Tredyffrin, Easttown Election Guide: Who's On The Ballot, Where To Vote

Races for governor, congress and state representative are on the midterm election ballot in Tredyffrin and Easttown, while Tredyffrin will vote on whether to change its home rule charter for the first time in half a century.

General Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Here's a rundown on some basics before Election Day, including what's on the ballot and different ways to cast your vote.

Who's Running?

Here are the races on the ballot in both towns. You can find your sample ballot here.

*denotes incumbent candidates

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

• Josh Shapiro, Austin Davis* (Democratic Party)
• Stacy Garrity, Jason Richey (Republican Party)
• Ken Krawchuk, John Thomas (Libertarian Party)

U.S. House of Representatives: Pennsylvania's 6th Congressional District

• Chrissy Houlahan* (D)
• Marty Young (R)

Patch sent questions to both candidates and received a response from Young. Here are his answers.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 157th District

• Melissa Shusterman* (D)
• Justin J. Pak (R)

Tredyffrin Referendum

Tredyffrin residents will also vote on whether to update the township's home rule charter for the first time in 50 years.

• Read more: Tredyffrin Charter Referendum Explained: First Policy Changes In 50 Years Up For Vote

As one of Pennsylvania's many "home rule" towns, Tredyffrin has a charter that guides the local government's structure and procedures.

In 1974, Tredyffrin residents voted in favor of the current home rule charter, which went into effect two years later. But the world has changed since then, so the township has proposed some modern revisions.

Tredyffrin residents will vote on whether to update the charter with the 40 amendments on the ballot. Voting "yes" on the ballot question approves all 40, while a "no" vote opposes all of the proposed revisions.

If passed, the township government would carry the same overall structure. But many policies would be revised to incorporate modern technology, such as eliminating requirements for Tredyffrin Township to advertise each public notice in two newspapers. Officials say this has become costly and ineffective for getting the word out to residents.

It would also speed up the process for approving the township's annual budget, reducing required public notices. Additionally, Tredyffrin's Board of Supervisors would no longer have to vote on whether to "introduce" the final budget.

But the supervisors would still hold public hearings and vote publicly on whether to advance the preliminary budget and adopt the final budget.

With 40 proposed amendments, the question is quite lengthy. So residents are advised to get familiar with the proposals before getting to the voting booth. Patch explains the referendum here, and the township has a home rule charter referendum webpage.

Several Ways To Vote

There are multiple ways to cast your ballot.

Vote In-Person

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. If you're not sure where to cast your ballot, you can find your polling place here.

Vote By Mail

Registered voters can choose to vote by mail. (The deadline to register before the General Election was Oct. 19.)

The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 — seven days before the election.

Completed mail-in ballots must be received by the Bureau of Elections no later than 8 p.m. Nov. 3, when polls closed.

Voters can choose to submit their mail-in ballot by placing it in a ballot drop box. This is the most direct way to vote by mail, since it brings your ballot straight to the election authority.

The drop box at the Easttown Library & Information Center (720 First Ave., Berwyn) is available during these hours:

• Weekdays: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sundays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Election Day: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Some of Chester County's drop boxes are open 24/7 until Election Day, when they will all be available from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Click here for more information on voting by mail and for drop box locations. You can also check out Chester County's Voter Services webpage.