On Election Day, RightCount Pennsylvania Co-Chairs Affirm State’s Decentralized Voting Safeguards and Urge Voter Participation

As Pennsylvanians head to the polls across all 67 counties today for the 2026 midterm elections, RightCount Pennsylvania Co-Chairs, former Congressman Lou Barletta and former Governor Mark Schweiker, published a joint op-ed in The Morning Call reinforcing the strength, transparency, and constitutional foundation of the Commonwealth’s election system.

Writing this morning, Barletta and Schweiker observe that while congressional inaction stalled the federal SAVE America Act earlier this year, election administration was never meant to be dictated by Washington. Citing recent survey research conducted for RightCount, the co-chairs highlight that Keystone State voters overwhelmingly reject the nationalization of elections and trust their local county election boards and neighbors far more than federal bureaucrats.

With rigorous precertification audits, transparent chain-of-custody rules, and paper-ballot backups already anchoring Pennsylvania’s decentralized system, Barletta and Schweiker urge voters to cast their ballots with full confidence while looking to Harrisburg – not Washington – to deliver future common-sense reforms.

Key excerpts from The Morning Call column appear below:

Pa. elections are secure, transparent and driven by state leadership

Lou Barletta and Mark Schweiker | November 3, 2026

“With the 2026 midterm elections being decided today, it is understandable for voters to feel frustrated by the gridlock in our nation’s capital. This year, congressional inaction stalled the federal SAVE America Act, a piece of legislation aimed at securing federal elections. While some have deemed the fate of this legislation as ‘business as usual,’ it serves as a powerful reminder of our constitutional architecture: The states remain the true guardians of our elections, not the federal government.”

“Between the two of us, we have seen this system from every angle. Having served the commonwealth at every level of government, we know firsthand the dysfunction of Washington. Relying on the federal government to solve our problems is a losing bet; when Congress fails to act, the states must step up.”

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“In Philadelphia, 239 years ago, the Founders deliberately placed election administration in the hands of the states, closest to the people. When national politicians attempt to federalize our elections or use them as partisan footballs, it generates cynicism among voters. Pennsylvanians instinctively recognize this. Recent statewide survey research conducted by RightCount clearly indicates that voters firmly reject the nationalization of elections. By an overwhelming margin, voters prefer state and local oversight of election administration over federal overreach.”

“Our research shows that voters’ skepticism is largely directed at the dysfunction of national politics, not the hardworking local election clerks and volunteers in our own communities. Pennsylvanians trust their local county election boards far more than bureaucrats in Washington.”

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“Voters are looking for leaders in Harrisburg, not Washington, to take up commonsense election reforms. We need our state lawmakers to continuously improve our processes, ensuring that it remains easy to vote and hard to cheat, without waiting for permission from the federal government.”

“In the meantime, as we head to the polls, Pennsylvanians should have high confidence in the voting system we currently have. Our commonwealth’s elections are decentralized, administered independently across 67 counties by your neighbors. We have robust, built-in safeguards, including rigorous precertification audits, strict canvassing protocols, paper-ballot backups and transparent chain-of-custody rules. This highly localized, decentralized structure makes systemic fraud and even attempts to meddle in our elections by foreign adversaries incredibly difficult to execute and easily detectable.”

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“True election integrity cannot be handed down by federal edict; it is built from the ground up by states fulfilling their constitutional duty to ensure elections remain secure and accurate. If you want to protect the future of Pennsylvania, staying home is not an option. We encourage every eligible Pennsylvanian to confidently cast their ballot this November.”

Read the full column online at The Morning Call.

To learn more about RightCount’s research, state leadership, and ongoing work to defend state election administration and local safeguards, visit RightCount.org.