What is the annual mail-in ballot list?
The short answer
The annual mail-in ballot list is something you can choose to join when you apply for a mail ballot in Pennsylvania. Once your county approves your application, you get a mail ballot for every election for the rest of that year, so you don't have to apply for each one. Each year after that, your county mails you a new application by early February, and you have to send it back to get mail ballots that year.
How to join the list
When you fill out a mail ballot application, look for the box about annual mail-in ballots. On the paper form, checking it means you want mail-in ballots this year and a new application each year after. The online application gives you the same choice.
You can join any time of year. If you join now and your county approves your application in time (see the deadline below), you will get a ballot for the November 3, 2026 general election. You will also get one for any special election held before the third Monday in February 2027, which is February 15.
Not sure if you are already on the list? You can check your voter record online, or call your county election office.
- You can apply online or on a paper form. Our mail ballot guide walks you through both.
- Check the annual box before you sign and send in the form.
- To get a mail ballot for November 3, your county must receive your application by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
- Do you have an illness or disability that won't go away? You can ask to join the annual absentee list instead. You use the absentee application for this, and your doctor must sign one part of it.
- Need a paper form mailed to you? Call the Pennsylvania Department of State at 1-877-VOTES-PA (1-877-868-3772). Or call us at (267) 209-3397, and we can help you get one.
You must renew every year
Being on the list doesn't mean ballots come to you forever. It means your county sends you a new application each year. By early February, your county mails you that form. You can mail it back or apply online.
Once your county approves that application, you get a ballot for every election you can vote in that year. You don't need to apply for each one.
If you don't send the form back, you won't get mail ballots that year. You can still vote in person as usual. You stay on the list, and a new form will come next year.
State election law and some county letters and websites call this the "permanent" mail-in list. It is the same list. You still have to renew every year.
- Did you check the annual box when you applied for this spring's primary? Then your ballot for November 3 should come on its own. You don't need to apply again. To be sure, check your ballot status online or call your county.
- Did you skip the form your county sent this year? You can still apply for a November 3 mail ballot. Your county must receive your application by 5:00 p.m. on October 27.
- Postage is different from county to county. Some counties pay the postage to send back the yearly form or your ballot. Others ask you to add a stamp. Check the envelope, or ask your county.
- When your ballot comes, sign and date the outer envelope. Your county must receive it by 8:00 p.m. on November 3. A postmark does not count.
How to leave the list
To leave the list, fill out the state's form called "Request to Cancel My Ballot Request." Only you, the voter, can fill it out. Sign it, date it, and mail it or bring it to your county election office.
This form does two things. It stops the yearly application forms. It also cancels any mail ballot you have already asked for in an upcoming election. If you want to vote by mail again later, you will need to apply again.
The county addresses printed on the form are from 2020. Check your county election office's website or call them for the right address. Some counties also offer other ways to leave the list, like a box to check on the yearly mailing. Ask your county what it offers. If you need help getting the cancel form, call us.
- Moving to a different Pennsylvania county? Update your voter registration online or on a paper form, and ask to keep your annual status. On the paper form, check the box that says "Transfer my Annual Ballot Request." If you don't ask, you will drop off the list.
- Moving within the same county? Update your voter registration with your new address. Also contact your county election office so your ballot goes to your new home.
Voting in person when you are on the list
Being on the list doesn't stop you from voting in person. What you need to do depends on where your ballot is. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on November 3.
- You didn't send back this year's form: You won't get mail ballots. Vote at your polling place like anyone else.
- Your ballot hasn't arrived yet: You can send in the cancel form, then vote a regular ballot at your polling place. This also takes you off the annual list. Mail takes time, so call your county if the election is close. You can also skip the form and vote a provisional ballot at your polling place, as explained below.
- You have your ballot and haven't sent it back: Bring the ballot and its outer return envelope to your polling place. Give them to the poll workers, sign a form, and vote a regular ballot.
- You don't have your ballot or its outer envelope with you: You can vote a provisional ballot. That is a special ballot the county counts only after it checks that you didn't also vote by mail.
- You already sent your mail ballot back: You can't vote a regular ballot at your polling place. If you think there was a mistake, you can ask for a provisional ballot. The county will review it after Election Day.
This depends on your county
Pennsylvania’s 67 counties handle some of this differently. For the final word, call your county election office.
Find my county election office(opens the official state website)Still not sure?
Call us at (267) 209-3397 and a real person will walk you through it.