Delaware County George W Hill Correctional Facility encourages our Incarcerated Population to fulfill their civic duties. Below is information from the Department of State Voting & Election Information for people who have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or are in pretrial detention.
Incarcerated Person Voting Rights
Can I register and vote?
You can register and vote if you:
Are a pretrial detainee, confined in a penal institution awaiting trial on charges of a felony or a misdemeanor.
Were ever convicted of a misdemeanor.
Got released or will get released by the date of the next election from a correctional facility or halfway house. This must be upon completion of the term of incarceration for conviction of a misdemeanor or a felony.
Are on probation or released on parole. This includes parolees who are living in a halfway house.
Are under house arrest (home confinement). If this is you, you can vote no matter your conviction status or the status of the conditions of confinement.
Who cannot register and vote?
You are not eligible to register and vote if you:
Are currently confined in a penal institution for conviction of a felony and will not get released from confinement until after the next election. This is even if you are also incarcerated for one or more misdemeanor offenses.
Are in a ;halfway house or other alternative correctional facility on pre-release status for conviction of a felony and who will not get released until after the date of the next election.
Got convictedof violating any provision of the Pennsylvania Election Code within the last four years.
How will I register to vote?
You can register to vote online or by mail.
Learn how to register to vote.
Individuals who are qualified to register to vote may apply to register by one of the following methods:
You can register to vote through the Pennsylvania Department of State’s online application. Before you begin, be sure to have your Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT ID card handy. If you don’t have one, there are other options. Once you submit your online application, it will be forwarded to the appropriate county voter registration office for processing.
Learn more about online voter registration
Mail. A voter registration mail application can be obtained by contacting their county board of elections. Individuals can also request a voter registration mail application over the phone by calling the Department of State at 1.800.552.VOTE (1.800.552.8683).
Important Information for Registrants Who Are Confined in a Penal Institution:
If individuals are currently confined in a penal institution for the conviction of a misdemeanor only or if they are awaiting trial, they must register from their last known address before confinement or an address (other than the penal institution) that they have established as their permanent residence.
If they were registered to vote before being confined, their residence is considered to be the address where they were last registered before confinement or the address (other than the penal institution) that they have established as their residence address or another address that they have established as their permanent address.
For current George W Hill Correctional facility incarcerated population please reach out to your assigned case manager in your housing unit to register to vote and voting information
How will I vote?
If confined in a penal institution, you will vote by absentee ballot. Please see your assigned case manager for more information.
If you are not confined, you will vote at your polling place. You may vote by absentee ballot if you meet the requirements to request an absentee ballot.
Learn about voting by absentee ballot
Learn about voting at the polling place.
Contact your county election office for more information.
What is the law?
On December 26, 2000, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the law in Pennsylvania that governs whether people convicted of a felony could vote was not constitutional.
This law used to say that people convicted of a felony could not register to vote for 5 years after their release from prison. This is no longer true.
Read and Print the Convicted Felon Brochure.