Ursina, Pennsylvania Public Records

Pennsylvania residents can register to vote online at https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/pages/voterregistrationapplication.aspx or submit a paper application available from the bureau, public libraries, and state offices. Registration deadlines fall 15 days before any election. Applicants must be U.S. Citizens, Pennsylvania residents for at least 30 days before the election, and at least 18 years old by election day. Online registration requires a Pennsylvania driver's license number or PennDOT identification card number; those without either can use the last four digits of a Social Security number but must mail the application with identification. As a small borough, Ursina holds municipal elections for Borough Council seats, typically with staggered four-year terms. Pennsylvania schedules municipal elections in odd-numbered years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November - think November 2025 or November 2027. Mayoral positions, where they exist in smaller boroughs, may also appear on these ballots. Candidates file nomination petitions with the Somerset County elections bureau following deadlines set by state election law, usually in the spring before the November vote. Given the borough's modest population of approximately 230, local races sometimes feature unopposed candidates or write-in campaigns. Information about local candidates, sample ballots, and polling places is available on the Somerset County elections website or directly from the bureau. Residents can look up their assigned polling place at https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/pages/pollingplaceinfo.aspx by entering their address. Polls open at 7:00 AM and close at 8:00 PM on Election Day. Precinct-level data specific to the borough can be obtained from the bureau. Pennsylvania will hold elections for Governor (four-year term), Lieutenant Governor, U.S. House of Representatives (Ursina is in Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District), Pennsylvania State Senate and State House seats representing the area, and various county offices including County Commissioner, Sheriff, Treasurer, and potentially other row offices depending on term schedules. Municipal elections don't occur in 2026 since borough contests happen in odd years. Pennsylvania offers mail-in voting under Act 77, enacted in 2019, which expanded no-excuse absentee voting. Any registered voter may request a mail-in ballot without providing a reason. Applications can be submitted online at https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/onlineabsenteeapplication/, by mail, or in person at the bureau. The deadline to apply is 5:00 PM the Tuesday before Election Day (7 days prior), though earlier application is encouraged. Completed ballots must reach the county by 8:00 PM on Election Day - postmarks don't count. Voters can also request annual mail-in ballot applications to automatically receive applications for all elections in a calendar year. Pennsylvania election records that are public include voter registration lists (available for purchase by candidates and political committees, with restrictions on use), campaign finance reports (filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State and searchable at https://www.campaignfinanceonline.pa.gov/), candidate filing information and nominating petitions (available at the bureau), and official election results by precinct (published after certification). Individual ballot choices remain confidential, but whether someone voted in a particular election is public record. The county posts unofficial results on election night and certified results after the canvass period at https://www.co.somerset.pa.us/elections/.