Your Last-Minute 2025 Election Guide

Election Day is Nov. 4. Do you know who or what you’re voting for? If your answer is “no” or “not really,” here’s a quick guide to help you prepare before heading to the polls or dropping off your ballot.

🗓️ When & Where To Vote

If you opted to vote by mail, you should have already received your ballot. You have until 8 p.m. on Nov. 4 to return your ballot to the Philadelphia County Board of Elections at City Hall at 1400 John F. Kennedy Blvd. You can also drop your ballot at a dropbox at one of the city’s satellite offices.

Because ballots must be returned by election night, mail them back ASAP or drop them off directly.

If you are voting in-person, polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. If you’re in line by the time polls close, stay in line as you still have the right to vote. You can find your polling place here.

📝 What’s on the Ballot?

Philly voters will be voting for candidates at the municipal and state level. Because this is a general election, you can vote for candidates outside of your registered party. The following candidates are up for election and retention:

Depending on your ward, you may have candidates for Judge of Elections, responsible for operating the polling place, and Inspector of Elections, who check voter registration documents and ensure the accuracy of voting machine numbers.

There is no city-specific ballot question this election.

To get an idea of how your ballot will look on Election Day, use the city’s Atlas tool and type in your home address, select “voting,” and click “preview ballot.”

🚨 What’s New?

If you’re voting by mail, recent court rulings are impacting the validity of ballots. In August, a federal court ruled that mail ballots that are undated or misdated can’t be rejected. In September, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that counties must notify voters if their ballots were rejected due to errors. That gives voters the opportunity to challenge the decision or cast a provisional ballot on Election Day.

🔍 Where Else To Look?

For comprehensive guides with more information on individual candidates, their policy views, and controversies, you can view the following sources:

General Guides

Click these guides for bios and key points about candidates from the top to the bottom of the ballot.

Guides to Specific Races

Judicial Retention

Commonwealth and Superior Court

Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court

District Attorney

🧠 Quick Reminders

Before you head out to vote, don’t forget: