The 2026 midterm elections draw ever nearer in Pennsylvania, where an array of races in U.S. Congress and the state legislature could sway the control of major governing bodies at multiple levels of government.
Mail-in ballots started to go out earlier this month and have already begun to be returned to county elections offices around the state.
Here's a glance at what you need to know ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
What's at stake
The Pennsylvania senate and legislature both hang in the balance this year, as does U.S. Congress. Control over all bodies could come down to just a handful of votes in a handful of races.
The 203-seat Pennsylvania legislature has been under Democratic control since 2022, when the left obtained a narrow majority for the first time in decades. They remain in control through a wave of special elections four years later, with the balance currently sitting in their favor at 103 to 100.
And while a state level swing to the left from 2024, either gentle or more pronounced, is widely expected, individual district battles are fought on much tighter lines. Many districts have historical turnouts of just a few thousand voters, and some can be determined by just a handful of voters. History has demonstrated that individual voters truly matter in Pennsylvania, and that's as true for the presidential election as it is for local elections.
Democrats also seek to take control of the state senate, where they currently trail Republicans, 27-23. Democrats have not controlled the state senate since the early 1990s, when they briefly held the "trifecta" of the governor's office, senate, and house.
U.S. Congress is perhaps easier to predict. Most major polls and analyses suggest that Democrats will take back control of both the House and the Senate in 2026, riding the ongoing pendulum swing back to center-left following President Trump's sweeping victories two years ago.
The Cook Political Report lists four of the 17 Congressional seats in Pennsylvania in the "leans" or "toss up" category, indicating they could shift. All recent traction from Cook in Pennsylvania has been favoring Democrats. That includes PA 1 between Brian Fitzpatrick and Bob Harvie (lean R), PA 7 between Ryan McKenzie and Bob Brooks (lean D), PA 8 between Rob Bresnahan and Paige Cognetti (toss up), and PA 10 between Scott Perry and Janelle Stelson (lean D).
What's on the ballot
State representative and state senate races will vary by municipality, but all voters will cast ballots in some state level race. All Pennsylvania voters will also decide between sitting Gov. Josh Shapiro and challenging Republican, Treasurer Stacy Garrity, in the gubernatorial race.
Many local townships and boroughs will also have ballot questions or referendums to address. Sample ballots can be reviewed through your county's election office.
Defining issue: artificial intelligence data centers
No policy controversy in recent memory has redrawn political battle lines quite as dramatically as the recent battles over artificial intelligence data centers impacting nearly every corner of Pennsylvania.
Shapiro's early and avid support for data center construction, including "fast tracking" applications and his team working closely with Amazon about messaging and planning, has sparked Garrity's recent turn against data centers. It also split Democrats between those who backed Shapiro and echoed his messaging unconditionally, and those more skeptical of development and responsive to the 74 percent of Pennsylvanians who say they oppose the projects.
PA Community Rejects $10,000 Personal 'Bribes' To Build Data Center
Emails obtained by Concerned Citizens of Montour County show close communication between Shapiro's administration, major data center developers like Brian O'Neill, and Amazon. The three sides discussed wording and timing of announcements and policies, and seemed particularly concerned with hiding the identity of Amazon as the company behind major projects in Pennsylvania, the emails show.
The conversations came as Shapiro provided a 100 percent exemption on state taxes to data centers, which Food and Water Watch says could cost Pennsylvanians $2 billion in revenue by 2031.
Democratic State Sen. Katie Muth and leading Republicans, Garrity and State Sen. Rosemary Brown, say that a statewide moratorium on all data center construction is the only thing that will protect residents.
It remains to be seen how the unusual alliances may impact voters.
Voter registration and mail-in ballots
Voter registration is available online here. The deadline to register to vote is at 5 p.m. on Oct. 19.
"Voting by mail is a convenient, safe, and secure option for eligible Pennsylvanians," Secretary of State Al Schmidt said. "Those who prefer to vote by mail should apply today to ensure they have time to receive, mark, and return their ballot by Election Day."
Voting by mail is available to all Pennsylvania voters prior to Election Day. The deadline for voters to request a ballot is 5 p.m. on Oct. 27. Mail-in ballots can be requested here.
Ballots are due back to a designated ballot drop-off location by 8 p.m. Tuesday night, Nov. 4.
If you still haven't received your mail-in ballot and Election Day arrives, you can also vote via a provisional ballot at the polls. The provisional ballot will become your official vote once elections officials determine they have not received your mail-in ballot.
Voter rights
If you are heading in-person to a polling place, it's important to know your rights, and what is and is not legal in your encounters with poll workers. You are not required to show identification, according to Pennsylvania law, unless you have never voted at that precinct in the past. Only voters who have never voted at that precinct before are required to show identification, according to Pennsylvania law.
That identification does not have to be photo identification, but it must contain your name and address.
Just because your name is not in the poll book, does not mean you are not registered to vote, according to a release from the Pennsylvania Secretary of State's office. Voting officials should call the county board of elections to confirm your status.
For those who may have limited English language proficiency, the law stipulates that you may bring another individual with you into the voting booth to help out casting your vote.Finally, aside from wearing a mask and staying six feet away from other voters, you can also minimize risk by voting early to avoid long lines to vote.
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