During this uncertain time, we want to thank you for your extraordinary efforts to remain connected to students and families as our school communities operate under unprecedented conditions. In light of efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and the new primary election date, please review the information below about changes to this year’s Governor’s Civic Engagement Award.
GCEA Deadline Update
The Pennsylvania primary election has been moved to June 2, 2020. Therefore, we have moved the deadline to apply for Gold and Silver level school awards to May 22, 2020. That means your applications for school awards are now due four days after the new voter registration deadline of May 18, 2020. Applications for the individual award are still due on April 3, 2020.
GCEA Individual Award deadline: April 3rd
New voter registration deadline: May 18th
GCEA school award deadline: May 22nd
Deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot: May 26th
New primary date: June 2nd
Please note that the application form available at www.votesPA.com/gcea is currently being updated and does not yet reflect the new deadline.
Eligibility
We encourage you to continue your efforts to register newly eligible students, but we recognize that this poses a challenge for educators who are juggling shifting priorities.
With that in mind, we have adjusted the eligibility criteria for school awards. When calculating the percent of eligible students that registered to vote, you may either:
Use the original cutoff date for eligible students. That means the number of eligible students would be the number of students who are eligible to vote on April 28th (the previous primary date). This also means that schools who have already applied are not required to submit another application.
OR
Use the new primary date of June 2nd as the cutoff date for eligible students. That means your total number of eligible students can be based on the number of students who are eligible to vote on June 2nd. If you have already submitted an application, and you want to continue registering newly eligible students, you may submit another application by May 22nd.
If you are not able to calculate the number of eligible students, you may still use the size of the senior class as a proxy.
GCEA Recognition Events CANCELLED
In light of public health concerns related to COVID-19, this year’s recognition events have been cancelled. The Department of State will mail the awards and certificates instead.
Mail-in Ballots
Have you told your students about mail-in ballots? Here’s what they need to know:
If you are a registered voter in Pennsylvania, you have a new option to vote by mail-in ballot. This is a great option for voters who prefer the safety and convenience of voting at home. You do not have to provide a reason for requesting a mail-in ballot. Learn more at VotesPA.com/mailballot.
The deadline to apply for a ballot is 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election. (Which is May 26th for the 2020 primary election.)
You can apply using an online application at VotesPA.com/applymailballot, by mailing in a paper application, or by submitting a paper application in person at the county election office.
You can return your completed ballot by mail or in person at your county election office.
The county must receive your completed ballot by 8:00 pm on election day.
Now, more than ever, our friends and neighbors are depending on us. The Department of State remains committed to our mission of overseeing fair and secure elections, and we thank you for your commitment to student civic engagement in Pennsylvania. By working together, we believe we will emerge from this crisis stronger than before.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at ra-voterreg@pa.gov or 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772).
Warm regards,
The PA Department of State