Registered in Two States, Voting Legally in One: A Journalist’s Election Quandary

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I married the woman of my dreams this past May and have since relocated from my hometown of York, Pennsylvania, to Arlington, Virginia. Recently, I checked my voter registration status on Vote.org and Vote411.org to ensure I’m able to cast my presidential ballot on Nov. 5. To my surprise, both sites showed I’m registered to vote in both commonwealths.

Earlier this year, I applied for and received my Virginia driver’s license. I’ve never missed a presidential election since I first became eligible to vote, and I didn’t plan to start in 2024. I endeavor to put my political leanings aside when reporting on the 2024 election betting odds. I take great pleasure in being labeled both a “liberal media hack” and a “MAGA idiot” on social media—comments that seemingly suggest I’m achieving impartiality. With less than two weeks until Election Day and early voting already underway in many states, most Americans have made up their minds.


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As of now, President Donald Trump is the heavy betting front-runner, with his implied odds on Polymarket hovering around 63%. Vice President Kamala Harris remains the underdog, with her implied odds at 37%. Polymarket indicates there’s $588.5 million bet on Trump winning compared to $396.5 million on Harris becoming the 47th president.

At sportsbooks in Canada where betting on the 2024 election is permitted, BetMGM and other operators have also reported more action on Trump than Harris, tipping the odds in Trump’s favor. A month ago, Trump and Harris were neck-and-neck at -110. Today, Trump is the favorite at -175 to Harris’s +135, or implied odds of 63.6% and 42.56%.

I remain registered to vote in Pennsylvania too. Trump refused to concede defeat during the 2020 election that placed President Joe Biden in the White House, despite no court or state audit finding significant fraud that would have altered the result in his favor. Republicans continue to express concerns about election integrity. They believe election officials and poll workers in heavily Democratic cities in key swing states like Pennsylvania have flipped votes blue or voted on behalf of deceased voters who remain active on state voter rolls. Trump has also raised allegations about swing states using “mules,” or individuals who collect ballots in Democratic cities and counties resulting in so-called “vote dumps” where a vast majority of the votes favor a particular candidate.

Democrats argue that elections are safe and fair. The Democratic Party declares its commitment to protecting and enforcing voting rights on its official website.

“We stand united against the determined Republican campaign to disenfranchise voters through onerous voter ID laws, unconstitutional and excessive purges of the voter rolls, and closures of polling places in low-income neighborhoods, on college campuses, and in communities of color,” reads Democrats.org.

Republicans, however, have a different perspective.

“We will implement measures to secure our elections, including voter ID, highly sophisticated paper ballots, proof of citizenship, and same-day voting. We will not allow the Democrats to give voting rights to illegal aliens,” states GOP.com.

There’s seemingly little preventing me from voting in both Virginia and Pennsylvania. I’ve already sent in my mail-in ballot in Virginia and could easily make the two-hour drive north to my former voting location in the Keystone State on Nov. 5. Of course, that would constitute breaking the law. However, the odds of facing prosecution for doing so are presumably low.

While attorneys I consulted say it’s not illegal to be registered to vote in two states, federal law limits me to voting in just one. It’s also not up to me to decide where to vote—hey, Pennsylvania could be the deciding state!—because federal law says I’m to vote in the state of my primary residence, Virginia.

The U.S. election system unquestionably has its issues. The management of voter rolls from state to state seems to lack adequate, real-time communication, as my case exemplifies. Despite legally moving my residence to Virginia months ago, Pennsylvania still considers me an active voter.

My situation—and that of others who moved from one state to another during an election year and remain registered in their former jurisdiction—is presumably less significant compared to college students who attend school out of state. Vote.org advises college students that they “can usually register to vote in either your hometown or where you attend college.” This is currently a point of controversy in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County.

While I’m legally required to vote in Virginia, Vote.gov suggests college students might consider voting in their hometown depending on “which location is more convenient” and even “who is on the ballot.” The relaxed approach to voter rolls and their bespoke legality places significant responsibility—and, for those wishing to exploit the system, opportunity—on voters like me.

I’m fortunate to have been raised by parents who instilled in me a strong sense of right and wrong. Thus, I won’t be driving up to Pennsylvania next month. The risk of being charged with a felony, which is a potential consequence of voting in two states during a federal election, is not a gamble I’m willing to take.