Pennsylvania 2026 elections

Contests on the board in Pennsylvania

The general-election contests the Ledger tracks in Pennsylvania, each with the raters' current call, the newest public polling and the money reported.

Candidate profiles from Pennsylvania

PA-10 · Pennsylvania

Scott Perry

Seven-term Pennsylvania Republican congressman, in the 10th District since 2019; retired Army National Guard brigadier general and former Freedom Caucus chair.

Read Scott Perry's recordThe race

Key dates and deadlines

Read from the Pennsylvania Department of State on Sep 17, 2026. The authority's own page, linked beside each date, is the final word — confirm it before you act.

• Voter registration deadlineOctober 19, 2026 is the last day to register to vote, or to update your registration, before the November 3, 2026 general election. The Department of State prints one deadline for every way of applying (online, by mail or in person) and gives no time of day. pa.gov
• Registering by mail: received-by deadlineOctober 19, 2026. The Department of State's 2026 General Election Calendar says all applications for registration, including updates to an existing registration, must be received by the county boards of elections by this date. The paper form says to mail or deliver it to your county elections office at least 15 days before the election. pa.gov
• Counties begin sending mail ballotsNo later than October 20, 2026. County boards of elections must begin to deliver or mail civilian absentee and mail-in ballots as soon as possible after the ballots are printed, and in no event later than this day. Each county's ballots become available on its own schedule. pa.gov
• Last day to apply for and vote a mail ballot in person (on-demand mail ballot voting)October 27, 2026, 5 p.m. is the deadline to apply in person for a mail ballot at your county election office or other designated location, where you can request, receive, vote and submit the ballot in one visit. The Department of State prints no statewide start date: the option opens in each county when its ballots are ready. pa.gov
• Deadline to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballotOctober 27, 2026, 5 p.m. Your application for a mail-in or absentee ballot must be received by your county election office by then. It is a received-by deadline, and it is the same for online, paper and in-person applications. pa.gov
• Deadline to return a mail-in or absentee ballotNovember 3, 2026, 8 p.m. Your county election office must receive your completed ballot by then. It is a received-by deadline: a postmark by 8 p.m. on November 3 is not sufficient. pa.gov
• Election DayTuesday, November 3, 2026 — general election. pa.gov
• Poll hoursPolls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026. If you are in line by 8 p.m., you can vote. pa.gov
• Military and overseas absentee ballotsNovember 10, 2026 is the last day for the county election office to receive completed military and overseas absentee ballots, which must be submitted for delivery no later than 11:59 p.m. on November 2, 2026. The 2026 General Election Calendar says such a ballot must be delivered by 5:00 PM on November 10 to be counted. pa.gov

Official voting tools

These links go to the state's own tools. The Ledger does not collect registrations or ballots.

Rules to know

• What to bring

  You must show identification only the first time you vote at a polling place, meaning the first time you appear to vote in a particular election district. Approved photo IDs: Pennsylvania driver's license or PennDOT ID card; ID issued by any Commonwealth agency; ID issued by the U.S. Government; U.S. passport; U.S. Armed Forces ID; student ID (including an electronic/digital student ID card); employee ID. If you do not have a photo ID, you can use one of the following so long as it includes your name and address: confirmation issued by the county voter registration office, such as a voter registration card; non-photo ID issued by the Commonwealth; non-photo ID issued by the U.S. Government; firearm permit; current utility bill; current bank statement; paycheck; government check. You will not have to show ID again unless you move and are assigned to a new polling place. A voter who is required to show ID but cannot show it may be issued a provisional ballot. Read from: pa.gov

• Voting by mail

  Any registered voter may apply for a mail-in ballot without giving a reason. An absentee ballot is for voters who will be out of their municipality on Election Day or who have a disability or illness that prevents them from going to the polling place, and it requires a reason. Apply online, on paper or in person at your county election office. You must give your Pennsylvania driver's license or PennDOT ID number; if you have not been issued one, the last four digits of your Social Security number; if you have neither, a copy of an accepted photo ID such as an unexpired U.S. passport. Seal your ballot in the yellow envelope marked “official election ballot,” seal that envelope in the pre-addressed outer return envelope, and sign and write the current date on the voter's declaration; otherwise the ballot will not be counted. Voters must return their own ballots: by mail, at a drop box where the county has one, at the county election office or at another officially designated location, but not at a polling place. The exceptions are voters with a disability who have designated someone in writing to deliver the ballot and voters who need an emergency absentee ballot. Read from: pa.gov

• Voting before Election Day

  The Department of State's pages list no early-voting period at polling places. Instead, when your county's ballots are ready, you can request, receive, vote and submit your mail-in or absentee ballot all in one visit to your county election office or other officially designated location (the Department calls this on-demand mail ballot voting). You will need your PennDOT ID number or the last 4 digits of your Social Security number. The deadline to apply for a ballot in person for the 2026 general election is 5 p.m., October 27, 2026; you may drop off your mail ballot in person until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Check your county's website or call your county to see if ballots are finalized and available. Read from: pa.gov

• Track your ballot

  You can track the status of your mail-in or absentee ballot online with the Department of State's ballot tracking tool. If you gave your email address to your county election office when you registered to vote or applied for a mail ballot, you may receive an email notification when your returned ballot is received, as well as information about your ballot status, depending on county practices. If you vote a provisional ballot, you can find out whether it counted, partially counted or did not count beginning 7 days after the election, online or by calling 1-877-VOTESPA. Read from: pa.gov

• If there is a problem with your mail ballot

  The Department of State's voter pages do not describe a statewide process for correcting a mail ballot after it is returned, and they say ballot-status notices depend on county practices. If you received a mail ballot but did not return it, you may surrender the ballot and its outer return envelope at your polling place and vote a regular ballot; without them you can vote only by provisional ballot. If you returned a completed mail ballot that was rejected, or that you believe will be rejected, and you believe you are eligible to vote, you may be issued a provisional ballot at your polling place. After 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election (October 27, 2026), a voter with an emergency such as an unexpected illness, disability or last-minute absence from the municipality can request an emergency absentee ballot; that application is due at the county election office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. The 2026 General Election Calendar sets November 9, 2026 as the last day for county boards of elections to receive proof of identification that can be verified from an absentee or mail-in voter. Read from: pa.gov

• Voting with a criminal record

  The Department of State says you can register and vote if you are a pretrial detainee, even if you are confined in a correctional facility awaiting trial on charges of a felony or a misdemeanor, so long as you have not been sentenced to incarceration or are not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction; if you are serving a sentence for a misdemeanor conviction only, unless the misdemeanor was a violation of the Pennsylvania Election Code; if you have a felony conviction and were released, or will be released, from a correctional facility by the date of the next election; if you are on probation or released on parole, including parolees living in a halfway house; or if you are under house arrest (home confinement). You cannot register and vote if you are currently confined in a correctional facility for conviction of a felony and will not be released from confinement until after the next election, or if you were convicted of violating any provision of the Pennsylvania Election Code within the last four years. Read from: pa.gov

• Help in Spanish and help voting

  The Department of State's election hotline, 1-877-VOTES-PA (1-877-868-3772), has telephone interpreters. The Department publishes Spanish-language voter pages and Spanish versions of the voter registration, mail-in ballot and absentee ballot applications. It says three counties should provide voting materials and assistance in Spanish: Berks County, Lehigh County and Philadelphia County. You can get help voting as long as the person who helps you is not your employer or union representative and is not the judge of elections. Read from: pa.gov

On the statewide ballot

Offices on the November 3, 2026 statewide ballot, per the Pennsylvania Department of State:

Governor · Lieutenant Governor

Questions and answers