Down the Ballot, Up with Democracy:
A Pennsylvania Voting Guide

Let’s be clear: there are no “off years” in a democracy. Every election matters, especially local elections like we have this year. But unfortunately, fewer people vote in local elections. From school boards to county commissioners to judges, these positions shape our communities every day — and extremists are counting on us to stay home. Let’s prove them wrong.

In the upcoming Municipal General Election on November 4, 2025, Pennsylvania voters will be voting for a wide range of local contests. Depending on where you live, you may see races for:

• School Board Directors (in 499 school districts!).
• Judicial Elections: Common Pleas and Municipal Court.
• Local elections: Sheriff, Mayor, county and local commissioners.

And statewide, we will all be voting for Judicial Retention on the Commonwealth, Superior, and Supreme Courts.

Let’s elect candidates up and down the ballot who share our values – and send a clear message for what we expect from our elected leaders in 2025 and beyond!

Good things happen when we elect School Board Directors who share our values

In 2025, school board elections across Pennsylvania will decide more than just budgets. They’ll shape what our kids learn, whose voices are heard, and whether extremists gain power in our public schools.

These races may not get headlines, but school boards are under attack from candidates and powerful special interest groups who want to divide us and censor what our kids learn. Your vote can stop them.

In 2023, we helped flip school boards that were making the national news for all the wrong reasons. We had victories in Central Bucks, Central York, Pennridge, and Perkiomen Valley by focusing on common sense candidates committed to protecting public education. But extremist groups continue their attacks on public schools, and the Trump administration has pushed forward with Project 2025 and the promise to end the Department of Education. We need directors who will:

• Set responsible annual budgets including teacher pay, mental health, and special education.
• Protect inclusion policies for LGBTQ+ students and diverse communities.
• Continue to protect parental rights rather than allow extremist policies based on religious and personal beliefs.
• Prevent bans on books and curriculum, and let teachers teach honest history, science and age-appropriate, accurate sex education.

Why Judicial Elections Matter — Especially in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is one of only eight states where judges are elected in partisan elections, not appointed. These judges serve on the Supreme, Superior, and Commonwealth Courts. Their decisions shape civil rights, election law, public policy, criminal justice, and more. Every judicial race matters. Extremist candidates may run quietly, but they can cause a lot of harm if elected. Once elected, they face a non-partisan Retention Vote every ten years.

Major appellate courts, like the Commonwealth and Superior, shape how local court decisions are reviewed, often in cases tied to racial justice, voting rights, education funding, and reproductive rights. A shift in the makeup of who is on the court can tip the balance of power drastically.
Retention votes on the Supreme Court can alter the state’s legal direction for a decade.

This year we have the following elections:

County and Municipal Races

Voting in municipal and county elections is not just important for our communities — it is critical for safeguarding democracy and fighting extremism. Our power to change things is strongest at the local level, right in our own communities. When voter turnout is low, the extremist candidates can win by just a few votes. We’ve seen it happen!

Local offices such as mayors, township/borough/city councils, county commissioners, district attorneys, and sheriffs control the policies that most directly affect your community: public safety, policing, land use, and local budgets. When extremist candidates win, the damage has long-term consequences.

Depending on where you live, you may have the following races on your ballot this year:

• Sheriff*
• County Controller / Treasurer
• Register of Wills
• County Executive (in counties that have this role)
• County Commission or Council seats
• Judges for County Court of Common Pleas (partisan elections in the primary; retention votes in the general)
• Election board positions, including judges and inspectors of elections for precincts (often on primary ballots)

*Did you know that current Sheriffs in Bucks, Butler and Washington counties have joined the 287(g) task force? The task force model allows trained deputies to perform immigration enforcement duties (e.g. street checks and arrests) while on regular patrols, which effectively makes them de facto ICE agents. Your vote can stop this!

Make a plan to vote!

Who’s on the Ballot?

Note: Not all Pennsylvania races are included in this list. Red Wine & Blue is working on the ground in these key races where we have the most ability to impact the outcome of the election. You can visit vote411.org/pennsylvania to see a sample of your ballot.

We need to elect common sense candidates who reflect our values — in every race on our ballot. That means voting all the way down the ballot and voting for school board members who will stand up against the loud, extremist minority causing chaos in our schools. It also means voting in every judicial race on our ballot, and for all our local positions.

Learn about ballot roll-off and how it helps extremists win.

You can find information below about candidates in key local races across the state.

Candidates with a green check mark next to their name have proven that they are aligned with Red Wine & Blue’s values, like support for reproductive freedom, public education, and democracy.

Candidates with a red “x” next to their name are endorsed by extremist groups, have expressed support for extremist policies like abortion bans and book bans, or have otherwise proven that they are not aligned with Red Wine & Blue’s values.

State-wide Elections

School Board Candidates