Are you ready to cast your ballot? Everything Bucks County voters need to know

Bucks County voters will have a chance to choose their local government officials and court judges on Election Day.

Polls open at 7 a.m. on Nov. 7 so the roughly 470,700 registered voters in Bucks County can cast ballots for several races across 54 municipalities and 13 school districts.

Here’s everything you need to know if you’re planning to vote on Election Day:

What’s on the ballot?

Sample ballots for each of Bucks County’s 304 voting precincts are available online at the county’s website.

Voters will choose two of the three County Commissioner seats this year along with four county row officers.

The row office races this year are for the Register of Wills, Treasurer, Clerk of Courts and Coroner.

Voters will also choose their local magisterial district judges, one county Court of Common Pleas judge seat, one state Commonwealth Court judge, two Superior Court judges and one state Supreme Court justice. Voters will also decide whether to retain two state Superior Court judges and one county Court of Common Pleas judge.

Township supervisor and borough council member elections will be found in every town. Some municipal races will be divided into regions or wards, and only the voters living in those areas can cast a ballot for those races.

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Similarly, every school district has board director seats on the ballot either “at large” or in specific regions.

The best way to check what races will be on your ballot is to check your voting precinct’s sample ballot on the county's website before Election Day.

How do I find my polling place?

The Pennsylvania Department of State has a website for voters to look up their precinct at www.pavoterservices.pa.gov.

A list of all Bucks polling places can also be found at www.buckscounty.gov.

How do I check my voter registration status?

The state department’s website also has a tool to look up a voter’s registration status by name, driver’s license or PennDOT ID card.

It's too late to register for this election — the deadline was Oct. 23 — but new voters who register now can cast ballots in future elections.

Can I request a mail-in ballot?

The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Oct. 31. Any voter who has not requested a mail-in ballot by then must vote in person on Election Day.

More information on requesting a mail-in ballot can be found at the county’s Board of Elections website at www.buckscounty.gov or at www.pavoterservices.pa.gov.

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What’s the deadline to cast a mail-in ballot?

All mail-in ballots must be received by the county’s Board of Elections by 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. Postmarked mailed envelopes received after that deadline will not be counted.

Mail-in ballots must also be put inside the secrecy envelope before being placed in the pre-addressed return envelope, which voters must sign before sending out.

What if I forgot to use the secrecy envelope or sign the return envelope?

Ballots missing either their secrecy envelopes, a “naked ballot,” or without a signature could be considered “spoiled” and not counted.

Bucks County sends out postcard notifications to voters when potentially spoiled ballots are received, giving voters an opportunity to “cure” their ballots in person at the county’s offices.

Can I vote early?

Pennsylvania does allow a form of early voting where voters can fill out a mail ballot application at their county’s board of elections, receive the ballot there, fill it out and then return it in one visit.

The county’s election website notes that this is called “On Demand” voting and not early voting, which is a process in other states that typically allow voters to cast in-person ballots before an election.

The On Demand ballots are instead treated like any other mail ballot, which means voters are bound by the Oct. 31 mail ballot application deadline and they must use the secrecy envelope and sign the return envelope before handing the ballot over to the county.

More information about the county’s On Demand ballot process is available at the county’s website.

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Can I vote in-person if I’ve requested a mail ballot?

If the county has already received a mail-in ballot from a voter, they cannot cast a regular or provisional ballot in-person on Nov. 7.

Voters who have not sent in their mail-in ballots and are concerned they will miss the deadline can hand deliver their own ballot to one of multiple drop box locations around the county.

A full list of 11 drop box locations and hours of operation are available on the county’s website. All drop boxes will be open until 8 p.m. on Nov. 7.

Any voter who still has their ballot but wants to vote in person must bring their mail-in ballot and the return envelope with them to their polling place to cast a regular in-person ballot.

A voter who was provided a mail ballot but arrives at their precinct without it or envelope requesting to vote in person will need to cast a provisional ballot.

Do I need to bring ID to vote?

Only people voting for the first time in Pennsylvania or the first time at a new polling place must show ID before they can vote.

Voters can use a Pennsylvania driver’s license or one of several other forms of identification listed on the state’s election website.

How do I cast a vote at the precinct?

The state website also includes a step-by-step tutorial on how to cast a ballot in each county.

The webpage for Bucks County shows how to use the hand-marked paper ballot system from ClearBallot.

The state’s website also reminds voters to check both sides of the ballots before casting their vote.

What if I’m in line to vote when the polls close?

Any voter in line at their precinct before 8 p.m. on Election Day will get to vote. Do not leave the line if the polls close.

Other questions, concerns or problems

If you have any other questions or concerns, ask to speak to a poll worker at your precinct or contact the county Board of Elections at 215-348-6154 or elections@buckscounty.org.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: What Bucks County voters need to know before the 2023 election