Your ballot, explained.

Heard this? Here are the facts

Each claim gets a plain status: True, False, or Promised, not law.

• Heard this? "In Pennsylvania you have to show a photo ID to vote." False
  The facts: Most voters do not have to show any ID. Only people voting at their polling place for the first time must show ID, and it does not have to have a photo: a voter registration card, a current utility or bank statement, or a paycheck with your name and address also counts. source: pa.gov (Department of State)
• Heard this? "You can register and vote at the same time on Election Day in Pennsylvania." False
  The facts: Pennsylvania has no same-day registration. The last day to register for Nov. 3 is Oct. 19, 2026. source: pa.gov (Department of State)
• Heard this? "A mail ballot counts as long as it's postmarked by Election Day." False
  The facts: Your mail ballot must reach your county election office by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Ballots that arrive later do not count, even with an Election Day postmark. You can also drop it off at your county office, or at a drop box where your county offers one. source: pa.gov (Department of State)
• Heard this? "If you asked for a mail ballot, you can't vote in person." False
  The facts: You can vote at your polling place if you bring your whole mail ballot packet so poll workers can cancel it. If you never got it or lost it, you can vote a provisional ballot, a paper ballot counted once your county confirms you didn't vote by mail. source: pa.gov (Department of State)
• Heard this? "If you were ever convicted of a felony, you can't vote in Pennsylvania." False
  The facts: You can register and vote once you are out of prison, including on probation or parole or in a halfway house. People in jail waiting for trial can vote too. Only people in prison for a felony who won't be out by Election Day can't vote. source: pa.gov (Department of State)
• Heard this? "If the winner isn't known on election night, something is wrong." False
  The facts: State law does not let counties start opening mail ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day, so counting can take more than a day. Changes after election night are normal. source: pa.gov (Department of State)
• Heard this? "You'll get $5,000 after the election." Promised, not law
  The facts: On Sept. 9, 2026 the President promised every adult $5,000, a "Trump Dividend", if Republicans keep both the House and the Senate. It is a campaign promise that depends on the election results; no law or payment exists today. Congress would have to pass it, and AP estimates it would cost over $1 trillion. Is this legal? Experts disagree. Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, wrote: "No, Mr. President you can't offer voters $5000 if the Republicans win the House and Senate." Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner called it a completed crime under the federal vote-buying law (18 U.S.C. 597). Election attorney John Day told AP it is legal because it would go to everyone regardless of how they vote: "This is a campaign promise." Rice University political scientist Mark Jones: "It's unsavory, but it's legal." Your ballot is secret, so no payment can depend on how you personally vote. source: kold.com source: internazionale.it source: newsweek.com source: ibtimes.co.uk source: katv.com
• Heard this? "Someone can legally pay you to vote, or to vote a certain way." False
  The facts: No. Paying or offering to pay anyone to vote or to register to vote in a federal election is a federal crime (52 U.S.C. 10307(c)). Accepting the payment is a crime too. source: law.cornell.edu
• Heard this? "The $1 million-a-day giveaway in 2024 paid people for voting." False
  The facts: That contest was open only to registered voters in seven swing states, and entering meant signing a petition, not voting. The group's lawyer told a Pennsylvania court the winners were "not chosen by chance". The judge let it continue. source: aljazeera.com

Checked against official sources, court records and news reports. We update this as new claims go around.