March 31, 2026 - Pennsylvania is one of only nine states with fully closed primaries, where only registered Republicans and Democrats participate, sending candidates to the general election by a small sector of the electorate.

August 11, 2026 - Both are plurality systems. Maine use ranked-choice voting for some primaries, which is a majority system. Pennsylvania law stipulates that parties conduct closed primaries, meaning only registered party members can participate in a political party's primary election.

A vast majority of polls conducted across the state suggest Pennsylvania voters support open primaries. The latest poll on this issue came from an Franklin & Marshall's Center for Public Opinion and Research.

June 26, 2026 - But in Pennsylvania, these voters are prevented from participating in the local, state and federal primaries that are likely the most important elections in their communities. This system, currently used in Pennsylvania, guarantees that fewer voters participate, elections are less competitive and, ultimately, political polarization is reinforced, contributing to legislative gridlock and hampering good governance.

2 weeks ago - Pennsylvania’s primary election system currently limits Republicans to vote for Republicans and Democrats to vote for Democrats, with no options for Independents or third-party voters. The bill passed the House in bipartisan fashion, with 16 Republicans joining all but four House Democrats. The bill now goes to the State Senate for consideration with nine days left in the legislative session. Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R) said Tuesday afternoon that Senate Republicans will seek to tie voter ID to an open primaries bill. “Current law requires a first-time voter to demonstrate they are who they say they are, and we see no reason that shouldn’t be enshrined as something consistently done when an individual exercises their right to vote,” said Pittman. “House Democrats’ continual unwillingness to include advancement of commonsense Voter ID is an impediment to the ...

2 weeks ago - Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Pennsylvania’s free newsletter here. HARRISBURG — For the first time in recent memory, a bill to open up Pennsylvania’s primary elections to unaffiliated voters has passed the state ...

1 day ago - Pennsylvania is currently one of eight states that follows a closed primary model in which voters are required to affiliate with a political party as a condition of voting in primary elections.

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June 27, 2025 - Pennsylvania routinely proves critical ... competitiveness is one of only 10 states still utilizing a highly restrictive closed primary election system....

3 days ago - Anyone can register to vote, so long as they will have been a U.S. citizen for at least 30 days before the election, are a resident of Pennsylvania and will be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day. Under state law, people who are incarcerated for felonies can’t vote. However, people who are serving time for misdemeanor charges or are out on probation, parole or house arrest are eligible. But, if your misdemeanor conviction was in relation to a violation of the Pennsylvania election code, you are not eligible to vote. Additionally, if you have been convicted of a felony, but were released or will be released from incarceration prior to the date of the next election, you are eligible to vote under Pennsylvania law. collapse · Completed mail or absentee ballot applications must be received by county boards of elections by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct.

The candidates who get the highest ... party’s officers during a primary election. In Pennsylvania, you can only vote for the candidates in the same political party you have named in your voter registration....

2 weeks ago - Pennsylvania has had closed primaries for nearly 100 years and is one of the last states in the nation to bar unaffiliated voters from participating in them. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, only seven other states ...

January 11, 2024 - Ballot PA has launched a legislative campaign (in both the Senate and the House) to allow independent voters in the state the right to vote in Republican and Democratic primary elections.

2 weeks ago - Pennsylvania's House passed a bill to open primaries to 1.5 million independent voters, but in 63 legislative races this year, only one candidate is running in November, making the primary the only real election.

December 1, 2025 - But despite that broad consensus, and the yearslong push from some state lawmakers and advocates to make it happen, Pennsylvania remains one of the most restrictive states in determining who can participate in primary elections.

May 15, 2025 - It’s fixable. Right now, a bipartisan bill in the Pennsylvania Legislature would give independent voters the right to vote in primary elections — where most races are decided.

October 19, 2023 - Bipartisan legislation to open Pennsylvania's primary elections to independent voters passed a state House committee on Tuesday.