Everything To Know About The Pennsylvania 2018 Midterm Elections

Election Day 2018 is coming up fast. Here's what you need to know about candidates, key races, polling places, and more ahead of Nov. 6.

Voter Information

Polls in Pennsylvania open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.

If you're not sure where to go to vote, you can find your polling place here. If you won't be in town on Election Day, don't worry. You can vote by absentee ballot. The deadline is Oct. 30.

The voter registration deadline in Pennsylvania (Oct. 9) has passed. You can double check your voter registration status here. If you're not registered, you can still register to vote online for future elections.

Sample Ballots

Curious about what your ballot will look like on Nov. 6? Check the links below for a glance at what you'll find inside the booth on Election Day. The county ballots are broken down by municipality and precinct.

• Bucks County
• Chester County
• Delaware County
• Montgomery County
• Philadelphia

Voting Rights

The right to vote is one of the most vital tenets of American democracy. When you get to your polling place, it's important to know the law.

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. It is illegal for poll workers to require you to present photo ID, law states.

Just because your name is not in the poll book, does not mean you are not registered to vote, according to a release from Gov. Wolf's office. Voting officials should call the county board of elections to confirm your status.

If you have limited English language proficiency, you are legally permitted to bring someone into the voting booth with you to assist in casting your vote.

More voting rights information can be found here.

Race for Governor

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is facing a challenge from Republican businessman and former state representative Scott Wagner.

Wolf has a new running mate for lieutenant governor in the form of John Fetterman, who won the primary for the position back in May. Fetterman, the mayor of a tiny town outside of Pittsburgh, defeated incumbent Mike Stack, who had a messy relationship with Gov. Wolf heading back to an alleged incident where he lambasted his security detail and other state employees at his residence.

Wagner is accompanied on the ballot by Jeff Bartos, a Montgomery County native and real estate developer.

Wolf and Fetterman currently hold a 16.8 point lead in the race, according to an average of polls from RealClearPolitics. And the race "leans Democratic," per the Cook Political Report.

Wolf was elected governor in 2014, defeating incumbent Republican Tom Corbett, 54.9 percent to 45.1 percent.

U.S. House of Representatives Races

Pennsylvania is historically a swing state and there are several key Congressional races which could help determine the balance of power for the next two years.

Pennsylvania's current delegation of 18 includes 10 Republicans, six Democrats, and two vacancies following resignations. In the U.S. House, there are currently 235 Republicans and 193 Democrats, and seven vacancies. Democrats have serious work to do if they hope to flip Congress.

Things look much different in the 2018 election in Pennsylvania than they did in 2016. That's because the state's severely gerrymandered electoral map was deemed unconstitutional back in February, and a new map was drawn. On balance, the new map favors Democrats, and should help them recoup at least a few seats.

Perhaps the best example of the power of the redrawn map is in the 6th District, one of the most dramatically gerrymandered districts prior to the redrawing. It has traditionally been a red district, and is currently held by moderate U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello.

However, Costello announced his retirement from the seat last year, leaving the district wide open. And the redrawn map now includes all of Chester County, along with the Democratic stronghold of Reading, bringing the district into the "lean Democratic" category, according to the Cook Political Report. The race will feature Air Force captain and former teacher Chrissy Houlahan against Greg McCauley, an attorney and businessman.

Another southeastern Pennsylvania district drastically altered in the redrawing was the 5th, an area which geographically contains much of the old 7th in Delaware County. The old 7th was widely considered, along with the 6th, to be among the nation's most gerrymandered districts, covering parts of Montgomery, Chester, Berks, and Lancaster counties in addition to Delaware.

The incumbent in the 7th, Republican Pat Meehan, would be running in the 5th this year had he not resigned earlier this year following the redistricting and sexual misconduct allegations.

Now, Democrat lawyer and school executive Mary Gary Scanlon is favored over senior deputy attorney general of Pennsylvania Pearl Kim to win the 5th. Cook considers the 5th "likely Democratic."

Houlahan, Scanlon, and Kim are among multiple women running to replace men on Pennsylvania's all-male delegation to Washington.

A third swing race to watch in the Philadelphia region is the battle in the 1st District between incumbent Republican Brian Fitzpatrick and Democratic challenger Scott Wallace. Cook calls it a "Republican toss-up."

The race to represent Bucks County in Congress has become increasingly contentious with area residents bombarded with radio advertising, mailers, and television ads. Fitzpatrick's campaign is attempting to paint Wallace as a "dangerous" choice for Bucks County, while Wallace's campaign is pushing Fitzpatrick as a Trump backer whose agenda favors the rich. The race has been complicated by Fitzpatrick's moderate stance, specifically on gun violence. Even gun control advocates can't agree on which candidate to support, and in some groups it is causing a rift between leadership at the national level and between local volunteers, sources say.

In the Philadelphia area, there are also several races for Congress that look to be less closely contested than the matchups above. Democrat Madeleine Dean is favored heavily over Dan David in the 4th District, which covers most of solidly blue Montgomery County. Races to represent the bulk of Philadelphia itself — the 2nd and 3rd Districts — are expected to be easy wins for current Congressmen Brendan Boyle (incumbent in old 4th, now running in 2nd) and Dwight Evans (3rd).

Race for Senate

As Republicans look to maintain their narrow 51-47 majority over Democrats (plus two independents) in the Senate, they'd benefit hugely from dethroning the senior Senator from Pennsylvania, Bob Casey.

Casey, a previous auditor general and candidate for governor, has held the seat since he was victorious over Rick Santorum in the 2006 election. He's challenged by Republican Lou Barletta, a state representative in the 11th District who drew widespread attention in 2010 as the mayor of Hazleton for an anti-immigration ordinance.

Cook calls the race "likely Democratic." Casey leads an average of polls by 16 points, per RealClearPolitics.

State Legislature

Dozens of seats are being contested in the Pennsylvania Legislature across the state. Check your local Patch for information and results.

Republicans have controlled both the state senate and house since 2011. Republicans have a very comfortable 33-16 majority in the senate, and a 120-79 majority in the house.

Patch file photo