Bucks County voters face three deadlines before the Nov. 3 general election, and the first arrives Oct. 19.

That is the last day to register. Voters can sign up online through the Pennsylvania Department of State's website, by mail, or in person at the Bucks County Board of Elections office at 55 E. Court St. in Doylestown. To qualify, a person must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 by Election Day and a Pennsylvania resident for at least 30 days.

The second deadline is 5 p.m. Oct. 27. That is the cutoff to apply for a mail ballot. Any registered voter can request one with no reason required, according to a voter guide published by the Bucks County Beacon in partnership with Votebeat.

Completed mail ballots must reach the Board of Elections by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. A postmark alone is not enough, according to the county's drop box page.

Seven on-demand voting sites

Bucks County expanded its on-demand voting locations from three to seven after the Board of Elections approved four temporary satellite offices at its Sept. 9 meeting, Patch reported.

On-demand voting lets a registered voter walk into a Board of Elections office, apply for a mail ballot, fill it out and return it in one visit. It is not early voting under Pennsylvania law. Each ballot is printed at the time of application, according to the county's on-demand voting page.

The three permanent locations are the main elections office in Doylestown, the Lower Bucks Government Services Center in Levittown (Bristol Township) and the Upper Bucks Government Services Center in Quakertown. The four new temporary sites are at Bucks County Community College campuses in Perkasie, Newtown Township and Bristol Township, plus the Warminster Township Free Library.

On-demand voting ends at 5 p.m. Oct. 27. The Pennsylvania Department of State has directed counties to accommodate anyone already in line at that time.

In 2024, long lines at Bucks County's three sites led to cutoffs as early as 2:40 p.m. on the deadline day. The Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and a Republican U.S. Senate campaign sued the county. Bucks County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Trauger ruled the cutoffs violated state election law and extended the deadline by three days, BucksCoToday reported.

Drop boxes and ballot return

The county operates 14 ballot drop boxes. Seven are at election office and on-demand voting locations and opened Oct. 5. Seven more at libraries across the county open Oct. 19. A full list of locations and hours is on the county's drop box page.

When filling out a mail ballot, voters must place the ballot in the secrecy envelope first, then seal it inside the outer return envelope. The voter must sign and date the declaration on the outer envelope. Writing on any other part of either envelope is not permitted.

If a ballot has an error, the Board of Elections screens each one upon arrival and contacts voters by email, postcard and phone, WHYY reported.

Election Day

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Any voter in line by 8 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot.

First-time voters in Pennsylvania, or voters casting a ballot at a new polling place, must show ID. Acceptable forms include a driver's license, passport, utility bill or paycheck showing name and address.

Voters who requested a mail ballot but want to vote in person can bring the entire mail ballot package to their polling place and surrender it. If the mail ballot was lost or never received, the voter must cast a provisional ballot.

The ballot includes congressional, state House and gubernatorial races. Some precincts will also have state Senate contests. Sample ballots organized by municipality and precinct are available at buckscounty.gov/1380.

Elections Director Alec Mettin's office can be reached at 215-348-6154 or [email protected]. The state voter hotline is 1-877-868-3772.