April 23, 2025Jae C. Hong / APTrump administration drops lawsuit accusing PA city of robbing Hispanic voters of powerby Associated PressThe U.S. Justice Department’s initial lawsuit said the “at-large” system of electing city council members prevented Hispanic residents from getting elected.
April 23, 2025Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAPa. primary election 2025: A complete guide to Reading City Council president candidatesby Lisa Scheid of Spotlight PAThe crucial position is selected by voters to keep order and set an agenda for the legislative body of this city of more than 90,000.
April 21, 2025Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAHow Spotlight PA will cover Pennsylvania’s 2025 primary electionby Elizabeth Estrada of Spotlight PAIn 2025, Pennsylvanians will elect local officials and judges. Learn more about how Spotlight PA will cover these races.
April 21, 2025Leise Hook / For Spotlight PAPa. primary election 2025: A complete guide to the candidates for State College school boardby Min Xian of Spotlight PA State CollegeDemocrats and Republicans will see the same seven candidates for State College school board on their primary ballots.
April 18, 2025Jared Wickerham / For Spotlight PAPa. primary election 2025: A guide to vetting local and judicial candidatesby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PALocal lawmakers like mayors and judicial candidates such as those for Common Pleas court will be on the ballot in 2025. Learn more about how to research the candidates.
April 17, 2025Courtesy of campaignsPa. primary election 2025: A complete guide to candidates for Commonwealth and Superior Courtsby Katie Meyer of Spotlight PADemocrats and Republicans will appear on the May 20 primary ballot as they vie for seats on Commonwealth and Superior Courts.
April 11, 2025Jared Wickerham / For Spotlight PALast-resort ballots are increasingly being rejected for technical errors in Pennsylvania. Why?by Carter Walker of VotebeatBetween 2016 and 2024, the percentage of provisional ballots rejected due to technical errors increased from .95% to 4.92%.
April 10, 2025Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAPa. primary election 2025: Everything you need to know about requesting, filling out, and returning your mail ballotby Elizabeth Estrada of Spotlight PAPennsylvania has universal no-excuse mail voting. Here’s everything you need to know about the process ahead of the May 20 primary election.
April 9, 2025Courtesy of James Malone campaignWhat Democrat James Malone’s surprise win in a Trump +15 district means for the 2026 midtermsby Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAExperts say Malone’s win in Lancaster County is a good sign for Democrats as the midterms approach, but they cautioned the Pennsylvania Senate seat could flip back.
March 27, 2025Kent M. Wilhelm / Spotlight PAFour ways Pa. could fix its campaign finance laws to reduce the power of money in politicsby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PAHow can lawmakers restore public trust and provide additional transparency? Other states have limited campaign donations and more.
March 25, 2025Courtesy James Malone campaignDemocrat James Malone wins Pa. Senate race in Trump +15 district, a major upsetby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PAThe Lancaster County seat has been red since it moved to south-central Pennsylvania in the 1980s.
March 19, 2025Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PABallot secrecy could be jeopardized by recent Pa. court rulings, officials sayby Carter Walker of VotebeatThe Department of State and two counties are fighting a decision they say threatens to expose voters’ private choices.
March 17, 2025Commonwealth Media Services‘Serious consequences’: Pennsylvania official warns feds against cuts to election security programsby Carter Walker of VotebeatIn a letter to the homeland security secretary, Al Schmidt cites critical help local election officials get from the U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA.
March 10, 2025Matt Smith / For Spotlight PANot enough candidates run for elected poll worker positions in Pennsylvaniaby Carter Walker of VotebeatUnlike most states, Pennsylvania elects people to oversee voting at the precinct level. That keeps one political party from controlling the process, though there are also downsides.
March 7, 2025Commonwealth Media ServicesElection changes needed as Pa. counties struggle with outdated rules, top Shapiro admin official saysby Carter Walker of VotebeatSecretary Al Schmidt talks about the 2024 election, how lawmakers should approach updating voting rules, and more.
March 5, 2025Commonwealth Media ServicesOverhaul of Pa.’s glitchy voter registration system moves forward after contract cancellation, delaysby Carter Walker of VotebeatThe state’s voter registration system will be revamped and integrated with other election systems under a new $10.6 million contract.
Feb. 21, 2025Kent M. Wilhelm / Spotlight PARepublicans have a chance to transform the Pa. Supreme Court this yearby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA and Carter Walker of VotebeatJudicial retention elections in Pennsylvania are usually sleepy. But this year, Republicans say they’re going all in to unseat three Democratic Supreme Court justices.
Feb. 18, 2025Daniel Fishel / For Spotlight PAPa. primary election 2025: Everything you need to know about running for local public officeby Min Xian of Spotlight PA State CollegeThe nomination petition period opens Feb. 18 for Pennsylvania’s 2025 municipal primary election. Races on the ballot include school boards, township supervisors, borough council members, and more.
Feb. 14, 2025Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAFact check: It’s not illegal — and not uncommon — for voters to be registered in two statesby Carter Walker of VotebeatConservative activist Scott Presler’s claim about duplicate voter registration fails to account for the laws and basic processes involved in cleaning voter rolls.
Feb. 4, 2025Matt Smith / For Spotlight PALetting voters fix mail ballots cuts rejection rates. Not all Pa. counties allow it.by Carter Walker of VotebeatCounties rejected just 0.57% of mail ballots due to voter errors, such as a missing signature, during the 2024 election. That number was even lower in “curing” counties.
Jan. 30, 2025Commonwealth Media ServicesEfforts to replace Pa.’s outdated, glitchy voter registration system are months behind scheduleby Carter Walker of VotebeatThe state’s top election official, Al Schmidt, told lawmakers a contract for a new system would be in place last fall.
Jan. 15, 2025Jared Wickerham / For Spotlight PAExpanded voter ID, mail ballot changes on the table as Pa. lawmakers begin new sessionby Carter Walker of VotebeatOne top lawmaker hopes Donald Trump’s election will open up space for more fruitful legislative talks during the two-year session.
Jan. 3, 2025Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PASpecial elections cost Pa. at least $1M last legislative sessionby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PAJust two of the 10 previous sessions — a span of 20 years — saw more special elections than this one.
Dec. 31, 2024Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAA small group of donors dominated these high-profile Pa. races during the 2024 electionby Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PAGroups associated with billionaire Jeff Yass, the Democratic Party, and those that don’t reveal their donors spent nearly $40M on critical races.
Dec. 20, 2024Kriston Jae Bethel / For VotebeatFacing Trump threats, Al Schmidt defended Pa.’s 2020 election as free, fair, and secure. He believes the same about 2024.by Carter Walker of VotebeatAl Schmidt’s life was arguably upended by Trump’s fury in 2020. Still, he had no qualms certifying Trump’s 2024 victory.
Dec. 10, 2024Commonwealth Media ServicesRepublicans are thinking about who will run for Pa. governor in 2026. One name tops lists.by Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAStacy Garrity was first elected treasurer in 2020 and Republican insiders say she built a broad coalition that merges Trump and never-Trump wings of the party.
Dec. 9, 2024Commonwealth Media ServicesElections 101: Meet Trump’s 2024 electors and learn about the Electoral Collegeby Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PADonald Trump’s electors — five of whom joined a “fake” slate in 2020 — will meet in Harrisburg on Dec. 17.
Dec. 4, 2024Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAPa. certifies 2024 election results as Trump electors prepare to meet in Harrisburgby Carter Walker of VotebeatMore than 7 million Pennsylvanians cast ballots in the 2024 election — a turnout rate of nearly 77%.
Nov. 27, 2024Commonwealth Media ServicesDemocrats in Pennsylvania had a horrible 2024 election. They say it's still a swing stateby Associated PressThe introspection over voters' rejection of Democrats comes amid growing speculation about Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as a contender for the party's 2028 presidential nomination.
Nov. 26, 2024Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAHow did Democrats keep their Pa. House majority during a red wave? Redistricting is part of the answer.by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PAPennsylvania’s state House map makes districts politically representative, but less competitive. This makes it hard for either party to get a big majority.