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Articles by VoteBeat Pennsylvania
Everything You Need to Know About Trump’s Department of Justice Election Monitors
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. The U.S. Department of Justice is planning to send around 1,000 election monitors to observe next week’s midterm elections — the department’s largest election monitoring effort ever. The news may be off-putting to some voters in light of President Donald Trump’s efforts to interfere with the administration of the 2026 elections.
Has Trump Had a Chilling Effect on Mail Voting? In Pennsylvania, the Early Data Is Inconclusive
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. After President Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to use the U.S. Postal Service to regulate mail voting this spring, polls showed that voters — particularly Democrats — had less confidence in election mail and might move away from mail voting. With less than three weeks until Election Day, the data on whether that’s actually happening in Pennsylvania is mixed.
Bucks County Sheriff Danny Ceisler Joins Movement Pledging Not to Interfere With Elections
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. A movement is brewing to get sheriffs around the county to pledge not to interfere in the 2026 midterm elections, and at least one Pennsylvania sheriff is on board.
Pennsylvania Proposal to Ban Law Enforcement at Polling Places Reflects Activist Concerns
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. As the 2026 midterms near, one question repeatedly comes up in discussions about potential disruptions to election administration. “‘What if ICE shows up?’ That’s what I’m hearing,” Olivia Hale, the election director in San Joaquin County, California, said on a recent call sponsored by the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions.
Bill to Allow Unaffiliated Voters to Vote in Pennsylvania Primaries Passes State House
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. For the first time in recent memory, a bill to open up Pennsylvania’s primary elections to unaffiliated voters has passed the state House. The bill still faces tough odds of becoming law, particularly since there are only two months left in the 2025-2026 legislative session. But the bill’s passage in the lower chamber represents a milestone for advocates.
Everything You Need to Know About How to Vote in the 2026 Midterm Elections in Pennsylvania
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Election Day isn’t until Nov. 3, but the 2026 election is officially underway in Pennsylvania: The first ballots are starting to hit voters’ mailboxes. Voters around the state will weigh in on everything from control of the U.S. Congress to the commonwealth’s next governor.
Pennsylvania Attorney Involved in 2020 Election Lawsuit Faces Possible Sanctions
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. An attorney who represented a Pennsylvania county as it attempted to investigate the 2020 election is facing possible suspension or disbarment. Thomas Carroll, an attorney from the Lehigh Valley, represented Fulton County in a long-running dispute the county had with the Pennsylvania Department of State and a voting equipment manufacturer.
How Josh Shapiro and Stacy Garrity Stack Up on Election Issues
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Two candidates with vastly different visions for elections are competing for Pennsylvania’s governorship this year. On one side, incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has staked many of his policy stances on elections in opposition to President Donald Trump, while struggling to pass new election laws through the state legislature.
MAGA Activist Scott Presler Violated Campaign Finance Law, Complaint Alleges
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. A watchdog group has filed a complaint alleging conservative activist Scott Presler and his political action committee may have violated state campaign finance law in Pennsylvania. Presler is based in Pennsylvania and has gained a national profile for voter registration work and ongoing searches for noncitizen voters.
Pennsylvania Pushes Back on Trump Administration’s Claim About Noncitizen Voters
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Pennsylvania state officials are pushing back on the Trump administration’s claim that there may be more than 14,000 potential noncitizens registered to vote in the state.
Pennsylvania Elections Could Look Very Different if Democrats Win Full Control of State Government in 2026
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Pennsylvania’s free newsletter here. The movement to change voting laws in Pennsylvania is all but dead. Despite bipartisan support for changes in Harrisburg, no major election bill has become law since the state implemented no-excuse mail voting in 2020. The issue has become deeply partisan since then.
Federal Judge Dismisses Trump Administration Attempt to Obtain Pennsylvania Voter Rolls
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. What happened? A federal district judge in Pennsylvania has dismissed a case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice seeking a copy of the state’s voter roll containing voters’ personal identifying information.
New Study Finds That Ballot Curing in Pennsylvania Helps More Mail Ballots Get Counted
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Mail voters who are informed and have opportunities to fix ballot errors ahead of elections are much more likely to have their votes counted, a new study of the 2024 election in Pennsylvania has found.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules Lycoming County Must Release Digital Record of 2020 Votes
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. In a rare unanimous decision last month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the public should have access to super-granular election results data, making it easier for researchers to analyze electoral patterns and for those concerned about voter fraud to inspect the results.
What You Need to Know About Mail-in Ballot Voting for the Pennsylvania Primary Election
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. As some Pennsylvania voters prepare to vote by mail in this month’s primary election, they could be forgiven for not knowing what they need to do with the date line on their ballot envelope. Court rulings have flip-flopped on the requirement several times since Act 77, the law that implemented no-excuse mail voting, went into effect in 2020.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Decide Whether State Should Reject Voter Applications With Mismatched Data
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Should voter registration applications be rejected if voters’ personal information doesn’t match government databases? The Pennsylvania Department of State said in 2018 that the answer should be no.
Pennsylvania’s Delaware County Bans Poll Workers From Using Election Prediction Markets
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. A county in southeastern Pennsylvania has banned its poll workers from using prediction markets to bet on elections. The board of elections in Delaware County, outside of Philadelphia, recently approved a resolution that amended the oath poll workers take ahead of the election to include the ban.
Pennsylvania to Test out Internet-Connected Pollbooks in 2026 Primary. Some Worry About Election Security and Perceptions
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. The Pennsylvania Department of State is launching a pilot program to try out the use of internet-connected electronic pollbooks, and the devices would be deployed as early as the May primary election. More than half of Pennsylvania counties are already using or have tested out electronic pollbooks, or e-pollbooks.
Chester County Pollbook Mishap That Omitted 75,000 Unaffiliated and Third-Party Voters Resulted From Human Error and Flawed Systems
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Human error was the primary cause of a pollbook printing issue that forced thousands of voters in Chester County, Pennsylvania, to cast provisional ballots in the 2025 municipal election, according to a report by outside investigators. Early on on Nov.
Former Bucks County Man Accused of Voting Twice in 2020 Not Covered by Broad Trump Pardon, Judge Rules
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Matthew Laiss, a man accused of double voting in the 2020 election, is not covered by a pardon President Donald Trump issued to allies who attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Why Does This Pennsylvania County Keep Having Election Problems?
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. A Pennsylvania county that has drawn congressional scrutiny for the way it runs elections continued to experience problems in 2025, despite a stabilization in leadership and changes aimed at preventing errors.
Judge to Rule on Whether Trump Pardon Applies to Former Bucks County Man in 2020 Election Fraud Case
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. A judge overseeing a criminal double-voting case in Pennsylvania appeared open to the defendant’s argument that a pardon from President Donald Trump should apply to him. The defendant, Matthew Laiss, is accused of voting for Trump twice in the 2020 election — once in person in Florida and once via mail in Pennsylvania.
Man Accused of Voting in Both Florida and Pennsylvania in 2020 Election Says Trump Pardon Applies to Him
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local A man charged with voting twice in the 2020 election has adopted a novel legal argument: that he’s covered by the pardon that President Donald Trump granted to allies who attempted to reverse his 2020 election loss. Federal prosecutors charged Matthew Laiss in September with double voting in the November 2020 election.
Pennsylvania’s Chester County Seeks Explanation for Pollbook Error as It Checks Provisional Ballots
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Pennsylvania’s Chester County has reviewed more than two-thirds of the provisional ballots cast on Election Day, and confirmed that it has begun counting eligible ballots, though officials still cannot explain what caused a pollbook error that forced independent and third-party voters to use provisional ballots.
What Happened With Chester County’s Pollbook Printing Problem?
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. An error that affected the ability of tens of thousands of Chester County voters to cast regular ballots on Election Day happened after county officials mistakenly failed to extract third party and unaffiliated voters from the state’s voter registration management database when creating a pollbook file for printing.
Pennsylvania Criminal Case Highlights Problems With Third-Party Voter Registration Drives
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, workers with an Arizona-based consulting firm conducting a voter registration drive tried to submit fake registrations in Pennsylvania in an effort to earn more money, the state attorney general is alleging in a criminal complaint filed this month.
More Pennsylvania Voters Than Ever Will Use Electronic Pollbooks This November
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. When Pennsylvania voters head to the polls this fall, more of them than ever will be using iPad-style tablet computers to sign in rather than paper. Over half of Pennsylvania’s counties are now using these electronic pollbooks, with rapid growth fueled in part by an allocation of state money that started in 2022.
Duplicate Mail Ballots Are Issued to Dozens of Pennsylvania Voters
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. A handful of Pennsylvania counties mistakenly issued duplicate mail ballots to a few of their voters in recent weeks. Why that happened is unclear — state and county officials gave different explanations — but they cautioned that the error would have not resulted in anyone being able to have their vote counted twice.
Counties Must Notify Voters if Their Mail Ballot Was Rejected, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Voters must be notified if election officials are going to reject their mail ballots because of an error such as an incorrect date or missing signature on the return envelope, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Friday.
How Pennsylvania Judges Facing Retention Ruled on Key Election Cases
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. This November’s retention elections for judges on Pennsylvania’s appellate courts are shaping up to be more combative and political than usual, thanks in part to a decade of battles over the commonwealth’s election laws.
Benedictine Sisters of Erie Who Stood up to Claims of Election Fraud Win National Award
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. As the 2024 presidential election approached, tensions were high, and activists were, once again, hunting for fraud.
Trump's Justice Department Widens Its Request for Pennsylvania Election Information
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. The U.S. Justice Department is asking Pennsylvania to turn over its complete voter rolls, a request that appears to encompass voters’ personal information, including Social Security and driver’s license numbers.
Machine Malfunctions Rarely Get in the Way of Voting, Pennsylvania Reports Show
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Pennsylvania voters encountered only scattered voting-machine malfunctions that rarely affected their ability to cast ballots in recent elections, according to a Votebeat and Spotlight PA analysis of problems reported to the state. Counties reported a smattering of common problems with machines at polling places, such as paper jams and error messages.
Pennsylvania Redesigns Envelopes for Provisional Ballots to Cut Down on Rejections
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. Pennsylvania election officials on Monday announced a redesigned provisional-ballot envelope that they hope will lead to fewer ballots being rejected for technical errors.
DOJ Presses Pennsylvania for Answers on How It Manages Voter Rolls
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. The U.S. Department of Justice is asking Pennsylvania for a wide range of information on how it manages voter registration and voter rolls, as part of what it calls “nationwide efforts” to monitor compliance with a key federal voting statute.
What You Need to Know About the Push for Open Primaries in Pennsylvania
Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Pennsylvania’s free newsletter here. More than 3 out of 4 voters in Pennsylvania support opening up the state’s primary elections to independent voters, according to an August 2024 Franklin & Marshall poll.
How Would Ordinary Voters Resolve Pennsylvania’s Big Election Policy Debates?
This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access. After years of fruitless debate in Pennsylvania’s legislature about whether and how to update the commonwealth’s election laws, a civics project is trying to see whether ordinary voters have better luck reaching a consensus on issues such as early voting and voter ID.
Pennsylvania Can’t Reject Improperly Dated Ballots, Federal Court Rules
What happened? Pennsylvania counties can’t reject a voter’s mail ballot solely because they forgot to put the date on the return envelope or put a wrong date on it, a federal judge wrote Monday in a ruling that likely applies to the upcoming primary. The ruling is the latest — and likely not the last — in a long-running legal battle over enforcing the date requirement that has bounced around state and federal courts.
Poll Workers Will Be on the Ballot in the Pennsylvania Primary. Here’s How You Can Become a Candidate
You know those workers at the polling place who help you cast your ballot each election? There are elections for them, too. This year, voters across Pennsylvania will have a chance to choose the people who will staff their polling locations for the next four years. In most states, these workers are appointed, but in Pennsylvania, the people who oversee voting at the precinct level are elected officials with four-year terms.
Pennsylvania's Century-old Election Code Needs Fixes, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt Says
Pennsylvania lawmakers need to update the century-old Election Code to fix the most labor-intensive processes and make the voting experience as uniform as possible, the state’s top election official said. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schimdt made the comments during a conversation moderated by Votebeat reporter Carter Walker at an event Wednesday at Dickinson College. The event was hosted by Keep Our Republic, a nonpartisan nonprofit whose mission is strengthening elections.
Pennsylvania’s Upgrade of Glitchy Voter Registration System Falls Further Behind Schedule
More than a year after the Pennsylvania Department of State canceled a contract to upgrade the state’s voter registration system, there’s still no replacement contract in place. The state has been trying since 2019 to upgrade the Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors, or SURE, a database of the state’s voters that was built in the early 2000s and still undergirds many of the functions of running elections.
Pennsylvania Legislative Preview: Will Long-Discussed Election Proposals Finally Get Through?
preparing to debate what changes, if any, should be made to the way the state’s elections are run. Once again, Republicans are planning to champion expanded voter ID requirements, while Democrats want to answer county calls for more time to process mail ballots and implement early voting.
No Charges and Few Updates on Investigations of Suspicious Voter Registration Forms in Pennsylvania
Investigations by five Pennsylvania counties into the submission of suspicious voter registration forms haven’t resulted in any charges yet, and three of the counties aren’t releasing details about the progress of their inquiries.
How the Recount in Pennsylvania’s US Senate Race Will Work
The race for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania is officially heading to a recount. On Wednesday, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt ordered Pennsylvania’s 67 counties to conduct a recount under a provision of the state election code that requires one when the margin of a statewide race is within 0.5%. With Republican Dave McCormick receiving 3,380,310 votes to incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey’s 3,350,972 votes as of noon Wednesday, the two candidates were separated by just 0.43%.
Group Seeks to Block Mail Ballots for Hundreds of Pennsylvania Voters, Based on Flimsy USPS Records
A group of citizens are challenging hundreds of mail ballot applications in southeast Pennsylvania, claiming they were submitted by voters who have moved to a new address that disqualifies them from voting in the state.
Bucks County Is Among the Pennsylvania Counties That Give Voters a Chance to Fix Errors on Their Mail Ballots
Voters in most Pennsylvania counties will have the chance to fix errors with their mail ballots during this election and spare them from being rejected, according to a review of county policies by Votebeat and Spotlight PA. Thirty-four counties allow voters to fix errors with their mail ballots in some way.
Philadelphia Aims to Speed Up Mail Ballot Processing with New Equipment
A few relatively minor changes would allow Philadelphia to process mail ballots much faster and finish counting them much sooner after polls close on Election Day, an analysis by Votebeat and Spotlight PA has found. The analysis found a wide disparity between Allegheny and Philadelphia — Pennsylvania’s two largest counties — in how quickly they counted mail ballots during the November 2022 election.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Says It’s Too Late to Change Rules on Mail Ballots
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court refused to immediately take up two lingering questions about the rules for mail ballot voting before the November election, saying it’s too close to Election Day to revisit the law now. The court rejected two petitions Saturday from groups that had sought emergency decisions. One was a request from voting rights groups represented by the American Civil Liberties Union in a long-running effort to end enforcement of mail ballot dating requirements.
Voting Rights Groups Ask Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Take Up Mail Ballot Dating Issue Immediately
Court to conclusively decide whether voters need to date their mail ballot return envelope in order for their vote to be counted, likely the last chance to settle the question before the November election.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Restores Date Requirement for Mail Ballots, Voiding Lower-Court Ruling
Pennsylvanians who vote by mail must write a proper date on their ballot envelopes for their votes to be counted, under a decision Friday from the state Supreme Court that could affect thousands of voters this November. The decision voids an Aug. 30 Commonwealth Court ruling that enforcing the requirement on ballot dating violated voters’ rights under the state constitution.
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