Pa. primary election guide: Check your registration, key races to watch

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, the Pennsylvania primary takes place in which voters will select their political party’s candidates for November’s general election.

Here’s a complete guide to the primary.

When is the last day to register to vote in the Pa. Primary?

Monday, May 4, 2026, is the last day to register to vote.

Click here to check your registration status.

For information on how to register, click here.

When is the 2026 Pa. Primary?

Pennsylvania’s primary elections this year will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Check your voter registration and find out where you can cast your vote.

Pennsylvania has closed primaries, which means voters who plan to take part in the upcoming elections will need to be registered to a political party in order to particpate.

However, during the general election on Nov. 3, 2026, voters can vote for any candidate they want to support, regardless of party.

Want to vote by mail in the primary election?

Anyone can vote-by-mail in Pennsylvania as long as they complete an application in order to do so.

You don’t need to explain why you want a mail-in ballot, state election officials say.

After voters complete a vote-by-mail ballot, state officials said voters can return them in one of three ways, mail it back, place it in their home county’s secure ballot drop box location or voters can return it to their home county’s Board of Elections office.

The deadlines to return ballots vary depending on how a voter plans to participate in the elections:

• Mail: It must be postmarked on or before 8 p.m. on Election Day and be received by the voter’s home county’s Board of Elections on or before six days after Election Day.
• Secure Ballot Drop Box: Ballots must be places in voter’s home county’s secure ballot drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Election Day. A list of secure ballot drop box locations can be found here.
• Board of Elections Office: Voters can also deliver ballots in person to their home county’s Board of Elections office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. For a list of county election offices and contact details for each, click here.

Who is on the ballot?

In the race for governor, Democratic incumbent Josh Shapiro and Republican Pennsylvania treasurer Stacy Garrity are running unopposed in the primary and are expected to face off against each other as well as former Republican turned Independent Bill Messner, in November.

One of the most hotly contested races in the state is for Philadelphia’s 3rd Congressional district.

The race to replace Congressman Dwight Evans

Pennsylvania Congressman Dwight Evans (D-3rd dist.) is not seeking re-election when his term ends in January of 2027. He has served the community he was first elected to government office in 1980. All of the challengers running to replace him are Democrats,. They are:

• Shaun Griffith – An attorney and political newcomer originally from Western Pennsylvania, Griffith has been a Philadelphia resident since 2003. His campaign noted that Griffith has been a public service employee for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for nearly 15 years and is the operations manager of USA Tax Service on Ridge Avenue in Roxborough. He says he has felt a call to run for the seat after he became “increasingly concerned by the shift toward authoritarian governance, disparagement of immigrants and minorities and flagrant environmental degradation.”

• Chris Rabb – Rabb is currently a member of the Pa. House of Representatives, representing the 200th District. He was elected to the position in 2016. According to his campaign website, after spending a career “challenging corporate power, advancing social justice, and standing up for communities too often ignored by political insiders,” Rabb is looking to bring his fight to Congress. He has been endorsed by the Philadelphia Inquirer, several area organizations and fellow legislators, including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

• Dr. Ala Stanford – Another political newcomer to vie for Evans’ vacated seat, Stanford is a pediatric surgeon who founded the Black Doctors Consortium and the Dr. Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity. She was also appointed by former President Joe Biden to serve as the regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of the mid-Atlantic. Her campaign site notes that she has entered the race to ‘fight back against Donald Trump’s disastrous policies,” and support the city’s residents. She has been endorsed by Dwight Evans himself, as well as former Philadelphia mayor, Michael Nutter.

• Sharif Street – Street is currently the State Senator for Philadelphia’s 3rd district. He’s a native Philadelphian who was first elected to government in 2017. He’s also the son of former Philadelphia mayor, John Street. His campaign site notes that he’s a proud father of children and the grandfather of six children. His campaign says he is part of a political legacy that “instilled in Sharif a belief that public service is not about position or title, but about responsibility — showing up, listening, and delivering results for the people you serve.” He has been endorsed by the Philadelphia Democratic Party, as well as Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, former Philly mayor and former Pa. Gov., Ed Rendell and a wealth of other organizations and elected officials.

NBC10’s Lauren Mayk sat down with each of the candidates in this race. For a look at her interviews, check out NBC10’s Battleground Politics.

Other elections to watch

In other Congressional contests, voters will be able to elect Democratic challengers looking to unseat Republican incumbents in the 1st, 7th and 10th districts.

In Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional district, voters will be able to select from two prospective Republican candidates looking to unseat Democratic incumbent Chris Deluzio.

For statewide positions, while the candidates for the governor’s race are already set, voters will be able to choose from the Democratic incumbent for lieutenant governor or a pair of Republican challengers:

• Austin Davis – At 36-years-old, the incumbent Democratic lieutenant governor, Davis, is the youngest person to be elected as a lieutenant governor in the entire country. He was elected to the position in 2023 after serving as the State Representative for Pennsylvania’s 35th district for four years. He grew up near Pittsburgh and, his campaign site says, he entered politics after a gun violence incident in his community made him want to dedicate his life to public service.
• Jason Richey – A native of Aliquippa, near Pittsburgh, Republican candidate Jason Richey is an attorney who is running on the ticket with Republican candidate for governor, Stacey Garrity. A political newcomer, Richey is a lawyer who says, on his campaign page, that he supports tapping Pennsylvania’s natural gas reserves to generate jobs and new revenue and seeks to root out “waste, fraud and abuse and make Harrisburg work for taxpayers again.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​”
• John Ventre – Ventre is a Republican political newcomer looking to unseat Davis. His campaign site notes that he was previously a public affairs executive for UPS, a member of the Westmoreland Republican Committee, a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s business coalition and a part time author and actor. He compares himself to President Donald Trump on his campaign site, noting both were born in New York City, both had a reality TV show and both have been attacked by “the Left.”

Questions on Philly ballots

There are also questions on some ballots in Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, voters will be asked to answer two questions:

• Shall the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to provide for the creation of the Philadelphia Retirement Savings Board to oversee a defined contribution retirement program for the benefit of eligible private-sector workers, and to authorize City Council to determine the composition, powers and duties of the board?
• Shall the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to provide for the creation of the Office of the Youth Ombudsperson to improve the safety and quality of services for youth placed in juvenile justice, child welfare, and behavioral health residential care facilities, and to authorize City Council to determine additional powers and duties of the Youth Ombudsperson as needed to carry out this mission?

For more information on the upcoming primaries, how to register to vote or if you need help finding your polling place, click here.