How to Vote Early (and in a pandemic) in Philadelphia

Exercising your right to vote it the most important thing you can do. Here’s what to know in Philly.

Voting is the most important thing you can do for the environment. (Yes, really!)

Here’s how to vote in Philadelphia (and some rules in PA).

How to vote in 2020

Early Voting Locations in Philadelphia & How it Works

According to Billy Penn, you can drop off your mail-in ballot (or request a ballot and vote “in person”) from Tuesday, September 29th. Here are their instructions:

Expected to open at 15 locations across Philadelphia, the satellites will essentially be all-in-one voting centers, according to City Commissioner Chair Lisa Deeley. They’ll add to the two existing County Board of Election offices at City Hall and on Spring Garden Street, which will offer the same services.

Six satellites plus the City Hall office will open Tuesday, Sept. 29. The others will open in stages, as the City Commissioners work out staffing.

When you visit, you’ll be able to register, request a mail ballot, fill it out, seal it in the secrecy envelope, place that in the outer envelope and sign your name, and then return it — all in one trip. Voters can visit any of the locations; you don’t need to find the one nearest your home address.

Voters who already requested mail ballots can also use these satellite offices to drop off sealed ballots. If you applied earlier in the year and still haven’t received your mail ballot by Oct. 6, you can request a new one, in person, at the satellite offices. (Make sure to trash the other one if it does eventually arrive.)

They’re mostly located inside public schools, and will be open seven days a week, with hours of 11:30 a.m. Monday to Thursday, and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Check the map and table below for address details. The larger green checkmarks represent the seven locations that will open first.

Location	Address	Open date (if known)
City Hall Room 140	1400 John F Kennedy Blvd, 19107	Sept. 29
Riverview Place, 1st Floor	520 N Columbus Blvd, 19123
George Washington High School	10175 Bustleton Ave, 19116	Sept. 29
Joseph H. Brown School	3600 Stanwood St, 19136
Harding Middle School	2000 Wakeling Street, 19124
J Hampton Moore School	6900 Summerdale Ave, 19111
The Liacouras Center	1776 N Broad St, 19121	Sept. 29
A. B. Day School	6324 Crittenden St, 19138
Roxborough High School	6498 Ridge Ave, 19128	Sept. 29
Mastbaum High School	3116 Frankford Ave, 19134
Creative And Performing Arts	901 S Broad St, 19147
Tilden Middle School	6601 Elmwood Ave, 19142	Sept. 29
Feltonville Intermediate School	238 E Wyoming Ave, 19120
Julia De Burgos Elementary	401 W Lehigh Ave, 19133	Sept. 29
Julia Ward Howe School	5800 N 13Th St, 19141
Alain Locke School	4550 Haverford Ave, 19139
Overbrook Elementary School	2032 N 62Nd St, 19151	Sept. 29

*Section republished with permission of Billy Penn.

Mail-In Ballot

Important: In order for mail ballots to count, they must be enclosed in the special secrecy envelope that fits within the regular envelope.

If you’d like to vote by mail, you can request a mail-in ballot online, receive it in the mail, and mail it back.

You must request the mail-in ballot by 10/27 at 5 PM. However, due to slow-downs from the USPS, request it ASAP if you want to mail in your ballot without traveling far from your house.

Important!! YOU MUST USE THE SECRECY ENVELOPE for your vote to be counted!

According to Billy Penn, about 270,000 Philadelphia voters have applied for mail-in ballots to date. The deadline for the city to them has been extended to 5 p.m. on Nov. 6, the Friday following Election Day, for any ballots sent through the mail on or before Nov. 3.

Vote in Person

You can vote in-person in Philadelphia on November 3rd. Find your polling location here.

You do not need to show photo ID in Pennsylvania. If you’re a first-time voter in a certain district, you have to provide some sort of identification, but not necessarily photo ID. Here’s the 411 on that.

Still have questions?

Equally Informed Philly is here to get you answers to your voting questions, sent right to your phone. Text EQUALINFO to 73224 for a personalized answer, like where to find the nearest polling location to you.

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