Your Vote, Your Voice: Final Info for the 2025 Primary Election

As we have seen, over and over again in so many different ways over the past few months, who you elect has direct consequences, both bad and good, on our everyday lives. From the prices of groceries to healthcare to funding for our schools and so on, elections, despite what your neighborhood hotep may say, matter.

May 20ths is no different. If you are looking for your polling place, Vote.Pa has a handy tool to show you not just where your polling place is, but also shows you what your polling place looks like and the times your polling place is open. Vote.Pa also is a great source for all things elections related, including resources if you run into any trouble at your polling place

For democracy to work, we must work it. We do that by staying informed, getting active, and showing up to every election we can. To get you ready to vote this Tuesday, here is some key information from Philadelphia’s Office of City Commissioners:

You as a voter are only allowed to return your own voted by mail ballot.

If you are unable to bring your own vote by mail ballot due to illness or physical disability, complete a Designated Agent form, allowing another person to transport their ballot. Make sure to secure the form to the declaration envelope via paper clip or rubber band. Then your ballot should be delivered to any ballot drop box or County Board of Elections Office.

Voters with a permanent disability may also obtain an Emergency Alternative Ballot if your polling place is not accessible. Emergency alternative ballots may be obtained if the voter learned of the inaccessibility after the ordinary application deadline. These applications and ballots MUST be received by the County Board of Elections in City Hall Room 142 no later than 8:00 P.M. on Election Day. Postmarks are not honored.

One final note from the Office of City Commissioners:

“You have rights as a voter. It is illegal for any state or local government to discriminate against anyone by denying them the right to vote based on their:

Race

Ethnicity

National origin, or

Membership in a language minority.

Your right to vote can only be challenged if a poll worker, poll watcher, or another voter who says you do not live in the precinct or are not who you say you are. It is illegal for any person or corporation to intimidate or coerce you to vote for or against a particular candidate or political issue.

To report any election concerns on Election Day (such as intimidation, interference, illegal voting, or unlawful electioneering), please contact the District Attorney’s Election Task Force at (215) 686-9641.”

Make your plan to vote now. Text your friends. Call your mama. Tell your neighbors. No election is for play play, and every vote is a voice heard.