Pennsylvania Politics & News
The Daily Signal covers Pennsylvania politics with comprehensive reporting on state elections, voting laws, energy regulation, and the Keystone State’s critical role in presidential politics.
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opinion
At Age 25, She Was Just Elected Mayor of Her Tiny Hometown in Pennsylvania
Brianna Howard says she never thought she would run for public office, but when no one else was on the ballot for mayor in her hometown of Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania, she rose to the challenge. Howard ran as a write-in candidate, won, and will serve as mayor of the town for the next four years,… -
news
Pennsylvania Disputes Legal Group’s Finding on ‘Unknown’ Ballots
The office of Pennsylvania’s top election official mocked a conservative legal group’s findings about undelivered and unreturned mail-in ballots in last year’s presidential contest. The Public Interest Legal Foundation last week issued a report asserting that Pennsylvania had 15,175 undeliverable mail-in ballots and 425,606 “unknown” or unaccounted-for ballots. Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by a… -
news
Watchdog: ‘Unknown’ Ballots in Georgia, Pennsylvania Surpass Biden’s Margin of Victory There
Georgia and Pennsylvania, two of the most closely contested states in last year’s presidential election, both logged a high number of unaccounted-for mail-in ballots, according to new reports from an election watchdog group. The Public Interest Legal Foundation determined this week that Pennsylvania had 15,175 undeliverable mail-in ballots and 425,606 “unknown” or unaccounted-for ballots. Another… -
news
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Move to Block Newly Cleared Climate Regulations
No sooner did a Pennsylvania state commission narrowly approve new climate regulations this week than state lawmakers advanced a resolution to prevent those rules from taking effect. The five-member Independent Regulatory Review Commission voted 3-2 on Wednesday to approve “cap and trade” regulations to limit carbon dioxide emissions, endorsed by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a… -
news
Climate Regulations Reach Critical Turning Point in Pennsylvania
If an independent panel votes down proposed regulations to limit carbon dioxide emissions in Pennsylvania, state lawmakers will have added leverage to prevent Gov. Tom Wolf from joining a multistate initiative to address climate change. However, if the panel approves the regulations in a meeting Wednesday, Wolf’s executive agencies likely would gain latitude to move… -
news
Demand After COVID-19 Sparks School Choice Proposals in Pennsylvania
Low-income families in Pennsylvania’s lowest-performing school districts could gain access to tuition assistance for private schools as part of a reform package. Pending legislation would create education savings accounts, into which the state could deposit funds that parents may use to buy education products and services for their children. Such accounts can make private schooling… -
news
Pennsylvania Agrees to Exhume Dead From Its Voter Rolls
Pennsylvania, one of the top battlegrounds of the 2020 election, has agreed to remove the names of about 21,000 dead people from voter registration rolls before the general elections this year. The agreement was reached last week, according to the Public Interest Legal Foundation, an election-integrity watchdog group that first identified the names of 21,000… -
opinion
‘Zuckerbucks’ in Pennsylvania Reveal Impact of Corporate Influence in Elections
All eyes were on Pennsylvania during the days of ballot counting following the November presidential election, as allegations and rumors of voting irregularities spread like wildfire. While the results ultimately were upheld, distrust in our representative government remains as does a deep suspicion that elected leaders are legitimate. Before the next election, Pennsylvania needs to look into ways the state can protect… -
opinion
Pennsylvania, Georgia Republicans Eye Election Changes
Democrats may have manipulated state election laws in 2020, but they’ll have a much harder time doing it now—if Pennsylvania has anything to say about it. In some of the best news of year so far, Republicans from the Keystone State are vowing to completely overhaul the mail-in ballot system that may have wrongly handed… -
news
Pennsylvania Governor’s Climate Regulations Draw Bipartisan Opposition as Hearings Begin
Other elected officials in Pennsylvania continue to question the constitutionality of Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed carbon tax in the run-up to 10 public hearings that begin Tuesday on the disputed regulations to address climate change. The Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board has approved a “cap and trade” plan to cap carbon dioxide emissions from power plants…. -
news
GOP State AGs Urge Supreme Court to Overrule Pennsylvania Court’s Election Law Changes
Republican state attorneys general say the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has jeopardized the nation’s constitutional balance of power by legislating from the bench and allowing late-arriving ballots to be counted. Now, they’re calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. Three of the state attorneys general—Jeff Landry of Louisiana, Eric Schmitt of Missouri, and Mike Hunter… -
opinion
A Pro Bono Lawyer for Trump Campaign Shares What He Saw in Pennsylvania
Tom Ranieri is a lawyer who volunteered as a representative of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, working at an Election Day hotline. He was there from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3 and joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share what he observed. “The Daily Signal Podcast” is available on Ricochet, Apple Podcasts, Pippa, Google Play,… -
news
Pennsylvania Lawsuit Alleges 21,000 Dead People Still on Voter Rolls
A legal group filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania alleging that the state has tens of thousands of deceased people on its voter rolls and that there is evidence of voting activity among the deceased. The Public Interest Legal Foundation, which is not associated with President Donald Trump’s campaign, filed the lawsuit Thursday arguing that Pennsylvania… -
news
GOP Lawmakers Call on Pennsylvania Secretary of State to Resign Over Election Guidance
Two Pennsylvania state Republican lawmakers have asked Kathy Boockvar, Pennsylvania’s secretary of state, to step down over her handling of the 2020 election. On Tuesday, state Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and state Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman called for the secretary to resign. “Twice in the last two days, the Secretary of State… -
news
GOP Raises Concern About Voting Practices in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s Republican Party has raised concerns over voting practices in the battleground state. “New picture from the field: an official ballot box being taken away by an unidentified civilian. What’s going on here?” Philly GOP tweeted Tuesday. Only two hours before polls closed, the Philly GOP account tweeted, “Unidentified civilians moving ballot boxes, Unlicensed poll… -
news
Military Mail-In Ballots Cast for Trump Discarded in Pennsylvania, Federal Investigation Finds
Nine military mail-in ballots cast for President Donald Trump were discarded at a local Pennsylvania board of elections office, a federal investigation concluded. The FBI and Pennsylvania State Police began an investigation Monday at the request of Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis, U.S. Attorney David Freed said in a statement. Salavantis requested federal assistance following reports of… -
opinion
In COVID-19 Restrictions Ruling, Judge Holds Pennsylvania Governor to the Constitution
A federal district court judge ruled last week that several of Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 restrictions were unconstitutional—and for good reason. Judge William Stickman IV’s development of the factual record, and his journeyman approach to the opinion, is a model for other judges to follow. >>> What’s the best way for America to reopen and return to… -
news
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Resist Governor’s Executive Actions on Climate Change
If Pennsylvania joins a multistate agreement that restricts carbon dioxide emissions, the commonwealth could jeopardize its position as an energy producer and exporter without achieving discernible environmental benefits, according to elected officials who are resisting executive actions to address climate change. The state Senate on Wednesday passed legislation to prohibit Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat,… -
news
School Choice Could Put Pennsylvania ‘Back on Track’
Some Pennsylvania homes suddenly are getting a little crowded with young students who are drawing from the same internet connection. That’s one reason why Najimah Roberson, a Harrisburg parent with three children pursuing online learning, is keen on the idea of getting some of her tax dollars back in the form of scholarship funds that… -
opinion
Pennsylvania Governor’s 11th-Hour Ballot Deadline Change Spurs Election Chaos
The protests and unrest in response to the tragic death of George Floyd, an African American man who died in police custody last week, and the COVID-19 public health crisis have greatly complicated the work of election officials attempting to conduct honest and fair voting. If that were not enough, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf unilaterally…