Vote sign generic Election Day

A sign directing voters in Pennsylvania on Election Day 2020.

Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PA

HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Department of State is rolling out a voter registration dashboard showing the year-to-date cumulative net change in total voter registration statewide.

It’s a new way for Pennsylvanians to access data the department says it has publicly reported for years.

The new tools provide Pennsylvanians with additional, visual ways to track changes in the Commonwealth’s voter registration totals, the Department of State said in a news release.

“The Commonwealth’s voter registration rolls are continuously changing as Pennsylvanians register to vote, move, pass away, or update their registration information,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said.

“Publishing this information on a continuing basis is part of our ongoing commitment to providing the public with important data and giving them a clear and transparent view of how Pennsylvania’s voter registration rolls change over time.”

The voter registration dashboard, which will be updated on the first business day of each week, provides voter registration totals by party, county, and district, the state department said.

The state department said users can also view the year-to-date change in total voter registration by party at statewide, county, and district levels. The total number of registered voters includes voters in both Active and Inactive status, as all registered voters may cast a ballot. 

Pennsylvania’s 67 county boards of elections are responsible for maintaining voter registration records through the Commonwealth’s Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors (SURE) system.

County election officials conduct voter list maintenance throughout the year using procedures established by state and federal law, the Department of State said in its news release.

“Routine voter list maintenance is an important part of election administration,” Sec. Schmidt said.

“County election officials regularly review reliable sources of information, including death records, U.S. Postal Service change-of-address information, and interstate voter registration data to identify records that may require updating. The release of this graphic coincides with the first data update since the beginning of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) quiet period for list maintenance.”

The Department of State said it publishes updated statewide voter registration statistics on the first business day of each week.

The new dashboard and graphic series complement those statistics by providing a straightforward visual representation of voter registration and the year-to-date cumulative net change in total voter registration, the state department said.

Members of the public can access weekly voter registration statistics, historical election data, annual voter registration reports, election directives and guidance, and other election administration resources on the Department of State's website.

To learn more about annual voter list maintenance, people can visit the department’s Fact-Checking Pennsylvania-Related Election Claims page.