CHAMBERSBURG – The Franklin County Election Board provides answers to voters’ most frequently asked questions ahead of Pennsylvania’s presidential election Nov. 5.
What time do polls open and close on Election Day?
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., Nov. 5. Registered voters who are in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
Where do I go to vote?
There are 73 polling places within Franklin County. Voters need to vote at the polling place assigned to them based on their home address. Polling place locations are listed on voters’ registration cards and can be verified at www.pavoterservices.pa.gov. This website can also provide directions from voters’ homes to their polling places.
Have any polling place locations changed since the last election?
The Hamilton 2 polling place is now located at the Christian Life Church, 1400 Warm Spring Rd., Chambersburg. The Metal 2 polling place is now located at Metal Township Fire and Ambulance, 10862 Path Valley Rd., Fannettsburg. Voters in the Greene 4 precinct will be voting at St. Paul Lutheran Church at 44 E. Main St., Fayetteville, for the Nov. 5 election only. The county anticipates voting will return to the Fayetteville Fire Hall in 2025. Additionally, some voters in Chambersburg Borough may be voting in new precincts. These changes stem from the borough’s recent reapportionment of its ward boundaries to reflect census data on the borough’s current population. Voters who are impacted and moved to other districts should have received a new voter registration card in the mail, as well as a notice notifying them of their new polling location. The Borough of Chambersburg also included information on this redistricting project in its October utility bill mailing.
If I received an absentee or mail-in ballot, what is the deadline to return the voted ballot and where can I return it in person?
The deadline to return voted ballots is 8 p.m. Nov. 5. Voters should mail their voted ballots soon as possible so the Franklin County Voter Registration Office has ample time to receive them through U.S. mail; postmarks of Nov. 5 will not count. Voters who are concerned about their ballots arriving on time can hand deliver their own voted ballots in person to the Franklin County Voter Registration Office, 272 N. Second St., Chambersburg. To hand deliver a ballot for another voter, the voter must complete a Designated Agent Authorization Form, available on the Franklin County website, www.franklincountypa.gov, or at the Franklin County Voter Registration Office. Voted ballots will not be accepted at a voter’s polling place.
For whom do I vote?
Offices on the Nov 5. ballot include U.S. president, U.S. senator, state attorney general, state auditor general, state treasurer, representative in Congress, senator in the General Assembly and representative in the General Assembly. A sample ballot is available on the Franklin County website, www.franklincountypa.gov. Paper sample ballots are available at the Franklin County Commissioners’ Office, 272 N. Second St., Chambersburg.
Do I need to show ID?
First-time voters, voters who are voting in a new election district for the first time and voters who have changed their registration information since the last election are required to show either valid photo or non-photo identification before being issued a ballot. This is the only time voters are required to show ID; no other voters will be asked to present identification. The following are approved forms of photo identification:
- ● PA Driver’s License or PennDOT ID Card
- ● ID issued by the federal government
- ● ID issued by any Commonwealth of Pennsylvania agency
- ● U.S. passport
- ● U.S. Armed Forces ID
- ● Student ID
- ● Employee ID The following are approved forms of non-photo identification that must include a voter’s name and address:
- ● Voter Identification Card issued by the Voter Registration Commission
- ● Non-photo ID issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- ● Non-photo ID issued by the federal government
- ● Firearm permit
- ● Current bank statement
- ● Current utility bill
- ● Current paycheck
- ● Government check Is my polling place handicapped accessible? All 73 Franklin County polling places are considered handicapped accessible. May I receive assistance in voting? Voters are allowed to receive assistance in voting if their registration record indicates the need for assistance, or the voter completes and signs a declaration of the need for assistance at the polling place prior to entering the voting booth. Voters may select anyone to assist them except the judge of elections, the voter’s employer or an agent of that employer or an officer or agent of the voter’s union. Each polling place will have a magnifier available to assist voters who may have trouble reading their ballots.
Are candidates allowed to pass out or display campaign literature at polling places?
The Election Code states that those individuals or candidates who are campaigning must remain at least 10 feet from the entrance of the polling place during the process of voting.
Am I allowed to display or wear any type of political attire or items with a candidate’s name on it in the polls?
The Franklin County Election Board reminds all voters that no electioneering is allowed within a polling place. This includes the display of candidate names on buttons, signs or clothing within the polling place as well as items advocating a political party, etc. Voters will be asked to remove the item or to cover it while in the polling place.
Where can I find information about the candidates that will be appearing on the ballot?
For more information, read local newspapers, search online, or contact either the Franklin County Democratic Committee or the Franklin County Republican Committee.
Who do I contact with questions regarding voting or the Election Day process?
All voter registration questions should be directed to the Franklin County Voter Registration Office at 717-261-3886. All election-related questions should be directed to the Franklin County Election Board at 717-261-3812. Additional election and voter registration information is available on the Franklin County website, www.franklincountypa.gov.
Where can I view election results?
Franklin County results will be available on the county’s website, www.franklincountypa.gov. To view results from other counties or for the entire state, voters may visit www.pavoterservices.pa.gov. For additional information on Franklin County, readers may visit www.franklincountypa.gov.
