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League of Women Voters--Know Your County

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ELECTIONS
In a democratic society, elections are held to give people an opportunity to make their own choices of lawmakers and administrators, and to express their judgment on questions touching their own government. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, elections are held as follows:

General Election (national and state offices): Held in all even numbered years on the Tuesday next following the first Monday of November.

Municipal Election (county and/or local offices): Held in all odd numbered years on the Tuesday next following the first Monday in November.

Primary Election: Held on the third Tuesday of May in all years except presidential years, when it is held on the fourth Tuesday of April.

Primary elections are party elections and their purpose is to nominate candidates of a political party for elections to any office to be voted upon at the General or Municipal Election. A voter who has registered for a party must state party preference at a Primary Election and is permitted to vote only for the candidates of that party. However, this does not interfere with voting for a candidate of any party in the General or Municipal Election. At a Primary Election, voters registered as independent may vote on issues included on the ballot only.

bulletQualifications for Becoming a Candidate

A candidate must be: a resident of the district in which he wishes to run for office; a registered voter; willing to take a loyalty oath (except for federal offices, i.e.. President, Vice President, Senator and Congressman).

A candidate must follow this procedure: Pick up a petition for circulation from the Voter Registration Office, Municipal Building, 400 South Eighth Street, Lebanon. The petition must be signed by a specified number of registered members of candidate's party (varies with the office) to have his name printed on the Primary ballot as a candidate for local office. The petition must be filed with the County Board of Elections not later than 70 days prior to the Primary. The petition may not be circulated prior to 22 days before the final filing date. For most local offices that carry compensation, the filing fee varies with the office, ranging from $5.00 to $100.00.

A qualified citizen is also considered a candidate if his or her name is written in on a ballot on Election Day. If no name appears for an office on the Primary ballot, "write-ins" equal to the number of required petition signers can place the candidate's name on the General Election ballot. Sufficient numbers of "write in" votes could elect such a candidate.

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QUALIFICATIONS FOR VOTING IN PENNSYLVANIA

To vote, a person must be: 18 years of age by the day after election; a citizen of the United States for at least one month; a resident of the state thirty (30) days immediately preceding the election; and registered in the county's Voters Registration Office.

Qualified voters who move from one election district to another within the State within thirty (30) days prior to an election may vote at such election in the election district from which they moved.

bulletABSENTEE VOTING

Applications for Absentee Ballots must be received in the Voter Registration Office not earlier than fifty (50) days before the election and not later than 5:00 P.M. of the first Tuesday prior to the day of the election (except in cases of emergency). Applications may be made in person or by mail (requests for official application forms for absentee ballots are obtained from the County Board of Elections or Voter Registration Office, Municipal Building, Lebanon, PA).

Absentee ballots must be received by the County Board of Elections no later than 5:00 P.M. on the Friday immediately preceding Election Day.

bulletMILITARY ABSENTEE BALLOTS

Any qualified elector of the State who is in the military service of the United States is entitled to vote by Absentee Ballot, whether or not he is registered or enrolled.

bulletVETERANS' ABSENTEE BALLOTS

Any qualified bedridden or hospitalized veteran absent from the state or county of his voting residence and unable to attend his polling place because of such illness or physical disability, regardless of whether he is registered or enrolled, may apply for an Absentee Ballot.