PennsylvaniaPaper + scan
Election framework scored across 6 methodologies, sourced to 3 primary instruments and 594 statute sections.
Most counties in Pennsylvania use hand-marked paper ballots and optical scanners in polling places, with ballot marking devices (BMDs) for accessibility. Some counties employ BMDs or hybrid BMD/tabulators for all voters.
Voting Channels
The voting channels available under current law, each verified against the cited statute.
- Election dayElection-day in personall
Polls open 7 a.m.–8 p.m. on election day.
25 P.S. § 3045 (Pa. Election Code § 1208)
- EarlyEarly in personnot available
Pennsylvania has no separate in-person early-voting channel; a voter may apply for, receive, and return a mail-in ballot in one visit to the county election office, but that is legally mail-in voting, not early voting.
- PostalPostal / mailno-excuse
No-excuse mail-in voting for any voter under Act 77, plus traditional excuse-based absentee voting.
25 P.S. § 3150.11 et seq. (Act 77 of 2019); § 3146.1 (absentee)
- ProxyProxynot available
No proxy voting.
- InternetInternetnot available
No internet voting.
Methodology Radar
Dimension Breakdown
Primary Instruments
| Citation | Type | Title | Sections | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Act 320 of 1937 (25 P.S. § 2600 et seq.) | Act | Pennsylvania Election Code | 478 | active |
| 25 Pa.C.S. | Code | Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, Title 25 — Elections | 102 | active |
| Pa. Const. Art. VII | Constitution | Pennsylvania Constitution, Article VII — Elections | 14 | active |
Methodologies — Datapoint Drill-In
Each methodology card above takes you to Pennsylvania's scoring detail for that methodology — every datapoint, with rationale and the exact statute that justifies the score.