated 11/2/22