Your Guide to Voting in Pennsylvania’s Nov. 3 Midterm Election
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters go to the polls in 29 days, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, and the most important deadlines fall in the next two weeks. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 19, and the deadline to apply for a mail ballot is Oct. 27, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State.
To vote in person, start with registration. Pennsylvania residents must be registered by Oct. 19, and they can check their registration status and register online through the state’s voter services site at vote.pa.gov. The site also has a polling place locator, which voters should use in advance since polling locations can change.
Pennsylvania voters who want a mail-in or absentee ballot must get their application to their county elections office by 5 p.m. on Oct. 27. Applications can be filed online, by mail or in person. Voters can also apply for, receive and return a mail ballot in a single visit to their county elections office through the close of business Oct. 27, according to the Department of State.
Completed mail ballots must be received by the county elections office no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. A postmark by the deadline is not enough. Voters should follow the enclosed instructions carefully, seal the ballot inside the yellow secrecy envelope marked official election ballot, place that envelope inside the outer return envelope, and sign and date the declaration, according to state guidance.
More than one million mail ballot applications have already been approved statewide, according to the Department of State. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt has urged mail voters to apply early enough to allow time for the ballot to be received, completed and returned.
The stakes are highest in three U.S. House districts, all held by Republicans and all rated toss-ups by the Cook Political Report as of late September. In the Lehigh Valley’s 7th District, Republican Ryan Mackenzie faces a competitive challenge. In the northeast’s 8th District, freshman Republican Rob Bresnahan faces Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, who is running on an anti-corruption platform, according to Ballotpedia. In the Harrisburg-area 10th District, Republican Scott Perry is facing a rematch with Democrat Janelle Stelson.
All three races were close in 2024, which is why national forecasters are watching them as potential bellwethers. A late-August Franklin & Marshall College survey found 48 percent of Pennsylvanians backing the Democratic congressional nominee on a generic ballot compared with 36 percent for Republicans, CBS Philadelphia reported.
For voters planning to vote by mail, the key dates to remember are Oct. 19 for registration and 5 p.m. Oct. 27 for the mail ballot application. Voters who requested a mail ballot but decide to vote in person can surrender their unused ballot materials at their polling place, or cast a provisional ballot if the mail ballot never arrived, according to the Department of State.