Voting Information for Students

• Registering to Vote

• Request a Ballot in Pennsylvania

• What am I Voting For? 

Important Deadlines to Remember

If choosing to vote by mail, we recommend that students submit requests for PA Mail-In Ballots as soon as possible to ensure that ballots are received as quickly as possible. Please mail your completed ballot in as soon as you can after receiving it to ensure that your ballot will be received in time. 

Registering to Vote

Deciding where to register and, ultimately, where to vote is a personal choice and one we encourage students to make for themselves. However, we do want all students to be informed about their options. 

Click on your status to read specific instructions

• First-year students, sophomores, juniors, and seniors living on campus   

• Returning sophomores, juniors, and seniors living on campus who are already registered Pennsylvania voters

• Graduating Seniors

For First-Year Students, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors Living On Campus

College students living on campus have two choices regarding where they register to vote. They have the right to register and vote at their college or university, registering using their College address or they may choose to register (or remain registered) and vote at their permanent home address.  

Students who register (or remain registered) at their permanent home address may either travel home to vote at their local polling place on Election Day or vote by submitting a mail-in or absentee ballot for their home state prior to Election Day. To find your state's deadlines and guidelines for voting by mail or absentee ballot, visit Vote.org.

Pennsylvania offers both online and mail-in voter registration.

If you are registering to vote using your BMC address, your street/residence address and your mailing address are the same. Do not enter your dorm address!  Entering your dorm address as your street address will assign you to the wrong polling location.   

Make sure to write your address in the following format and include your Bryn Mawr College mailbox number in place of the XXX:    
101 N. Merion Avenue, C-XXX, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010.  

Bryn Mawr College’s municipality is Lower Merion and our county is Montgomery. 

Mail your completed paper voter registration application form to: Montgomery County Voter Services, PO Box 311, Norristown, PA  19404-0311.

• To access the online PA voter registration form, click on this link: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/VoterRegistrationApplication.aspx  
    
• To download a blank, printable voter registration form, click on this link:  https://www.votespa.com/Resources/Documents/Voter_Registration_Application_English.pdf 

**If you do not have access to a printer, please contact Ellie Esmond (eesmond@brynmawr.edu) and she will print a copy and send it to you via U.S. Mail along with an envelope and a stamp.** 

If you are already a registered voter in Pennsylvania in another district and you would like to change your registration so that you can vote at Bryn Mawr's polling place, you will need to re-register using your College address. Download the PA Voter Registration form using the link above, check the box marked "Change of Address" and make sure to complete Section 10, filling in your permanent/home Pennsylvania address. 

For students whose permanent/home address is outside of Pennsylvania and would prefer to register at their permanent/home address and plan to either travel home to vote or complete an absentee ballot, please visit Vote.org to check on the applicable procedures and deadlines for your state.    

For Returning Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors Living On Campus Who Are Already Registered Pennsylvania Voters

If you are a returning Bryn Mawr College sophomore, junior, or senior who is living on campus and you are already registered to vote in Pennsylvania at your Bryn Mawr College address, please make sure to confirm your voter registration status using the link provided by the Pennsylvania Department of State and then make plans to either vote in person on Election Day or, if you prefer to cast your vote by mail, follow the instructions for requesting a mail-in ballot below.    

For Graduating Seniors

As you plan to move on from Bryn Mawr College, don’t forget to think about your voter registration!  Once you leave campus—even if you remain in Pennsylvania post-graduation—your voter registration will need to be updated with your new address.  For alumnae/i remaining in PA, use this link to submit a new voter registration form once you have your new address.  For alumnae/i leaving PA, visit vote.org to learn about the new deadlines and access the proper forms for your new state.

All graduating seniors leaving the state of Pennsylvania should complete the PA Request to Cancel Registration Form and return it to the Montgomery County Voter Services Office.  This will remove your name from the list of registered voters in Pennsylvania and insure that the rolls are up to date. 

Requesting a Pennsylvania Mail-In Ballot 

For students who are currently registered Pennsylvania voters--please follow the steps below to request a mail-in ballot:  

1.  Confirm that you are registered to vote in Pennsylvania using this link provided by the Pennsylvania Department of State.     

2.  If you have a Pennsylvania driver's license, you may request a mail-in ballot online 
(https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/OnlineAbsenteeApplication/#/OnlineAbsenteeBegin) 

3.  If you do not have a Pennsylvania driver's license, you will need to download, print, and mail in a paper application  
(https://www.votespa.com/Register-to-Vote/Documents/PADOS_mailInapplication.pdf)) 

Send the completed application via US Mail to:   Montgomery County Voter Services,  PO Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404-0311  

**If you do not have access to a printer, please contact Ellie Esmond (eesmond@brynmawr.edu) and she will print a copy and send it to you via US Mail along with an envelope and a stamp.** 

For students who are US citizens and living overseas, please visit Overseas Vote to access registration forms and deadlines. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ellie Esmond in the Career & Civic Engagement Center at eesmond@brynmawr.edu.   

What Am I Voting For?

For non-partisan information about the races, candidates, and ballot questions, please visit the Vote411 website. By entering the BMC address (101 N. Merion Ave., Bryn Mawr, PA 19010) into the site, Vote411 will allow you to view your local races, compare candidates and their positions side by side, and learn more about ballot questions. Be prepared when you enter the polls—make sure you are an informed voter!   

If you have any questions about voter registration or Election Day, please contact Ellie Esmond in Civic Engagement (eesmond@brynmawr.edu).

Voting questions?
Contact Ellie Esmond, eesmond@brynmawr.edu

Bryn Mawr College welcomes the full participation of all individuals in all aspects of campus life.

To discuss or request disability-related accommodations related to voting, please contact

Ellie Esmond at eesmond@brynmawr.edu.

We are happy to work with you!