A voter fills out his ballot at the Board of Elections office in Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pa. October 20, 2026. (Photo by John Beale/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
Hi {{first_name | reader}},
Here we are, just three days away from Election Day. (Four days if you’re looking to be free from a mailbox full of campaign fliers and candidate ads in every television/streaming service commercial break).
After nearly 18 months of reporting on the candidates and the issues that could inform your choices on the ballot, I keep thinking back to a question that was asked during a panel discussion I participated in at Penn State earlier this week. It was part of the university’s News Literacy Week events.
We were asked what “impact” meant to us. With the caveat that not every story is award-worthy or leads to changes in a law or policy, part of my response was that our coverage each and every day should be impactful. At its core, our work should strive to help you better understand an issue or policy proposal. The impact is ensuring you have the tools you need to make an informed choice about where you stand and which candidate should get your vote.
You also have an impact on us. By reading, subscribing and sharing our work, you are contributing to the public discourse and helping to strengthen our democracy. If you make a financial gift, you are making a difference by giving us the resources to connect the dots on how decisions by your elected leaders impact you.
As you may well know, Pennsylvania is once again in the national spotlight. Our team put together a story of the top races to watch on Tuesday night. If you still haven’t decided who will get your vote in the contests for governor and U.S. House, feel free to consult our Voter Guide.
On Election Day, Peter Hall, Ian Karbal, Emily Previti, Whitney Downard and I will be monitoring the polls across the state. Issues will likely crop up at some election precincts – like a small number of voting machines failing to work properly or provisional ballots running out – just like they have in every past election. But, we will keep you posted on whether any major disruptions crop up.
We’ll also bring you the results as they are announced. Our policy is to report the winner after the Associated Press calls a race. You can find our coverage on our website, Facebook and BlueSky. Our work will also be part of States Newsroom’s live blog featuring reporting from our sister outlets across the country from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. Of course, we’ll also have a recap on our Folo PA podcast and in our newsletter, The Morning Guide. So, make sure you are subscribed to both.
If you have been following the campaigns through our coverage and deeply believe in the importance of independent journalism, please consider becoming a donor. You can make a one-time gift of $25, $50 or $100 or join me as a monthly sustaining member. You can set your amount anywhere from $10 to $50 a month.
In appreciation of your trust and support,
Tim Lambert
Editor-in-chief, Pennsylvania Capital-Star