When is Election Day?
Election Day is Nov. 5 this year. Polls in Pennsylvania will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and mail-in ballots can be sent in earlier.
Who is on the ballot?
This year is a presidential election year. The Republican Party’s nominee is former President Donald Trump, and the Democratic Party’s nominee is sitting Vice President Kamala Harris. Jill Stein and Chase Oliver are running for the Green Party and Libertarian Party, respectively.
Additionally, Pennsylvania’s 19 congressional seats will be on the ballot, along with the Pennsylvania attorney general, auditor general, and treasurer positions.
State-wide, all 203 seats in the House of Representatives and half of the Senate’s 50 seats will also be determined.
What are the major issues at stake?
Some of the big issues on the ballot involve abortion rights, immigration, health care and taxes.
Susan Liebell, Ph.D., professor of political science, said this election is important for young voters because many of these issues will have lasting impacts.
“These are issues of the future,” Liebell said. “Environmental degradation, climate change, Social Security, all of these are things that affect the future of college students more than they affect me.”
How can you register to vote in Pennsylvania?
You must be at least 18 years old on or before election day, a U.S. citizen for at least one month and a resident of both Pennsylvania and of the election district in which you want to vote for at least one month in order to vote in an election.
Pennsylvania residents can register to vote or update a previous registration through the official website of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The deadline for registration is Oct. 21, 15 days before the election.
What if I’m registered to vote in my home state, but not Pennsylvania?
Students can choose to register either in their home district or, as long as they have lived there for at least 30 days, in their college district.
If you were previously registered in another state but plan to vote in Pennsylvania, you should cancel the previous registration from your home state. Methods of doing this vary by state, but all are laid out on the Election Assistance Commision website. If previously registered in a different district in Pennsylvania, your existing registration will be transferred when you choose to register in your college district.
How can you vote on Election Day?
Voters can either go to their assigned polling location on Election Day or apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot. In-person voters can find their polling location through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania website.
Voters can also send in their votes by mail. The mail-in or absentee ballot application is due to voters’ county election office by Oct. 29 at 5 p.m., and their county election office must receive the completed ballot by Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. Ballots postmarked by Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. but received later will not be counted. Mail-in ballots can be requested by anyone for any reason, while absentee ballots are for those who cannot make it to their polling location on Election Day and require a reason for the request.
Joe Powers, adjunct professor of political science, stressed the importance of checking the deadlines of individual states, especially if you are mailing an absentee ballot to a different state.
Why is Pennsylvania an important state to vote in?
There are a handful of swing states in the U.S., and Pennsylvania is one of them. A swing state is a state whose electoral votes have consistently switched between supporting Republican and Democratic presidential candidates in prior elections. Voting in Pennsylvania is important because Pennsylvania has historically been one of the more unpredictable swing states.
How can I find reliable information about the election?
Powers said because it’s harder than ever to find reliable sources, it is critical to know where your information is coming from.
“There’s so much disinformation and misinformation,” Powers said. “But try to find sources that are real, that are honest, that are objective and act upon that information.”
Gianna Longo ’26, president of the SJU College Republicans, said, along with online resources, there are great resources and people at St. Joe’s to help stay informed and have productive conversations.
“[In] the [political science] department, there’s so many people in there who would clearly love to discuss politics with you,” Longo said. “A lot of my friends are Democrats, and it’s simply great because we both respect each other’s views … so we’re able to have great conversations.”
Why is it important to vote?
Powers said while every election since George Washington’s has been labeled the “most important election,” this one still surpasses the rest.
“It is so important to vote in this election,” Powers said. “This is the most important election we’ve ever had, so please don’t pass up this opportunity [to contribute to] the way this country will be run for probably the next generation.”
Update: This article was updated Sept. 19, 2024 to correct that statewide, not nationally, 203 seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and 25 seats in the Pennsylvania Senate will be on the ballot this November.
