Independents Not Able To Vote At General Primary Election

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – If you are currently registered as an Independent/Non-Partisan or with any minor political party (i.e. Green, Libertarian, Constitutional, etc.), you will NOT be able to vote for any candidate at the upcoming General Primary to be held on May 17. This includes the offices of the U.S. Senator, Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Representative in Congress, Representative in the General Assembly as well as state and local party committee positions. Pennsylvania has a closed primary voting system, which allows only registered Democrats and Republicans to be able to vote for their parties’ candidates in the primary.

If you wish to vote for any of these offices, you will need to change your party affiliation to either Democrat or Republican prior to May 2 by doing one of the following. You may also submit your change of name and/or address.

How do I submit my change of name, address or party affiliation?

1) Submit the change online by going to www.vote.pa.gov/register, which is available in both English and Spanish.

2) Visit the Franklin County Voter Registration Office, located in the new Administration Building, 272 N. Second St., Chambersburg, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

3) By mail in one of two ways:

• Obtain a state or federal voter registration mail application from a candidate, political party and other Federal, state and municipal offices. You may also request one from the Department of State’s website, www.vote.pa.gov
• Download the voter registration application available from the Department of State’s website, www.vote.pa.gov, from Franklin County’s website, www.franklincountypa.gov.

IMPORTANT: If you are already registered and only need to update your information, you will need to check the applicable box(es) on the voter registration form to either change name, change address and/or change party.

4) Apply at the Department of Transportation photo license center when you obtain or update your driver’s license.

5) Apply at a government agency. Clients of these government agencies may apply to register to vote or make a change to their registration at:

• State offices that provide public assistance and services to persons with disabilities
• Armed Forces Recruitment Centers
• Franklin County’s Clerk of Courts Office
• Area Agencies on Aging and county mental health/intellectual disabilities offices
• Centers for independent living

What is the deadline to change my name, address and/or party on my voter registration?

The deadline to apply for a Change of Name, Address and/or Party or to make a New Registration for the upcoming General Primary is May 2. If your application is received or postmarked after that date, it will be processed for the 2022 General Election in November. Once the application is processed, each voter will receive a voter registration card in the mail which will notate the location of his or her polling place.

Any questions concerning updating a voter’s registration information should be directed to the Voter Registration Office at 717-261-3886 or the Franklin County Election Board at 717-261-3810. You will also find additional election and voter registration information at the County’s website, www.franklincountypa.gov.

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