Upon signing a new lease in Philadelphia, renters soon will receive information explaining how they can register to vote or update their existing voter registrations.

A new bill unanimously approved by City Council on Thursday updates the city’s handbook on good housing to include a link to the How to Register page on the City Commissioner’s website. Landlords are required to provide new tenants with a copy of this handbook and a certificate stating the property is suitable to live in. The update to the handbook is intended to ensure residents vote at the polling places connected to their new addresses.

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Tenants must sign a form saying that they’ve received a copy of the handbook. The How to Register page provides information on how to register, check one’s registration status and register to vote by mail. Residents must have lived in their election districts for at least 30 days prior to Election Day before they can vote using their new addresses. 

Approximately 47% of housing in Philadelphia is renter-occupied and the city saw a 2.5% increase in renters from 2010 to 2020, the Economy League reported. But Councilmember Nina Ahmad, who introduced the legislation, said renters often move multiple times, neglect to update their addresses and “fall off the voter rolls.”

“The bill meets people where they are and makes updating registration easy when people move in the city,” Ahmad said during Thursday’s meeting. 

The legislation takes effect Nov. 16. The city’s handbook will be updated with the new information before that deadline. 

According to the Philadelphia Commissioner’s Office, 1.062 million of Philadelphia’s 1.6 million residents are registered to vote. However, turnout remains an issue. Only 65% of registered voters took part in the November 2024 election, down 1.3% from the 2020 election, the Inquirer reported.Â