With Pennsylvania’s 19 Electoral College votes set to count in the 2024 presidential election, absentee voting is underway for some voters in the Keystone State.
Pennsylvania is one of the most competitive states this cycle
Pennsylvania was one of three Rust Belt states that flipped from Democrat to former President Trump and Republican in 2016, then back to President Biden four years later. In each case, the margin was small and less than 100,000 votes between the main candidates.
The state has also been important in each president’s path to victory. It has the largest population and more Electoral College votes than the seven most competitive states. Fox News Power Rankings,
A Recent Fox News Survey The race is tied, with Democratic nominees Vice President Harris and Trump each receiving the support of 49% of likely voters.
The bulk of the Democrat vote comes from the “bookends” of the state, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, where Harris will likely do well among black and suburban voters.
Trump makes up for it with white rural and non-college-educated voters living in the middle of the state. The former president has carried these voters to the ballot box twice, and the Pennsylvania-heavy rally schedule suggests he is looking to do so again.
Pennsylvania is ranked “toss up” In the Fox News power rankings.
There is also a U.S. Senate race on the ballot in the Keystone State. Democrat Senator Bob Casey has won three elections before, but it will be more difficult to win a fourth election due to the shift of white working-class voters away from his party. Republicans are hoping businessman Dave McCormick will join them. That race is ranked “Leans Dame.”
Main House races in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is also home to some competitive U.S. House races, led by:
- 7th District: Democrat Representative Susan Wild has represented this eastern Pennsylvania district since the 2018 midterms, a wave year for House Democrats. It’s been a very close race since then, with the Wild winning by 3.8 points in 2020 and by two points in the most recent midterms. This time he is facing Republican state representative Ryan McKenzie. This race is a “toss-up” Fox News Power Rankings,
- Eighth District: In Northeast, longtime Democrat Representative Matt Cartwright has served the district for more than a decade. Their margin has also declined through a decade of elections and redistricting, and was down to 2.4 points in the last cycle. Cartwright’s opponent is local businessman and Republican Rob Bresnahan. The district includes Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. This race is also a power ranking “toss up,
- 10th District: Moving south to the 10th District, rural voters in Cumberland and York counties give Republican Rep. Scott Perry the edge. He has represented the region since 2013. Perry won the midterms by 7.6 points, but Democrats hope Perry’s deep ties to the MAGA movement will make their candidate, former local news anchor Janelle Stelson, competitive. This race is ranked “Leans GOP.”
- 17th district: Freshman Rep. Chris DeLuzio keeps this western Pennsylvania seat in Democrat hands in 2023 by 6.8 points, but the combination of red-leaning Beaver County and parts of Allegheny County, home to Pittsburgh, makes it another hard-fought battleground district. . Deluzio will face Republican state Rep. Rob Mercuri in November; The district is ranked “Leans Dame.”
How to Vote in Pennsylvania
This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and updated information on voter eligibility, processes and deadlines, please visit vote.gov and election website to pennsylvania,
A voter fills out a mail-in ballot at the Board of Elections office at the Allegheny County Office Building in Pittsburgh on November 3, 2022. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Voting by mail/early voting in person
Pennsylvania has exactly what it describes “On-demand mail ballot voting,” Which allows registered voters to apply for mail ballots at their county elections office or other designated locations and then complete and submit the ballots while there.
A sign highlights efforts to sign up voters on September 29 at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, PA. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Mail ballots can be submitted in person until 8 pm ET on Election Day, while the deadline to apply for them is October 29 at 5 pm ET.
Pennsylvania certified its official candidate list on Sept. 16, and counties are still “finalizing their ballots, proofreading them, and ordering printed ballots,” the state said. mail ballots are currently available In 15 of the state’s 67 counties.
Counties were required to begin mailing absentee ballots to military and overseas voters by September 21.
Vice President Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, telephone potential voters from a campaign field office in Rochester, PA, on August 18, 2024. (Kevin Lamarck/AFP via Getty Images)
voter registration
Pennsylvania residents can register to vote online or by mail until October 21.
