PA 2024 Election Preview: What To Know

PENNSYLVANIA — For the third consecutive Presidential election cycle, Pennsylvania is positioned as perhaps the most influential state in national politics on Election Day.

The Cook Political Report calls the presidential race in Pennsylvania a "toss up," one of seven states in the nation that does not appear to be leaning decisively towards either Democrats or Republicans.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have indeed been neck and neck for weeks in Pennsylvania, but that's only one of numerous important races contested on the statewide level this year.

Here's a glance at what you need to know heading into Election Day 2024, from polling places and voter registration information, to background on the races, controversies, and what's at stake.

Why Pennsylvania is so important

Pennsylvania, along with Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, is considered a "toss up" or a swing state because it has a strong base of both liberal and conservative residents who are roughly evenly matched. The

Among those swing states, Pennsylvania sticks out for a few reasons. One of them is the sheer number of electoral votes the state carries — 19 — more than any of the other six swing states, and more than enough to firmly sway the entire race in one direction of another.

Another reason is because of just how razor thin the margins have been in Pennsylvania. Even for a swing state, no one could have expected that only some 44,000 votes, a 0.7 percent margin, would separate Trump from Hillary Clinton. It was the closest state in a Presidential contest since the 1840s. Four years later, President Joe Biden's 1.17 percent margin over Trump was barely any larger.

A third reason is that, due to its demographics and past electoral history, Pennsylvania is considered something of a bellwether: as the Keystone State goes, so too does the nation. The candidate to carry the state has won every Presidential election since 2008.

What's on the ballot

Beyond Harris and Trump, there are numerous other important races up for grabs in Pennsylvania in 2024.

Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey is being challenged by Republican Dave McCormick. Casey holds a solid four point lead over McCormick, according to RealClearPolitics, and Cook Political Report classifies the race as "leaning Democratic."

Pennsylvania's 17 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for grabs this fall. The delegation currently consists of nine Democrats and eight Republicans.

In the attorney general's race, current auditor general Eugene DePasquale is running on the Democratic ticket to replace acting AG Michelle Henry. DePasquale is challenged by Republican Dave Sunday.

Statewide races for state treasurer and auditor general are also on the ballot, along with a slew of local state senate and state representative races.

Find your sample ballot through Ballotpedia here.

Latest polls

The latest aggregate of polls from RealClearPolitics has Harris and Trump in a dead even, statistical tie in Pennsylvania, while Harris leads nationally by 2.1 points.

Trump has led in the Keystone State for most of the past several months, first over Biden then over Harris, though Harris has slowly narrowed the gap in the past few weeks, and even briefly took a one point lead in late September.

Perhaps of note: though both the 2016 and 2020 elections were nearly dead even between Hillary Clinton and Trump, and then Biden and Trump, Democrats held huge poll leads throughout the summer and autumn leading up to the election. Clinton led Trump by 7 points in Oct. 2016, while Biden held a 7.5 lead at the same point in October in 2020.

Harris will be in trouble if Trump similarly outperforms his polling again in Pennsylvania in 2024.

Ballot appearance

Ballots will look different for voters in 2024 as officials hope they can drastically reduce the plague of "naked ballots" that has resulted in thousands of rejected or contested votes in recent elections.

The new design, which first appeared during the primaries this spring, has redesigned envelopes for mail-in ballots and explicit instruction sheets with revised, clearer language. Authorities are hopeful the design will reduce voter confusion and make it foolproof where they need to sign and date the ballot, and which paper needs to go where.

Mail-in ballots that do not include a signature or date in the required place are often contested. Ballots that do not have the special secrecy envelope covering them are considered "naked." Both types of issues caused controversy in Pennsylvania in the hotly contested 2020 election.

Lawsuits and other legal maneuverings

The RNC has already filed a lawsuit against Montgomery County, the state's third largest county and home to some of the most solidly blue districts in the state.

Republicans, who were joined by McCormick in the suit, claimed that the county illegally began its election and distribution of mail-in ballots without adequately testing its voting equipment. There is mandatory "logic and accuracy" testing of voting machines, scanners, and ballot-marking devices which were not completed before ballots were sent out, the RNC suit claims.

The county has denied any wrongdoing and the case has not yet been resolved.

See full story: RNC Files Lawsuit Against Montgomery County, Says Ballots Sent Out Too Soon

It is likely to be but the first election related litigation in Pennsylvania in 2024.

Voting in-person

Polls will be open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you're planning on voting in-person and are not sure where to go to vote, you can find your polling place here.

Voter registration and mail-in ballots

Voter registration is available online here.

Voting by mail is available to all Pennsylvania voters prior to Election Day. The deadline to request a ballot is Oct. 29. Mail-in ballots can be requested here.

Ballots are due back to a designated ballot drop-off location by 8 p.m. Tuesday night, Nov. 5.

If you still haven't received your mail-in ballot and Election Day arrives, you can also vote via a provisional ballot at the polls. The provisional ballot will become your official vote once elections officials determine they have not received your mail-in ballot.

"If voters still have their mail ballot and want to ensure their vote counts, we strongly recommend that they hand deliver their mail ballot immediately to their county elections office or other officially designated return location," Pennsylvania Secretary of State Leigh Chapman said in a statement.

Write-in votes

The last hold up to certifying the ballots was an effort spearheaded by Democrats to keep third party options off the ballot. Gov. Shapiro's administration took it to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to assure that Cornel West, an independent candidate who could siphon votes from Kamala Harris in the presidential election, does not appear on the ballot. The court affirmed a lower court's ruling that West did not have the "proper paperwork," though the West campaign and others say the move is anti-democratic.

West can still receive votes as a write-in candidate, while Libertarian candidates and Green Party candidates will appear on the ballot in several races in Pennsylvania, including the Presidential contest.

Voter rights

If you are heading in-person to a polling place, it's important to know your rights, and what is and is not legal in your encounters with poll workers.You are not required to show identification, according to Pennsylvania law, unless you have never voted at that precinct in the past.
Only voters who have never voted at that precinct before are required to show identification, according to Pennsylvania law. That identification does not have to be photo identification, but it must contain your name and address.

Just because your name is not in the poll book, does not mean you are not registered to vote, according to a release from the Pennsylvania Secretary of State's office. Voting officials should call the county board of elections to confirm your status.

For those who may have limited English language proficiency, the law stipulates that you may bring another individual with you into the voting booth to help out casting your vote.Finally, aside from wearing a mask and staying six feet away from other voters, you can also minimize risk by voting early to avoid long lines to vote.