Pennsylvania Primary Election Scheduled May 19 With Polls Open 7 A.m. To 8 P.m.

Pennsylvania’s primary election is scheduled for May 19, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time and the last day to register to vote listed as May 4.

The state’s closed primary system means voters can cast ballots only in the primaries of their registered party, and Al Jazeera says Pennsylvania does not generally require voters to present identification.

Al Jazeera

For first-time voters at a polling location, Al Jazeera says they must present a valid form of ID, such as a driver’s licence or passport, while USA Today’s Pittsburgh guide says first-time voters must show a valid form of photo or non-photo identification.

USA Today adds that mail-in ballots can be dropped off at designated locations until 8 p.m. on Election Day, as long as voters applied for their mail ballots ahead of the May 12 deadline.

Al Jazeera frames the May 19 primary as a test for United States President Donald Trump’s second term, with Republican and Democratic candidates facing off to represent their parties in November.

The explainer says a gubernatorial race is being watched because it could serve as a showcase for the political ambitions of incumbent Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, while the state Democratic Party is hoping to secure majorities in both houses of the state legislature for the first time in several decades.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera also says voters will decide on candidates for all of the state’s 17 seats in the US House of Representatives, with all but one of the state’s US House legislators seeking re-election.

In Pittsburgh, USA Today’s guide notes that Pennsylvania’s primary election will include races “all the day down to county committee members,” depending on the voter’s municipality.

Al Jazeera says the last day to request a mail-in or absentee ballot was May 12, and it describes how voters can track ballot status online at the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website.

USA Today’s guide says voters can check their registration status and find their polling location on the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website, and it also describes how a voter’s polling location is determined based on address.

For voters with disabilities, USA Today says ExpressVote ballot marking devices will be available at each polling location for those who are unable to mark a paper ballot.

Al Jazeera adds that the state’s primaries include 228 legislative primaries this year, and it says the tracker placed the 16th and 36th districts as primaries that will have a competitive general election in November for control of the state senate.