The statewide deadline to register to vote or make changes to voter registration status is Tuesday, Oct. 11 for the Nov. 8 election.
Residents have three ways of registering to vote including online, by mail or obtaining a hard copy of the voter registration form.
In Venango County, the forms can be picked up at the election office on the second floor of the courthouse annex. Forest County residents can get a copy at the courthouse located at 526 Elm St. in Tionesta, and the forms are available in Clarion County at the election office located at 330 Main St.
Pennsylvanians have had the option to register to vote online since last year, and, earlier this year, the state reported that online registration had surpassed paper submissions for the first time ever.
The link for online registration can be found at http://www.votespa.com.
All election-related dates and deadlines can be found on each county’s respective websites:http://www.co.clarion.pa.us, www.co.forest.pa.us and www.co.venango.pa.us.
Gerry McGuinness, voter registrar for Venango County, said the office has been receiving a lot of traffic lately because local residents have been checking in on their registration status as the deadline approaches.
McGuinness anticipates there will be an equivalent, if not better, turnout for this year’s election, which is the first presidential election without an incumbent since 2008.
McGuinness also said people who want to make changes to their registration status should do so sooner rather than later, and even though the deadline to apply for absentee ballots is not until the Tuesday before the election, she said people who need one should consider applying in the near future.
Waiting until the last minute would make it a very difficult turnaround for the ballot to be received on time, McGuinness said.
Jean Ann Hitchcock, director of elections and voter registrar in Forest County, and Clarion County director of elections Cindy Callihan both said their offices have also been busy of late as the race for the White House heats up.
“It’s always like this for presidential elections,” Callihan said.
