Independents Will Not Be Allowed To Vote At Municipal Primary Election May 16

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – Voters who are currently registered as an Independent/Non-Partisan or with any minor political party (i.e. Green, Libertarian, Constitutional, etc.) will NOT be able to vote for any candidate at the upcoming Municipal Primary to be held May 16. This includes the offices of statewide judges, county row offices and local municipal offices, including school directors, township supervisors and councilpersons. Pennsylvania has a closed primary voting system which allows only registered Democrats and Republicans to be able to vote for their party’s candidates in the primary.

Those who wish to vote for any of these offices will need to change their party affiliation to either Democratic or Republican prior to May 1 by doing one of the following. Voters may also submit a change of name and/or address.

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

1. Online at www.vote.pa.gov/register, which is available in both English and Spanish.

2. In person at the Franklin County Voter Registration Office at 272 N. Second St., Chambersburg, from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday.

3. By mail in one of two ways:

• Obtain a state or federal voter registration mail application from a candidate, political party or other federal, state or municipal office.  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, or from the Franklin County website, www.franklincountypa.gov.

IMPORTANT:  If you are already registered and just 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 obtaining or updating 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
• County 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 Municipal Primary is May 1. If your application is received or postmarked after that date, it will be processed for the 2023 Municipal Election in November. Once the application is processed, you will receive a voter registration card in the mail, which will notate the location of your polling place.

Any questions concerning updating a voter’s registration information should be directed to the Franklin County Voter Registration Office at 717-261-3886 or the Franklin County Election Board at 717-261-3810. Additional election and voter registration information is available on the county’s website, www.franklincountypa.gov.

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