Mary Pintea – News Editor

mvp5879@psu.edu

The midterm elections in Pennsylvania are rumored to have the “legacy effect” on politics—but what does this mean for voters in the state? 

The “legacy effect” is the long-term impacts this election will hold on to national politics. With many spots open in the House of Representatives, the gubernatorial race, and an ongoing battle for a spot in the Senate, the climate of this election is precarious; yet it can go either way. 

Pennsylvania’s political feelings are a complete bellwether, with the trend being that rural areas oftentimes voting red and metropolitan areas voting blue. After the 2020 census, Pennsylvania was redistricted: and in turn, generated counties with more Republican voters. Ultimately, the candidates elected to office will align with the areas that have a larger voter presence. It is crucial to head to the polls if you feel strongly about who gets elected and their political ideals. 

The race for the Senate is especially important. John Fetterman, a democrat, and Mehmet Oz, the republican candidate,  are battling for the spot that Pat Toomey  has held since 2011. Toomey, a Republican senator, has sat alongside Bob Casey, Democrat, for the past several years. 

Voters will also cast their vote for a new Governor. Josh Shapiro, the Democratic candidate, along with his preferred running mate for lieutenant governor, Austin Davis, and Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate,  are both contenders for current Governor Tom Wolf’s position. Carrie Lewis DelRosso is the other top contender for the Lieutenant Governor position, attached to Mastriano on the ballot. Currently, Shapiro is Pennsylvania’s Attorney General and Mastriano has served in the PA Senate since 2019, representing the 33rd district.

Residents in Pennsylvania’s 4th district have a choice between Jake Banta (R) and Chelsea Oliver (D) for a seat in the House of Representatives. 

A survey by Muhlenberg College indicated that 61 percent of Pennsylvanians support abortion, either wholly or partially. Furthermore, the survey reported that 22 percent of PA citizens find that the need for a change in the state’s economic structure is their driving force for voting in the midterm elections, with reproductive rights close behind at 20 percent. Inflation is also a hot button topic—but only 12 percent of voters have found that it influenced their vote. 

To give students the opportunity to vote, Behrend offered a shuttle to Harborcreek’s polling location from 9 am to 6 pm on election day. Though this is limited to Harborcreek residents or those who have EastSide Assembly of God Church as their polling center, mail-in and absentee ballots could be dropped off at the Erie County Office of Elections prior to 8 pm on Election Day. You could not turn in your mail-in ballot at a polling location, although you could have surrendered it if it was unmarked and voted at the polling center. If you did not receive your mail-in ballot in time or did not have a physical copy to surrender, you may have requested a provisional ballot.  This will be reviewed by the County Board of Elections to ensure that you are lawfully voting, and then the vote will be counted.