The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 2 Pennsylvania municipal election is Oct. 18. 

Polls will be open from 7 a.m to 8 p.m. on Nov. 2. 

Shippensburg Township’s regular voting location is at Vigilant Hose Co., 20 Walnut Bottom Road in Shippensburg.

To vote by absentee ballot, voters should register by 5 p.m. the Tuesday prior to the election (Oct. 26), according to the Cumberland County website. 

Ballots must be received by 5 p.m. the Friday before the election.

On campus, Ship Votes encourages and aids students in exercising their right to vote. Ship Votes is a non-partisan organization made up of students, faculty, staff and administrators at Shippensburg University. 

This election is called a municipal election because there are no federal or state offices on the ballot. By voting in municipal elections people are choosing who will run the day-to-day operations of their communities, influencing local laws and policies. While presidential elections may seem more far-reaching, the decisions most likely to change every-day quality of life are made at the local level. Local elections impact things like roads, parks, policing and education.  

Voting, especially in local elections, is an important part of democracy. Voting is how the people can express their opinions in a meaningful way. According to the United States Election Project, about 60% of eligible voters in the U.S. vote in presidential elections while just 40% vote in non-presidential race years. Forty percent is less than half of the country expressing their opinions. The United States Election Project is a website created and maintained by Michael P. McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida.

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