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Pennsylvania elections, 2012
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Pennsylvania's 2012 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Attorney General • Other executive offices • State Senate • State House • Candidate ballot access |
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| Other elections | |
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| View elections by state and year: | |
| Contents |
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| 1 2012 Elections |
| 2 Eligibility to Vote |
| 2.1 Primary election |
| 2.2 General election |
| 3 Voting absentee |
| 3.1 Eligibility |
| 3.2 Deadlines |
| 3.3 Military and overseas voting |
| 4 Voting early |
| 5 See also |
| 6 References |
The state of Pennsylvania held elections in 2012. Below are the dates of note:
- Signature filing deadline: February 14, 2012
- Primary date: April 24, 2012
- General election date: November 6, 2012
| On the 2012 ballot | Click here for all November 6, 2012 Election Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate (1 seat) | 
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Preview Article | |
| U.S. House (18 seats) |
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| State Executives (3 positions) |
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Preview Article | |
| State Senate (25 seats) |
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Preview Article | |
| State House (203 seats) |
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| Ballot measures (0 measures) | 
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N/A | |
2012 Elections
For election results in the 50 states, see our November 6, 2012 election results page
Elections by type
U.S. Senate
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Bob Casey Jr. Incumbent |
53.7% | 3,021,364 | |
| Republican | Tom Smith | 44.6% | 2,509,132 | |
| Libertarian | Rayburn Douglas Smith | 1.7% | 96,926 | |
| Total Votes | 5,627,422 | |||
| Source: Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
U.S. House
Pennsylvania lost one U.S. House seat from redistricting. In 2012, Republicans held a 13-6 edge in the 19 Congressional districts.
| Members of the U.S. House from Pennsylvania-- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 6 | 5 | |
| Republican Party | 13 | 13 | |
| Total | 19 | 18 | |
State executives
There were three state executive positions up for election.
| Attorney General of Pennsylvania General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kathleen Kane |
56.1% | 3,125,557 | |
| Republican | David Freed | 41.6% | 2,313,506 | |
| Libertarian | Marakay Rogers | 2.3% | 128,140 | |
| Total Votes | 5,567,203 | |||
| Election results via Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
| Pennsylvania Treasurer General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Rob McCord Incumbent |
52.5% | 2,872,344 | |
| Republican | Diana Irey Vaughan | 44% | 2,405,654 | |
| Libertarian | Patricia Fryman | 3.5% | 190,406 | |
| Total Votes | 5,468,404 | |||
| Election results via Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
| Pennsylvania Auditor General General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Eugene DePasquale |
49.7% | 2,729,565 | |
| Republican | John Maher | 46.4% | 2,548,767 | |
| Libertarian | Betsy Summers | 3.8% | 210,786 | |
| Total Votes | 5,489,118 | |||
| Election results via Pennsylvania Department of State | ||||
State Senate
Heading into the election, Republicans maintained partisan control in the state senate.
| Pennsylvania State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 20 | 23 | |
| Republican Party | 29 | 27 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 50 | |
State House
Heading into the election, Republicans maintained partisan control in the state house.
| Pennsylvania House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 91 | 93 | |
| Republican Party | 110 | 110 | |
| Vacancy | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 203 | 203 | |
Eligibility to Vote
Primary election
- See also: Voting in the 2012 primary elections
Pennsylvania was one of 21 states to use a strictly closed primary system. Voters had to register to vote in the primary by March 25, 2012, which was 30 days before the primary.[1] (Information about registering to vote)
General election
- See also: Voting in the 2012 general elections
The deadline to register to vote was 28 days prior to the election day, which in 2012 was October 9.[2]
Note: Some states had a voter registration deadline 30 days prior to the election, but because this could have fallen on a weekend and Columbus Day was on Monday, October 8th, some extended the deadline to October 9, 2012.
- Voter ID info
- Residency requirements: Resident of Pennsylvania and the election district at least 30 days before the election.[3]
- Same-day registration: None
Voting absentee
- See also: Absentee Voting
Beginning with the April 28, 2020, primary election, all Pennsylvania voters are eligible to cast absentee ballots. The change came about as a result of SB421, an omnibus election law bill which Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (D) signed into law on October 31, 2019.[4][5]
Voting early
- See also: Early voting
Pennsylvania is one of 14 states that do not have any form of early voting.[6]
See also
Additional reading
- Governing, "Pennsylvania Secretary of State Nudges Candidates on Filing Deadline," February 10, 2012
Footnotes
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Registration Deadlines," accessed April 19, 2012
- ↑ Vote Pennsylvania, "Registration Deadlines" accessed May 8, 2012
- ↑ Vote Pennsylvania, "Voter Registration Requirements" accessed May 8, 2012
- ↑ PennLive, "Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf signs historic election reform bill into law," October 31, 2019
- ↑ Pennsylvania.gov, “Voting in Pennsylvania,” accessed October 1, 2019
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Absentee and Early Voting," accessed December 16, 2013
