Voting Matters Campaign
Pitt Athletics encourages voter registration, voter education and voter participation for all student-athletes coaches and staff.
Registering to vote is an important part of being a civically engaged citizen. No matter what state you want to vote in, you can use pittvotes.turbovote.org/ to register. Enter your information into Turbovote and you'll have the relevant voting day details based on your registered address.
General Election: Tuesday, Nov 3, 2020
Last day to register to vote: Oct 19, 2020 (in Pennsylvania)
Last day to request an absentee ballot: Oct 27, 2020 (in Pennsylvania)
Register to Vote
To vote in Pennsylvania, you must register to vote at least 15 days before the election. You can register to vote online, by mail, or at a number of government agencies, including Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Photo License and Driver's License Centers. Updating Your Registration
If you are already registered to vote in Pennsylvania, you do not have to register again unless you need to change your name, address, or political party.
How to update your registration
Check to see if you are registered to vote
Notify the county where you are registered if you move out of state
Information about voting for:
College students
Military and civilian overseas voters
People who have been convicted of a felony or are in jail
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Learn your state’s voting laws. What do you need to do to register? Do you need to be registered with a political party to vote in a primary election? What identification will you need at a polling place? If you want to vote early or prefer, because of the pandemic, to vote from home, what are your state’s rules around voting by mail?
You don’t want to deal with these issues in the final days before an election — and run into a problem that you can’t solve in time. The Fair Elections Center offers an annually updated guide to each state’s voting laws.
Make a voting plan. Social scientists have found that people who were asked to come up with a specific plan, including when and where they would vote, were significantly more likely to cast a ballot. Announcing your plan to others, in person or on social media, is a good way to hold yourself accountable.
Use peer pressure. Telling others about your voting plan can also remind them to vote. And if you’re willing to be a bit bold, ask your friends what their voting plan is. Then follow up and ask if they kept to it. Academic researchers and advocates believe those questions really do influence behavior.
Excerpt from New York Times article How to Get Involved, Politically (June 9, 2020)
HOW TO VOTE
In effect for the 2020 primary election is a mail-in ballot option. Mail-in ballots offer an additional option for voters who are unable to make it to the polls or do not qualify for absentee ballots. Both mail-in and absentee ballots must be received by the county election office by 8pm on election day.
Absentee Ballots: If you plan to be out of the municipality on election day or if you have a disability or illness, you can request an absentee ballot. Applications to receive an absentee ballot for the 2020 primary election must be received by your County Election Office by 5 p.m. on April 21, 2020. Complete the online application.
Mail-In Ballots: If you aren’t an absentee voter, you may apply for a mail-in ballot. Voters will not be required to list a reason for submitting this ballot type. This ballot type is suited for any person who wishes to submit their vote without visiting a polling place. Applications to receive a mail-in ballot for the 2020 primary election must be received by your County Election Office by 5pm on April 21, 2020.
RESOURCES
- Register to Vote at Turbovote
- Check your registration status
- Vote by Mail
- Get voting reminders
- Check state-by-state registration deadlines
- Where to Vote (Off Campus)
- Complete the 2020 Census