Last Minute Election Day FAQs

Don’t let anything stop you from voting tomorrow!

Polls are open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m., Tuesday, November 6, 2018.

If you need a ride to the polls, please email us and we’ll find you a ride.

If you’d like to look at the ballot for your town before going to the polls, here’s the link to the Montgomery County Voter Services sample ballots for 2018

If you aren’t sure where your polling place is, check here.

If you are a first time voter or are voting at a polling place for the first time, you will need one form of identification. Some acceptable IDs include: a drivers license, student ID, employee ID, utility bill with your name and address on it, a bank statement, paycheck stub, PennDOT ID, or passport.

If you have voted at your polling place in the past, you do NOT need to show identification.

If you have any other questions, let us know, and we’ll do our best to find the answer in a timely fashion.

Volunteer Opportunities through Election Day!

Democrats in Berks, Chester, and Montgomery County have joined together in organizing the Tri-County Democratic Coordinated Campaign, with an office at 260 E High Street, Pottstown, PA.  Everyone needs help with calls, door knocking…. feel free to reach out to them. Participating candidates are conducting canvassing, phone banking, fundraising, training, and other activities from this office. All are welcome to come by! For additional information, contact Marcia Longeway (484) 644-3986.

In Upper Perkiomen Valley, there will be one final GOTV (Get  Out The Vote) effort next weekend, November 3rd and 4th, 2018.  The Area 2 Democratic Committee will have door hangers for Red Hill, Pennsburg and E Greenville Voters-  1000 to be distributed!

One side will identify all our candidates in that area, Andy Lee to Gov.  Wolf. The other side will have a sample of the “goldenrod” – a copy of the sample ballot listing Democratic candidates, that are handed out at the polls by volunteers for the Democrats – with a request for the recipient to take it to the polls with them. Please email area2dems@gmail.com or updemclub@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering.

ELECTION DAY!!!!    Folks are needed to help at the polls!   Most needed right now are volunteers for Green Lane Borough, and the three polling places in Upper Hanover Township. Volunteers will be handing out sample ballots and candidate information, and answering the occasional question about using the voting machines, voting in general (e.g. identification cards are NOT required to vote), and being present if anyone has trouble voting (and then calling Area2 or the county voting office). Volunteers can help outside any polling spot (not just where you vote), for a one or two or more hours. Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. Please email area2dems@gmail.com or updemclub@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering.

Democratic Candidates Forum in Harleysville this Thursday, Oct 11, 2018

Lt Governor candidate John Fetterman and Congressional candidate Madeleine Dean will be delivering the keynote speeches at Thursday’s Candidate Forum in Harleysville, PA. Maria Collett, Linda Fields, Steve Malagari, and Josh Camson (PA state senate and state representative candidates) will be present and interviewed by WHYY journalist Tracey Matisak.

This free, public event will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 11, 2018, at Peter Becker Community Chapel, 800 Maple Avenue, Harleysville, PA. Indivisible Hope, Turn PA Blue, and Indian Valley Democrats are sponsoring this non-ticketed event.

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Campaign and Voter Registration Volunteers Needed!

Local democrats will be canvassing and dropping off door hangers for Linda Fields (the Democratic candidate running against Bob Mensch for PA State Senate) this week and weekend here in the Upper Perk Valley. If you would be interested in helping out the campaign for a few hours, please contact Colleen Dunlap at cdunlap20@gmail.com who is organizing this weekend’s effort on the campaign’s behalf.

And in nearby Lehigh Valley, on this last weekend before PA Voter Registration closes for the November 2018 election, the Future Coalition is organizing voter registration drives;

“We’ll be at together at street fairs, festivals, and farmers markets with clipboards, T-shirts, signs, a giant inflatable T-rex, a boombox and costumes (BYOC a.k.a. bring your own costume). We’re in this together! With you, we can make sure hundreds of young people can vote in this year’s once-in-a-lifetime midterm elections.”

Check out the details and signup to volunteer this weekend at https://fcregistrationweekend.splashthat.com/

 

If you know of any other campaign volunteer efforts locally, or are organizing any efforts, please let us know and we’ll happily help spread the word (and hopefully get you some volunteers!)

Voter Registration/Absentee Ballots

Weather permitting, the Upper Perkiomen Democratic Club will once more be hosting a voter registration and absentee ballot request information table at tomorrow’s East Greenville Community Day (Saturday, September 8th, 2018 – Main Street, East Greenville, PA). We will have forms for voter registration and for requesting absentee ballots.

September 17th is the first day to apply for an absentee ballot in Pennsylvania (and while applications are available online, the form must be printed and mailed to the County Courthouse address found on the online form). While officially an absentee ballot request form may be mailed out as late as the week before the election, since the completed ballot must arrive at the Court House by the Friday before the election (November 6, 2018), to insure that one’s vote is counted one should mail one’s ballot at least a week before the election (and earlier is better).

Voter registration closes on October 9, 2018 (because October 8th is a holiday) – that means the form must arrive at the county seat by that date. One can register to vote online!

Check your voter registration online, to be sure that you haven’t been taken off the rolls for any reason or by error!

Election day is Tuesday, November 6, 2018; polls are open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.

2018 PA Democratic Candidates

U.S. Senate – Bob Casey

U.S. House of Representatives, 4th District (which now includes all of Upper Perkiomen Valley) – Madeleine Dean

Governor – Tom Wolf

Lt. Governor – John Fetterman

State Senate, 24th District – Linda Fields

State Representative, 131st District – Andy Lee

State Representative, 147th District (Green Lane and Marlborough Township) – Josh Camson

PA 2018 Primary Races Called

Of most interest to those in the Upper Perkiomen Valley, the following contested primary races have been called:

PA Congressional District 3 –  Madeleine Dean

Lt. Governor – John Fetterman

The other statewide races were not contested in the 2018 Pennsylvania Primary Election.

PA Primary 2018 – Tuesday, May 15th

Polls open tomorrow, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. for the Pennsylvania Primary Election. In order to vote in the primary, one must be registered with a political party; Pennsylvania hold closed primaries which means that only registered democrats can vote in the democratic primary. Any registered voter can vote for any candidate of any party in the November election.

On the ballot in 2018 are many state races, along with U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives race.

Senator Casey (D) is unopposed in the Democratic primary, as is Governor Wolf (D).

Below are the rest of the candidates who are running for office in tomorrow’s Pennsylvania Primary and will appear on ballots in the Upper Perkiomen Valley.

4th U. S. Congressional District (all of Upper Perkiomen Valley is now within this newly drawn district)

•  Madeleine Dean (currently serving in the PA State Legislature) (attended voter forum in Upper Perk)
• Shira Goodman (attended voter forum in Upper Perk)
• Joe Hoeffel (attended voter forum in Upper Perk)

 

PA State Legislative seat  – 131 District (Upper Hanover, East Greenville, Pennsburg, Red Hill)

• Andy Lee
• Running a Write In Campaign – Joanne Jackson

 

PA State Legislative seat – 147th District (Green Lane and Marlborough Township)

• Joshua Camson (running unopposed in Dem. primary)

 

PA State Senate District 24

• Linda Fields (running unopposed in Dem. primary)

 

PA Lt Governor Race

• Mike Stack, incumbent
• Nina Ahmad
• Kathi Cozzone, Chester County commissioner
• John Fetterman, Braddock mayor (attended voter forum in Upper Perk)
• Ray Sosa (attended voter forum in Upper Perk)

 

Sample Ballots can also be viewed online.

Breaking News on Congressional Race in 4th District PA

State Representative Mary Jo Daley has dropped out of the 4th District Congressional Democratic primary race. She has asked her supporters to turn and support State Representative Madeleine Dean for United States Congress.

Other candidates in the democratic primary for this seat (which represents the entire Upper Perkiomen Valley), are Shira Goodman and, late entry to the race, Joe Hoeffel. (The Joe Hoeffel campaign does not have a website at this time.)

The Pennsylvania Primary election is on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Polls are open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. In order to vote in the primary, one must be registered with a political party; Pennsylvania hold closed primaries which means that only registered democrats can vote in the democratic primary. Any registered voter can vote for any candidate of any party in the November election.

Tuesday, April 3rd – Meet Congressional Candidates in East Greenville

Come out to the Upper Perkiomen Middle School, 510 Jefferson Street, East Greenville, PA on Tuesday night, April 3, 2018 – 7:30 p.m. – to meet, hear, and converse with the Democratic candidates on the ballot in the upcoming May 16th primary election.

The Democratic candidates for Congress (House of Representatives) for the newly drawn 4th Congressional District (which includes all of Upper Perkiomen Valley); Mary Jo Daley, Shira Goodman, and Madeleine Dean will be attending this event, as will the democratic candidates for PA State Representative; Andy Lee and Josh Camson, and democratic candidate for PA State Senator; Linda Fields. 

Bring your questions and show your support. It is wonderful these candidates are coming to the Upper Perkiomen Valley and we would like to thank them by having a large crowd.

This is a free public event. All local democrats and independent voters are invited and strongly encouraged to attend. This event has been organized by the Area 2 Upper Perkiomen Democratic Committee.

Just a reminder – in Pennsylvania, those wanting to vote in the primaries must be registered either Democrat or Republican. Pennsylvania hold “closed primaries” which means that in the primary election, registered Democrats vote for those on the Democratic primary ballot and registered Republicans vote within the Republican primary ballot. In the general election in November, anyone registered to vote, regardless of party affiliation, may vote for any candidate on any side of the ballot. If one wishes to change one’s party affiliation, one must submit a change of voter registration form 30 days before the election (for this year’s primary, the deadline is April 16, 2018).

District 4 Congressional Candidates (and FAQs)

 JARED WHALEN
The new congressional map released Monday by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Thanks to the new map, all of Upper Perkiomen Valley School District is in the same congressional district – District 4! The Pennsylvania primary election is Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Three individuals have announced they are running in the Democratic primary for our newly drawn congressional district; (Pa State Representative) Mary Jo Daley, (Pa. State Representative) Madeline Dean, and  Shira Goodman (yes, all women!).

On Tuesday, April 3, 2018, you can meet and talk with these 3 congressional candidates, along with our area’s democratic candidates for PA State House; Andy Lee and Josh Camson, and PA State Senate, Linda Fields. The Upper Perk Area 2 meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Perkiomen Middle School, 510 Jefferson Street, East Greenville, PA and is open to the public.

 

A few FAQs

• Pennsylvania has 18 congressional districts.
• Each congressional district elects one Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• The U.S. House of Representatives has 435 voting representatives.
• Each congressional district has roughly 710,000 people in it (as of the 2010 census).
• Ideally, each district is composed of communities, cities/suburbs/rural areas with shared interests (not voter registration).