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Maintains records of voter registration and prepares for and conducts all elections in the County of Berks. |
Elections > Services > Voter Registration
Qualifications to Vote in PA
In order to qualify as a registered voter:
- You must be a citizen of the United States for at least one month.
- You must be a resident of Pennsylvania and your election district for at least 30 days before the next election.
- You must be 18 years of age or older on the day of the next election to vote.
- You must NOT be in prison for the conviction of a felony.
- In order to vote in any specific election, you must be registered 30 days prior to that election. If your voter registration form is complete, your registration is effective 10 days after processing by the Department of Elections. If you do NOT receive a Voter Notification Card, contact the Elections Department.
- If you wish to receive an absentee ballot by mail, a written application must be received by the Department of Elections at least seven days before the election. The absentee ballot must be returned by the close of business on the Friday before the election.
- You must re-register whenever you move, in order to protect all of your rights as a voter and potential nomination petition signer.
If you have not yet registered, or need to re-register, you can pick up the appropriate form in person at the Department of Elections, most State and County government agencies, post offices, banks, and Pennsylvania Wine & Spirits Shoppes (State Stores). All of these sources are supposed to have registration forms on hand. Since you are already a web surfer, you may also download and print the Adobe Acrobat format form below.
Please remember to include a full residential address and a mailing address, if different, when filling out a Voter Registration Application by mail. We can no longer accept Rural Route addresses or P.O. boxes for voter registration. A house number and street or road name are required. If you get your mail at another address, we need that one, too.
Once completed and signed, the Voter Registration Application can be dropped off at the Department of Elections or returned by mail. Changes of address or new voter applications can be accomplished at PennDOT drivers license centers.
Warning: As of Jan. 1, 2003, under the Federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, all new registrations must include your PA driver's license number if you have a valid PA driver's license. You may only use the the last four digits of your Social Security Number if you do not have a PA driver's license. Please include them under your signature on the form below. Otherwise you may be ineligible to vote in the 2004 Presidential Election. The forms will be updated soon, but the obligation to provide the information is included as of 1/1/03.
PLEASE NOTE: This is for printing and mailing only! It is not possible in Pennsylvania to register online! Please mail the completed form to Berks County Election Services, Berks County Courthouse, 633 Court Street, Reading, PA 19601
