Pennsylvania elections, 2015

2016 → ← 2014 The state of Pennsylvania held elections in 2015. The state's online application for voter registration is here. Below are the dates of note: 2015 elections and events in Pennsylvania Voter registration deadline for primary election March 25, 2015 Deadline to apply for absentee ballot for primary election April 20, 2015 Primary election May 19, 2015 Voter registration deadline for general election October 5, 2015 Deadline to apply for absentee ballot for general election October 5, 2015 General election November 3, 2015 Races to watch Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections More information available here: Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections, 2015 Three open seats were up for grabs on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2015, due to retirements or resignations by three justices. A crowded field of 12 candidates filed to run in the primary. Democrats needed to win two of the seats to flip the partisan balance in their favor. Heading into the election, the court's partisan makeup was 3-2 Republican, with two vacancies. Elections by type School boards See also: School board elections, 2015 and Pennsylvania school board elections, 2015 A total of 18 Pennsylvania school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment held elections for 91 seats on November 3, 2015. Here are several quick facts about Pennsylvania's school board elections in 2015: The largest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was Pittsburgh School District with 26,292 K-12 students. The smallest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was Parkland School District with 9,263 K-12 students. Central Dauphin School District had the most seats on the ballot in 2015 with six seats up for election. Scranton School District had the fewest seats on the ballot in 2015 with three seats up for election. The districts listed below served 238,994 K-12 students during the 2012-2013 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Click on the district names for more information on the district and its school board elections. 2015 Pennsylvania School Board Elections District Date Seats up for election Total board seats Student enrollment Allentown City School District 11/3/2015 5 9 16,966 Bethlehem Area School District 11/3/2015 5 9 14,300 Central Bucks School District 11/3/2015 5 9 19,814 Central Dauphin School District 11/3/2015 6 9 10,946 Council Rock School District 11/3/2015 5 9 11,426 Downingtown Area School District 11/3/2015 5 9 11,915 Erie City School District 11/3/2015 5 9 11,908 Hazleton Area School District 11/3/2015 5 9 10,429 Lancaster School District 11/3/2015 5 9 11,174 North Penn School District 11/3/2015 5 9 12,650 Parkland School District 11/3/2015 5 9 9,263 Pennsbury School District 11/3/2015 6 9 10,434 Pittsburgh School District 11/3/2015 4 9 26,292 Pocono Mountain School District 11/3/2015 4 9 9,814 Reading School District 11/3/2015 6 9 17,651 Scranton School District 11/3/2015 5 9 9,881 Upper Darby School District 11/3/2015 5 9 12,449 West Chester Area School District 11/3/2015 5 9 11,682 Municipal See also United States municipal elections, 2015#Pennsylvania Judicial See also Pennsylvania judicial elections, 2015 Pennsylvania Supreme Court elections, 2015 Voting information Links related to voting in Pennsylvania: For an overview and information on deadlines and updates to voting laws, please visit voting in Pennsylvania. For information on ballot access and signature requirements, please visit our page on ballot access requirements for political candidates in Pennsylvania. For information about absentee eligibility and military and overseas voting, please visit our absentee voting by state page. For information on early voting (if applicable), please visit our page on early voting by state. For information on online voter registration (if applicable), please visit our page on online voter registration in the 50 states. Primary information A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Pennsylvania utilizes a closed primary process. Voters are required to register with a political party to vote in the primary election. For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article. Historical voter turnout 2014 In 2014, Pennsylvania saw 36 percent of eligible voters turnout to vote for the highest office on the ballot in the November general election. 2012 In 2012, Pennsylvania saw 59.5 percent of eligible voters turnout to vote for the highest office on the ballot in the November general election and 14.8 percent in the primary election. State profile Demographic data for Pennsylvania   Pennsylvania U.S. Total population: 12,791,904 316,515,021 Land area (sq mi): 44,743 3,531,905 Race and ethnicity** White: 81.6% 73.6% Black/African American: 11% 12.6% Asian: 3.1% 5.1% Native American: 0.2% 0.8% Pacific Islander: 0% 0.2% Two or more: 2.1% 3% Hispanic/Latino: 6.4% 17.1% Education High school graduation rate: 89.2% 86.7% College graduation rate: 28.6% 29.8% Income Median household income: $53,599 $53,889 Persons below poverty level: 15.9% 11.3% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Pennsylvania. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. Presidential voting pattern See also: Presidential voting trends in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024. Pivot Counties (2016) Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in Pennsylvania, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties. Pivot Counties (2020) In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Pennsylvania had one Retained Pivot County and two Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 0.55 and 8.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively. More Pennsylvania coverage on Ballotpedia Elections in Pennsylvania United States congressional delegations from Pennsylvania Public policy in Pennsylvania Endorsers in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania fact checks More... See also Elections portal Elections and events calendar Voter guides State Blue Books State Poll Opening and Closing Times State Election Result Canvassing State voter ID laws Voting in Pennsylvania Absentee voting Early voting Online voter registration Election terms and definitions Recent news This section links to a Google news search for the term "Pennsylvania + elections + 2015" Pennsylvania elections news feed Footnotes