Deadline for voter registrations approaches

Pennsylvania residents have until April 19 to register to vote in May primary… Pennsylvania residents have until April 19 to register to vote in May primary elections.

Students can pick up voter registration forms at the information desk in the William Pitt Union, the libraries or any PennDOT offices. The forms are also available in the county Elections Division (542 Forbes Ave. Room 604) or in Pitt’s Office of Governmental Relations (701 Alumni Hall), Jeanne Stoner, assistant vice chancellor for federal government relations, said in an e-mail.

Voters can also find forms online at votespa.com. They should return their forms to the county Elections Division.

Voter registration forms must be postmarked by April 19. Students who have moved, want to change their party affiliation or have changed their name should re-register to vote.

Stoner said students should think about where they will be living on May 18, the day of the primary elections, before they decide where to register to vote.

Students who won’t be in Pittsburgh on the day of the primaries but wish to vote for city offices should re-register with the Allegheny County Elections Division, she said.

Students who want to vote in a county other than the one in which they are registered can request absentee ballots.

They should contact the Office of the Elections in the county in which they are registered to vote either in writing or over the phone. Students must submit their completed absentee ballots to their county elections office by May 11, “So the request for an application for an absentee ballot must be submitted well in advance of that date,” Stoner said.

Students should contact their county elections office to confirm the due date for absentee ballot applications.

A person is eligible to vote if she is 18 or older, has been a U.S. citizen for at least one month and has lived in Pennsylvania and her election district for at least 30 days, Stoner said.

Pennsylvania residents will vote for positions such as state and federal congressmen.

A complete list of the candidates is available at the state Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation website, dos.state.pa.us/bcel/site/default.asp.