Omar Sabir, chair of the City Commissioners, has already voted in the 2026 Pennsylvania primary election.

The leader of Philadelphia’s three-member election board completed and submitted his mail-ballot Monday morning at the Commissioners’ satellite office in University City.

Voters can now request a mail-in ballot for the May 19 primary; fill it out in a private space; and return it all in a single visit at the election offices, which are situated in each of the 10 City Council districts. Residents can also register to vote at the sites or update their address. 

“I’ve been all across the country, and let me tell you, there is no place like Philadelphia,” Sabir said. “Philadelphia has the most voting access in the country.”

Satellite election offices are open seven days a week through May 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. They are located at 1835 S. Broad St., 6100 Woodland Ave., 4029 Market St., 5610 Lancaster Ave., Unit 400, 2301 N. Broad St., 6420 Frankford Ave., 2739 N. 5th St., 5301 Chew Ave., 6233 N. Broad St., and 1619-1681 Grant Ave., Suite 15 and 16.

Residents can also stop by Room 140 at City Hall for the same services between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

In recent days, the Commissioners have mailed out nearly 75,000 ballots, some of which have already been submitted, Sabir said. He reminded mail voters to put their completed ballots into the yellow secrecy envelope before placing that envelope into the larger return envelope, which must be signed and dated.

Dropboxes, open 24/7, have been set up outside the election offices and in about 20 additional spots. A full list is available at vote.phila.gov. Ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on the day of the election.

Philadelphians are selecting their party’s nominees for the U.S. House of Representatives, governor, lieutenant governor, state senate (in even-numbered districts), state representative and party committee members, along with weighing in on a pair of proposed city charter changes.

Pennsylvania runs closed primaries, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans can have a say on the nominees. Independents and those belonging to third parties can vote on the ballot questions.

Monday, May 4, is the final day to register to vote in the upcoming primary. Individuals can file the necessary form online at pavoterservices.pa.gov. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Tuesday, May 12, at 5 p.m. The application is also available on the same state website.

The Commissioners intend to open hundreds of polling places across Philadelphia for in-person voting on Election Day, May 19.

“As people are trying to stop people from voting, we want to make voting more accessible and easy for everyone,” Sabir told reporters.

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