PRIMARY ELECTION 2021: How To Vote

We’ve put together this guide on how to make your vote count.

Thanks to our In The Know Club members who have supported creation of this everything-you-need-to-know guide for voting either in-person or by mail.

This guide was created on May 1 and most recently updated on May 6, 2021.

How to confirm you’re registered to vote

To see if you’re already registered to vote, click this link, call 1-877-VOTESPA, or contact the Bucks County Board of Elections. You can also use the below tool.

How to vote in-person on Tuesday May 18

Registered voters can cast their ballot in-person on Tuesday, May 18.

The Bucks County Board of Elections offers a list of polling places and the state offers a searchable database so voters can find their polling place.

No identification is needed to vote. The exception is if you are a first-time voter or this will be your first election in a new ward.

Starting last year, the county began using ClearCast voting machines for in-person voting. The county has prepared instructional videos on ballot marking and scanning ballots.

Problems at the polls? Contact the Bucks County Board of Elections at 215-348-6154.

How to vote by absentee or mail-in ballot

Absentee ballots require a reason from the voter for not being able to vote in person, while mail-in voting in no-excuse and does not require a reason from the voter.

Voters who plan to cast their ballot by mail or drop it off to county election officials must apply for a mail-in ballot by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11. Voters can apply easily online or print a paper application and return it to the Bucks County Board of Elections. Voters can track the status of their mail ballot at votesPA.com.

Voters who need an absentee ballot can apply online.

As soon as voters receive the ballot, the voter is instructed to:

• Read the instructions carefully.
• Fill out the ballot, being sure to follow instructions on how to mark selections.
• Seal the ballot in the inner secrecy envelope that says, “official ballot.” Be sure not to make any stray marks on the envelope.
• Then seal the inner secrecy envelope in the pre-addressed outer return envelope.
• Sign and date the voter’s declaration on the outside of the outer return envelope.
  • If the ballot is not enclosed in both envelopes, it will not be counted.
  • If the voter does not sign and date the outer envelope, the ballot will not be counted.

Once a ballot is completed, voters can mail their sealed ballot or drop it off at a county election drop box.

Mail-in ballots must be received 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18.

Mail-in ballots can be dropped off at the Bucks County Administration Building at 55 East Court Street, Doylestown, PA 18901; the Lower Bucks Government Services Center at 7321 New Falls Road, (Bristol Township) Levittown, PA 19055; the Upper Bucks Government Services Center 261 California Road, Quakertown, PA 18951; and the Bucks County Free Library Yardley–Makefield Branch 1080 Edgewood Rd. Yardley, PA 19067.

Absentee/Mail-In Ballot Drop Box Hours

(Hours Subject to Change) 

May 3-12, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (weekdays only)
May 13 – 14, 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
May 15 – 16, 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
May 17, 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM
May 18, 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM 

How to vote by so-called “on-demand” absentee/mail-in voting

The Bucks County Board of Elections is allowing in-person absentee and mail-in voting through Tuesday, May 11. Under the program, registered voters can visit one of three county offices, verify their registration, receive an on-demand printed ballot, fill it out, seal it properly, and return it to election officials. On-demand ballots will be available during the regular office hours at the Bucks County Board of Elections office in Doylestown and the two satellite offices in Quakertown and Levittown, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents are asked to arrive well before closing time to allow staff time to assist you. An on-demand ballot is not “early voting.” On-demand ballots are absentee/mail-in ballots requested in-person at a county office and provided immediately rather than through the mail. 

The county has election information on the Bucks County Board of Elections website.

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