Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt reminds Pennsylvanians that the deadline to register to vote in the April 23 primary is April 8.

“It takes only a few minutes to register to vote, and I urge every eligible Pennsylvanian who is not yet registered to do so before the deadline,” Schmidt said. “Once you are registered, you can then exercise your fundamental right to vote and let your voice be heard in the upcoming primary election.”

To be eligible to vote in the April 23 primary, a person must be:

• A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the primary.

• A resident of the election district in which the person plans to register for at least 30 days before the primary.

• At least 18 years of age on or before the date of the primary.

Pennsylvanians who are already registered to vote can check their registration status online. They can also update their voter record with any name, address, or party affiliation changes online.

Because Pennsylvania has a closed primary, only voters registered as Democrats or Republicans can vote for their party’s nominees in the primary election to appear on the ballot in the Nov. 5 general election. Eligible voters will have the opportunity to cast a ballot for their parties’ nominees for president, U.S. Representative, one U.S. Senate seat, state Attorney General, Auditor General, State Treasurer, all Pennsylvania House seats, and Pennsylvania Senate seats in odd-numbered districts. The department’s candidate database lists all candidates currently on the ballot in the primary.

Eligible Pennsylvanians can also register by mail or in person at the following locations: their county voter registration office, county assistance offices, Women, Infants & Children program offices, Armed Forces recruitment centers, county clerk of orphans’ courts or marriage license offices, area agencies on aging, county mental health and intellectual disabilities offices, student disability services offices of the State System of Higher Education, offices of special education in high schools, Americans with Disabilities Act-mandated complementary paratransit providers, and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) photo and driver license centers.

Registered voters can also request a no-excuse mail-in or absentee ballot online. Mail-in and absentee ballot applications must be received by a voter’s county elections board by 5 p.m. April 16. Voted mail-in and absentee ballots must be received by county election offices by 8 p.m. April 23.

Visit vote.pa.gov for information.