Pennsylvania election results to watch include state Supreme Court retention races. Results will begin to show here after 8 p.m. on Nov. 4.
Results for statewide races can also be found on the Department of State website. Local results may be posted by individual counties on their websites.
For complete coverage of the 2025 election, visit Spotlight PA’s Election Center.
Pennsylvania election results
For voters interested in seeing rolling tallies, Spotlight PA is making available for free a tool that displays Associated Press results. While there are hundreds of races on Tuesday’s ballot, the Associated Press will only track results in a handful of contests.
Those results will be displayed under each office noted below. Please check back as results will be updated regularly.
Pa. Supreme Court retention
Currently, there are five Democratic justices serving on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and two Republicans. Three justices — Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht — all of whom were elected as Democrats, are up for retention.
You can read more about the candidates for state Supreme Court in our candidate guide.
Commonwealth, Superior Court retention
Voters will decide whether Judge Michael Wojcik should have another term on Commonwealth Court and whether Judge Alice Dubow should have another term on Superior Court. Both were elected as Democrats.
Commonwealth Court
There is one vacancy on Commonwealth Court, one of Pennsylvania’s two intermediate appellate courts. Two candidates are vying to fill the vacancy, Democrat Stella Tsai and Republican Matthew Wolford.
Commonwealth Court presides over civil actions brought by and against the Pennsylvania state government and hears appeals primarily in cases involving state departments and local governments. Superior Court handles criminal, family, and civil cases that are appealed by county Courts of Common Pleas.
The person who wins the open seat on Commonwealth Court could help shape Pennsylvania’s laws on everything from elections to firearms, while the candidate who wins a seat on Superior Court could help decide the outcomes of high-profile criminal cases.
Superior Court
There is one vacancy on Superior Court, one of Pennsylvania’s two intermediate appellate courts. Three candidates are running to fill it: Democrat Brandon P. Neuman, Republican Maria Battista, and the Liberal Party’s Daniel Wassmer.
The 15-member Superior Court handles criminal and civil cases that don’t involve the government.
As in the Commonwealth Court elections, Democratic primary voters will have just one candidate they can vote for. Republicans will choose between two candidates. Find out more about them.
Pittsburgh mayor
Democratic incumbent Mayor Ed Gainey was defeated by Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor during the primary. O’Connor will face former police officer Tony Moreno, a Republican, on Nov. 4.
Philadelphia district attorney
Incumbent Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, faces Patrick F. Dugan. Dugan unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination and is running in November as a Republican. Get more information about the candidates from The Inquirer and Billy Penn.
Philadelphia controller
Incumbent Philadelphia Controller Christy Brady, a Democrat, faces Republican Ari Patrinos, a teacher and former stockbroker.
Get more information about the candidates from Billy Penn.
Frequently asked questions
Q: When will we know the final results of the election?
A: Votes will be counted throughout the evening on Nov. 4 after polls close at 8 p.m. and released in batches for several hours. By state law, Pennsylvania counties cannot process mail ballots before Election Day, and many have different procedures for counting votes and in what order.
Q: How can I find the latest election results in Pennsylvania?
A: For statewide races, you can check the Department of State’s election results website here. Local results may be posted by individual counties on their websites.
Q: Can I track my mail ballot in Pennsylvania?
A: Yes, the Pennsylvania Department of State allows you to track your ballot on its website. Go to pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/BallotTracking.aspx, where you will see a prompt to enter your name, date of birth, and county of residence. You can also contact your county election office to confirm the status of your ballot.
Q: What happens if there is a recount?
In Pennsylvania, a recount is automatically triggered when the margin is .5% or less. Election officials must then carry out the recount.
Three or more voters in a voting precinct can also request a recount. Candidates cannot request a recount.
A recount must be completed within three weeks of the election.
Learn more about recounts from The Inquirer.
Q: How does the media get election results?
A: The Pennsylvania Department of State and county election offices make results available to the media.
Q: What is the process for certifying election results in Pennsylvania?
A: According to reporting by Votebeat, the process begins when the polls close and “counties begin uploading in-person results to their websites and that of the Department of State.”
A few days later, counties will begin their official canvass of the election.
“The canvass is just going through and double-, triple-checking that you have all of the ballots accounted for,” said Derek Muller, a law professor at the University of Iowa who specializes in elections law, in 2022. Election officials are “making sure that everything is included and that every lawfully cast ballot is included in that final tally.”
“County elections offices will process provisional ballots during this time, checking to make sure the voters who cast them had not already submitted a mail-in ballot or whether the provisional ballots were somehow otherwise ineligible,” Votebeat reported. “Counties will also ‘reconcile’ their votes, meaning they will check to ensure that the number of voters recorded as having cast ballots in a given precinct matches the number of ballots counted from that precinct.”
“County elections offices also perform post-election audits during this period. Counties are required to do a recount of a random sample of 2% of ballots cast or 2,000 ballots, whichever is fewer. Many counties also began conducting risk-limiting audits after the 2020 election, in which a random sample of ballots are hand-counted to ensure the totals match the results from the tabulation machine.”
By the Tuesday after Election Day, counties must submit results — as up-to-date as possible, but still unofficial — to the Department of State. These figures could change slightly as military and overseas ballots are counted and included in the tallies, per Votebeat.
“Local boards of election, comprised of the county’s commissioners, must sign a copy of the results twice for an election to be certified. Typically, candidates raise any challenges to the canvassing process in the five-day window between the first and second signings.”