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UpdatePennsylvaniaFriday, October 30, 2026

Pennsylvania officials urged voters to trust systems before midterms

Reporting by
WGAL (Lancaster/Harrisburg/York NBC affiliate)
“Pa. election officials stress security and voter preparedness ahead of midterms”, Friday, October 30, 2026
Read the full story
What happened

Pennsylvania election officials urged voters to trust the state's voting systems ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections, when all state House seats, half the Senate, and the governor's office were on the ballot. Secretary of State Al Schmidt highlighted paper ballots, post-election audits, and voter identification procedures as safeguards. New state data showed nearly 75 percent of the more than 1.3 million requested mail ballots had already been returned.1

Voters still holding mail ballots were advised by the U.S. Postal Service to drop them off in person at their county elections office.1

nearly 75 percent
of requested mail ballots already returned1
more than 1.3 million
mail ballots requested1
What it means in Pennsylvania

What voters with mail ballots needed to know

Mail ballots had to be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.2

Key dates in Pennsylvania

Election Day in 3 days
  1. Mon, Oct 19 · passed
    Registration deadline
  2. Tue, Oct 27 · passed
    Last day for mail ballot applications
  3. Tue, Nov 3 · 3 days
    Election Day; Mail ballots must arrive
  4. Mon, Nov 23 · 23 days
    County/Local certification

Every date in Pennsylvania, and who certifies the election

The answers behind this
Voting machines and election securityVoting in Pennsylvania, 2026How are votes counted and certified in Pennsylvania?Who certifies the election in Pennsylvania, and by when?

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Sources

  1. WGAL (Lancaster/Harrisburg/York NBC affiliate), https://wgal.com/article/pennsylvania-election-officials-stress-security-and-voter-preparedness-midterms/74287198 · Friday, October 30, 2026
  2. Vote.org, Pennsylvania Election Center, https://www.vote.org/state/pennsylvania/

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