More: How to vote in Pennsylvania if a mail ballot does not arrive on time<\/a><\/p>\n The state also provides information on intimidation, harassment or discriminatory conduct at the state’s several thousand polling locations. That conduct is illegal and should be reported to a polling place\u2019s judge of elections.<\/p>\n Voters are encouraged to know their rights before voting in the May 19 primary election.<\/p>\n Here are some important tips from the Department of State regarding\u00a0voter rights<\/a>\u00a0in Pennsylvania:<\/p>\n Only first-time voters, or those voting for the first time in a new precinct, must show ID.\u00a0Acceptable ID<\/a>\u00a0includes both photo and non-photo ID. Registered first-time voters who do not bring ID to the polls can return with identification or must be offered a\u00a0provisional ballot.<\/a><\/p>\n Voters who applied for and received\u00a0a mail ballot and then decide they want to\u00a0vote at the polls\u00a0<\/a>must bring their mail ballot, including the outer return envelope, with them to be voided.<\/p>\n If a voter applied for a mail ballot but did\u00a0not return it and no longer has the mail ballot and outer envelope, they may vote by\u00a0provisional ballot\u00a0at their polling place on\u00a0primary\u00a0day. Their\u00a0county board of elections<\/a>\u00a0will then make a determination as to whether their provisional ballot can be counted.<\/p>\n If a voter applied for a mail ballot but never received it, they should vote by\u00a0provisional ballot\u00a0at the polls. Their\u00a0county board of elections\u00a0will then make a determination as to whether their provisional ballot can be counted.<\/p>\n Election 2026: These are races to watch in Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary<\/a><\/p>\n If a voter’s name is not in the poll book, poll workers can call the county board of elections to see if the voter is registered in another precinct in the county. Registered voters who are in the wrong polling place should go to the correct\u00a0polling place<\/a>\u00a0to vote, but\u00a0a\u00a0voter who believes they are registered in that precinct and should be listed in the poll book\u00a0is entitled to\u00a0cast a\u00a0provisional ballot there.<\/p>\n Voters who moved within Pennsylvania but did not update their address in time before the election may vote one more time in their previous precinct,\u00a0but\u00a0they must update their address at the polling place.<\/p>\n If a voter is challenged\u00a0based on their\u00a0identity or residency, the voter may vote normally by signing a challenge affidavit\u00a0and\u00a0producing a witness who is also a registered voter in the precinct to vouch for them. If the voter cannot or does not want to produce a witness, the voter may cast a\u00a0provisional ballot. Identity and\u00a0residency\u00a0are the only bases for challenging a voter at a polling place.<\/p>\n Voters have the right to\u00a0assistance at the polling place<\/a>, including foreign language or literacy assistance. A voter may select any person to assist\u00a0as long as\u00a0the person is not their employer, their union representative or the judge of elections. Voters do not need to be designated as \u201cassistance permitted\u201d in the poll book to receive help. A person who wants assistance will be asked to sign an Assistance Declaration at the precinct unless the poll book already indicates “assistance permitted.”<\/p>\n Voters have the right to refuse assistance.<\/p>\n Voters have the right to vote without being subjected\u00a0to\u00a0intimidation,\u00a0harassment\u00a0or discriminatory conduct<\/a>.\u00a0A voter who experiences intimidation should report it to\u00a0the judge of elections, their\u00a0county\u00a0board of\u00a0elections,\u00a0their\u00a0county district\u00a0attorney’s office or the Department of State’s voter hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772).<\/p>\n The Department of State’s\u00a0website\u00a0can help voters with election-related questions and information, including:<\/p>\n More than 853,000 Pennsylvania voters had applied for a mail ballot by the second week of May, with more than 519,000 having already been returned, according to the state department’s Daily Mail Ballot Report.<\/a> The spreadsheet shows county-by-county data on mail ballot applications including a breakdown by party.<\/p>\n Mark Walters is the USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania statehouse reporter. Reach him at mwalters@usatodayco.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Voters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/e7478936032337221eb9e3a8a9f68a38.jpeg\"\/)
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