Election 2018: Key Races To Watch In Pennsylvania

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Check here for Pennsylvania's 2018 midterm election results and live coverage throughout Election Day.

Swing state Pennsylvania will once again play a crucial role in the outcome of Election Day.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey needs to maintain his seat for Democrats to have a chance at flipping the Senate, while the numerous closely contested Congressional districts across the state will determine the balance of power in the House. Gov. Wolf faces a challenge from Republican Scott Wagner, while the results of state legislature races will shape policy on hot-button Pennsylvania issues like health care, fracking, arming teachers, and more.

Follow along for updates on today’s vote including turnout reports, potential issues at the polling place, and results when they come in.

Democrats have an edge in 2018 in Pennsylvania which they did not have in 2016, when Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton and Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey defeated Katie McGinty. That edge is the state's redrawn Congressional maps, as Pennsylvania previously included several of the most gerrymandered districts in the United States.

The consensus is that these maps soundly favor the left. Two suburban Philadelphia districts offer a prime example of this. The 6th and the 7th were both Republican-controlled, both severely gerrymandered, and both home to incumbents that either retired (Ryan Costello) or resigned (Pat Meehan). The redrawn maps now "lean Democratic" (6th) and are "likely Democratic" (5th, which includes the bulk of the geographic territory of the old 7th), per Cook Political Report.

Pennsylvania currently has 10 Republican representatives (12 if you count two posts now vacant due to resignations) and six Democrats. Five Thirty Eight forecasts the Democrats to pick up three of those seats in the state, giving the Pennsylvania delegation an even split of nine blue and nine red representatives. The forecast is similarly blue nationally, with Democrats getting an 87 percent chance of flipping the required 21 seats.

At the statewide level, both incumbent Democrats Gov. Wolf and U.S. Sen. Casey hold leads of about 16 percentage points, according to an average of polls from RealClearPolitics. Hillary Clinton held at least a seven point lead in Pennsylvania in the days before the 2016 election, however, so these numbers should be taken with a grain of salt.

Voter FYI

Polling Hours: 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

Where to vote: Find your polling place here.

Sample Ballots: Curious about what your ballot will look like on inside the booth? Check the links below for a glance at what you'll find when the curtain closes Tuesday. The county ballots are broken down by municipality and precinct.

Voter Intimidation and Voting Rights

Election workers and local officials across the state will be working to ensure polling places are kept safe and free of any form of corruption. In Montgomery County, prosecutors have been made available to look into any reports of intimidation, threats, or complaints from polling places.

"A cornerstone of our democracy is a fair election," District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement Monday. "And every citizen has the right to cast their ballot unimpeded.

In Philadelphia, an Election Fraud Task Force of 60 assistant district attorneys and 20 detectives is at the ready to respond to any voter fraud or criminal activity.

"This is probably the most important midterm election in at least a generation, so to make sure every vote counts and our election runs smoothly on November 6th, our Election Fraud Task Force will be ready to respond to issues at the polls," Larry Krasner, Philadelphia District Attorney, said in a statement. "Philadelphians should not hesitate to call our hotline if they see a problem at 215–686–9641, 9643 or 9644."

More voting rights information can be found here.

Below is a look at a few key races we'll be following throughout the day.

Pennsylvania Governor

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is facing a challenge from Republican businessman and former state representative Scott Wagner.

Wolf has a new running mate for lieutenant governor in the form of John Fetterman, who won the primary for the position back in May. Fetterman, the mayor of a tiny town outside of Pittsburgh, defeated incumbent Mike Stack, who had a messy relationship with Gov. Wolf heading back to an alleged incident where he lambasted his security detail and other state employees at his residence.

Wagner is accompanied on the ballot by Jeff Bartos, a Montgomery County native and real estate developer.

Wolf was elected governor in 2014, defeating incumbent Republican Tom Corbett, 54.9 percent to 45.1 percent.

U.S. Senate

Democrat Bob Casey, a previous auditor general and candidate for governor, has held the seat since he was victorious over Rick Santorum in the 2006 election. He's challenged by Republican Lou Barletta, a state representative in the 11th District who drew widespread attention in 2010 as the mayor of Hazleton for an anti-immigration ordinance.

U.S. House of Representatives

Pennsylvania State Legislature

Senate

House

Patch is partnering with ProPublica’s Electionland project to report on problems voters encounter at the polls on Nov. 6 and we want to know if you see any shenanigans. Here’s how you can report what you see to Electionland:

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