Democratic and Republican voters will nominate candidates today for the midterm general elections that will give voters a say on the second half of President Donald Trump’s term. 

The winners will go on to general election races, which could determine the party that controls legislative chambers in Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg as well as what tone each party takes heading into next year.

Polls are open in Pennsylvania until 8 p.m. There are competitive primaries for both of Allegheny County’s congressional seats, as well as a handful of state House and Senate seats in the region. Both gubernatorial primaries are uncontested: Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro will face Republican Treasurer Stacy Garrity in November.

Here’s what you need to know to participate in today’s voting.

How do I vote?

Only voters who are registered with a party can vote in that party’s primaries. Any City of Pittsburgh voter, though, can vote on a referendum question about public notices for meetings.

The deadline to register was two weeks ago. Check your registration here.

Use this Pennsylvania website to find out where to vote today.

What about mail-in ballots?

If you already returned your mail-in ballot to the county, you don’t have to do anything else. If you still have it, it’s too late to put it in the mail. Ballots received after 8 p.m. will not be counted.

Voters who have not yet returned a mail-in ballot can return it by hand at the County Office Building at 542 Forbes Ave. A voter can only return their own ballot.

What’s on the ballot?

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee faces a Democratic primary challenge in the 12th District. In the 17th District, Rep. Chris Deluzio is unopposed, but there is a contest among Republicans to determine who will oppose him in the fall.

For state Senate, longtime Democratic Sen. Wayne Fontana faces a primary challenge. Sen. Lindsey Williams is running unopposed for renomination.

Among the county’s 23 state House districts, just four have competitive primaries, all on the Democratic side. Those are the 24th, 28th, 39th and 45th districts. In all but one of those (the 45th) the incumbent is running for another term.

How can I learn about the candidates?

Check out Public Source’s voter guide before heading to the polls. For each contested primary we surveyed candidates on issues ranging from transit funding to the minimum wage and recreational marijuana legalization.

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Election 2026

Voter Guide to the 2026 primaries: Congress, Pa. House and more

Seven competitive races will be on May 19 primary ballots in Allegheny County this midterm election year.

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What happens after the primaries?

The winners of primary elections are placed on the ballot for the Nov. 3 general elections. They may be joined by independent or minor party candidates, who can file petitions for ballot placement by Aug. 3. 

For primaries with no candidates on today’s ballot, write-in votes will be tallied in the coming weeks and any winners will have the chance to accept or decline the party nomination.

How can I find out who wins?

We will publish up-to-the-minute election results compiled by the Associated Press starting at 8 p.m., along with the AP’s decisions on the outcome of each contested primary.

Charlie Wolfson is the local government reporter for Pittsburgh’s Public Source. He can be reached at charlie@publicsource.org.

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Primary Day 2026: How to vote, what’s on the ballot

by Charlie Wolfson, Pittsburgh's Public Source
May 19, 2026

<h1>Primary Day 2026: How to vote, what’s on the ballot</h1> <p class="byline">by Charlie Wolfson, Pittsburgh's Public Source <br />May 19, 2026</p> <p>Democratic and Republican voters will nominate candidates today for the midterm general elections that will give voters a say on the second half of President Donald Trump’s term.&nbsp;</p> <p>The winners will go on to general election races, which could determine the party that controls legislative chambers in Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg as well as what tone each party takes heading into next year.</p> <p>Polls are open in Pennsylvania until 8 p.m. There are competitive primaries for both of Allegheny County’s congressional seats, as well as a handful of state House and Senate seats in the region. Both gubernatorial primaries are uncontested: Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro will face Republican Treasurer Stacy Garrity in November.</p> <p>Here’s what you need to know to participate in today’s voting.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-do-i-vote">How do I vote?</h2> <p>Only voters who are registered with a party can vote in that party’s primaries. Any City of Pittsburgh voter, though, can vote on <a href="https://pittsburgh.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7801802&amp;GUID=A184B85B-DDE8-4646-AC08-5F12AC9FE074&amp;Options=ID%7CText%7C&amp;Search=noticehttps://pittsburgh.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7801802&amp;GUID=A184B85B-DDE8-4646-AC08-5F12AC9FE074&amp;Options=ID%7CText%7C&amp;Search=notice">a referendum question</a> about public notices for meetings.</p> <p>The deadline to register was two weeks ago. <a href="https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/pages/voterregistrationstatus.aspx">Check your registration here</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/PollingPlaceInfo.aspx">Use this Pennsylvania website</a> to find out where to vote today.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-about-mail-in-ballots">What about mail-in ballots?</h2> <p>If you already returned your mail-in ballot to the county, you don’t have to do anything else. If you still have it, it’s too late to put it in the mail. Ballots received after 8 p.m. will not be counted.</p> <p>Voters who have not yet returned a mail-in ballot can return it by hand at the County Office Building at 542 Forbes Ave. A voter can only return their own ballot.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-on-the-ballot">What’s on the ballot?</h2> <p>U.S. Rep. Summer Lee faces a <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/2026-primary-election-guide-pittsburgh-allegheny-congress-house-senate-candidates/#cd12">Democratic primary challenge</a> in the 12th District. In the 17th District, Rep. Chris Deluzio is unopposed, but there is a <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/2026-primary-election-guide-pittsburgh-allegheny-congress-house-senate-candidates/#cd17">contest among Republicans</a> to determine who will oppose him in the fall.</p> <p>For state Senate, longtime Democratic Sen. Wayne Fontana faces a <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/2026-primary-election-guide-pittsburgh-allegheny-congress-house-senate-candidates/#sd42">primary challenge</a>. Sen. Lindsey Williams is running unopposed for renomination.</p> <p>Among the county’s 23 state House districts, just four have competitive primaries, all on the Democratic side. Those are the <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/2026-primary-election-guide-pittsburgh-allegheny-congress-house-senate-candidates/#hd24">24th</a>, <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/2026-primary-election-guide-pittsburgh-allegheny-congress-house-senate-candidates/#hd28">28th</a>, <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/2026-primary-election-guide-pittsburgh-allegheny-congress-house-senate-candidates/#hd39">39th</a> and <a href="https://www.publicsource.org/2026-primary-election-guide-pittsburgh-allegheny-congress-house-senate-candidates/#hd45">45th</a> districts. In all but one of those (the 45th) the incumbent is running for another term.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-can-i-learn-about-the-candidates">How can I learn about the candidates?</h2> <p><a href="https://www.publicsource.org/2026-primary-election-guide-pittsburgh-allegheny-congress-house-senate-candidates/#hd24">Check out Public Source’s voter guide</a> before heading to the polls. For each contested primary we surveyed candidates on issues ranging from transit funding to the minimum wage and recreational marijuana legalization.</p> <div class="wp-block-group"> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide" /> </div> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-after-the-primaries">What happens after the primaries?</h2> <p>The winners of primary elections are placed on the ballot for the Nov. 3 general elections. They may be joined by independent or minor party candidates, who can file petitions for ballot placement by Aug. 3.&nbsp;</p> <p>For primaries with no candidates on today’s ballot, write-in votes will be tallied in the coming weeks and any winners will have the chance to accept or decline the party nomination.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-can-i-find-out-who-wins">How can I find out who wins?</h2> <p>We will publish up-to-the-minute election results compiled by the Associated Press starting at 8 p.m., along with the AP’s decisions on the outcome of each contested primary.</p> <p><em>Charlie Wolfson is the local government reporter for Pittsburgh’s Public Source. He can be reached at charlie@publicsource.org.</em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org/pennsylvania-primary-day-2026-info/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org&quot;&gt;Pittsburgh&#039;s Public Source&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/www.publicsource.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-ps_circle_favicon_blue.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://www.publicsource.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=1332992&amp;amp;ga4=G-CCLXQK5C14&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://www.publicsource.org/pennsylvania-primary-day-2026-info/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/publicsource.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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