By Tim Lambert | Editor-in-chief
“This trove of ICE documents provides chilling new insights into the breadth and depth of the Trump-Vance administration’s efforts to pursue baseless claims of widespread election fraud and assert greater federal control over elections ahead of the 2026 midterms.” — Hart Wood, senior oversight counsel at Democracy Forward, on the Department of Homeland Security obtaining tens of millions of unspecified records as part of a sweeping nationwide effort to find voter fraud.
A good Thursday morning to you. We are less than four weeks away from Election Day and you’ll find details on a few important deadlines to keep in mind in a story below.
We have two significant historical events that happened on this day in Pennsylvania history. In 1737, a ship by the name of the Charming Nancy arrived in Philadelphia. Onboard were 21 Amish families, who would settle in an area to the west of the city, now known as Lancaster County.
In 2001, just days after resigning as the commonwealth’s governor, Tom Ridge became the country’s first Homeland Security Advisor. Created in the weeks following the September 11 attacks, the role later became a cabinet position.
Thanks for starting your day with us. As always, we deeply appreciate you reading, sharing and supporting our work. -- Tim
Security stands outside ICE headquarters during a Congressional Hispanic Caucus rally on Feb. 3, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
By Jonathan Shorman of States Newsroom
The Department of Homeland Security obtained tens of millions of unspecified records as part of a sweeping nationwide effort to find voter fraud, according to internal DHS reports, and weighed using undercover agents to investigate voter registration efforts by nonprofit groups.
The reports from May and June by Homeland Security Investigations, a sub-agency of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, provide updates on its “election integrity” investigations. They are included in a trove of documents obtained by the pro-democracy group Democracy Forward through a records request and released Wednesday.
The HSI reports detail an expansive review of nonprofit organizations involved in voter registration. A June 1 report says 82 “NGOs” — nongovernmental organizations — had been reviewed in Pennsylvania alone.
Poll workers wait for voters at the Saltsburg Borough Building in Saltsburg, Indiana County on Election Day May 19, 2026. (Photo by John Beale for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Ian Karbal
As the deadlines to register to vote in the upcoming election and request mail ballots near, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt is urging Pennsylvanians to make sure they have a plan to cast their ballots by election day.
The last day to register before the Nov. 3 election is Oct. 19. People can do so at their county election office or online at vote.pa.gov.
The deadline to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot is Oct. 27. Applications must be received by county election offices by 5 p.m.
“I Voted” stickers at a polling place in Derry Township, Westmoreland County, May 19, 2026. (Photo by John Beale for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
By Peter Hall
Claims of voter fraud, threats to assert control over state-run elections and efforts to restrict mail-in voting have prompted Democrats in Pennsylvania and elsewhere to double down on measures to ensure eligible voters have unfettered access to the polls next month.
Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Jane Kleeb spoke with the Pennsylvania Capital-Star recently about the party’s plans to help voters and alert authorities to irregularities during the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Kleeb also serves as president of the Association of State Democratic Committees.
The Capital-Star has also extended an offer to the Republican National Committee to discuss the subject.
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The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker outside the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg on June 24, 2026. (Photo by Peter Hall/Capital-Star)
COMMENTARY
By Daniel J. Mallinson of The Conversation
While many people are paying attention to how the 2026 midterm elections might change the balance of power in Washington, D.C., it is also a potentially pivotal election here in Pennsylvania.
Gov. Josh Shapiro is up for reelection, running against Republican challenger Stacy Garrity, the current state treasurer. Who wins that race will certainly shape the state’s policy agenda for the next two years.
In the General Assembly, which is currently split – Republicans control the Senate and Democrats control the House – both chambers are also up for grabs. Democrats have been slowly eroding the Republicans’ hold over the Senate. In the House, Democrats have a three-seat majority, but Republicans could flip it.
Of course, nationally the wind is at the back of Democrats. Commentators are contemplating the possibility of a Democratic trifecta in Pennsylvania for the first time since 1993.
TODAY IN THE CAPITAL-STAR
Sprawling data center and power plant planned in Allegheny County: An Eastern Pennsylvania developer wants to build a 1-gigawatt data center campus and natural gas plant in rural Elizabeth Township in Allegheny County, at a former landfill site, according to email records between the developer and municipal officials.
Americans’ water bills are growing faster than groceries, inflation: Food and Water Watch analyzed water bill data among the nation’s 500 largest community water providers that serve nearly half the nation’s population. Between 2015 and 2025, bills increased by 62% on average across those water providers.
With election pressure mounting, states move to suspend fuel taxes: Lawmakers in several states are suspending gas taxes or rolling back regulations on diesel fuel as voters grow increasingly frustrated with rising fuel costs amid President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. In Georgia, Indiana, Ohio and Utah, leaders have moved to temporarily suspend or reduce the state tax on gasoline.
ICYMI
A call for a data center moratorium in Pennsylvania: The state Capitol rotunda echoed with dissent as dozens called on Gov. Josh Shapiro and lawmakers to enact a statewide moratorium on data center development. At least 100 data center projects are proposed around the commonwealth.
Pa. records more than 1,000 measles cases: Facing a surge of measles cases in New York state’s rural counties, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an executive order allowing paramedics, pharmacists, midwives and other non-physicians to administer vaccines. Her decision comes amid an eruption in neighboring Pennsylvania that is the largest that any single state has experienced since the early 1990s.
ICE to sell two Pa. warehouses initially planned for detention centers: The federal government is seeking to sell two warehouses in Pennsylvania that were purchased for use as Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, along with five other warehouses nationally that were similarly intended for use as detention facilities before those plans were scrapped over the summer.
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