Did you vote?
Elections have consequences, and yesterday showed us that more than ever. Here’s a recap of the 2025 November election results.
Judicial Races
All three Supreme Court retention candidates won – Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht – with over a 60% majority voting YES on retention, which does not bode well for Pennsylvania families, given their record.
Although this is disappointing, it is not entirely unexpected, with nearly $15-million spent on the retention election with a 4-to-1 advantage in spending by the Democrats. And success in denying retention is nearly unprecedented: a statewide appellate judge has only lost retention ONCE in the history of such elections in Pennsylvania.
Note: In 2027, Christine Donohue will hit the mandatory retirement age for judges (75), and there will be an open seat race for the State Supreme Court.
In other races, Democrats Brandon Neuman and Stella Tsai both won seats on the Pennsylvania Superior Court and Commonwealth Court. The retention candidates for Superior Court and Commonwealth Court – Alice Beck Dubow and Michael Wojcik – also remain on the court.
School Board Races
While losses were seen in some hotly contested races throughout the state, there were also some good wins on the school board level. Most of the school districts that have worked with the Independence Law Center to enact positive commonsense policies for fairness and safety in girls’ sports, bathroom and locker room privacy, and parental rights, maintained their board majorities.
Election Day Problems
Democrat-run Chester County had major voting chaos yesterday. In an incredible blunder, the county board of elections distributed the books( listing registered voters) to the polls from the primary election. That meant the lists did not contain independent, third-party registered voters or any newly registered voters since the primary. Thus, any such voters who showed up at their polling place were told their name wasn’t in the book and were turned away, or permitted to vote via provisional ballot. A judge ordered the polls to be open until 10:00 PM due to the error, but many voters likely did not return to cast their vote. Republican Chester County Commissioner Eric Roe has called for a full investigation.
The voters who voted earlier via mail-in (or drop-off) ballots were not affected by this error. Voting early with a mail-in ballot, which can be delivered to your local county board of elections office or placed in a secure, monitored drop box, does provide a good way to “bank your vote.”
What This Means for Pennsylvania
While the outcomes of many of the races are not what was hoped for, there are some lessons we can learn. There were still many people unaware that an election was happening at all, or unclear what was on the ballot. That needs to change, and the Pennsylvania Family Council looks to further expand our efforts, with your help, to continue providing quality election information and motivation to cast an informed vote.
2026 is just around the corner, and we will be voting for the Pennsylvania Governor, the U.S. House, half of the Pennsylvania Senate, and the entire State House
We’d love to hear from you:
- Did you vote in this election?
- What information did you wish you had ahead of time?
Please email us at council@pafamily.org.
Ultimately, while elections have real and lasting impact, we rest in the objective truth that the Lord remains on His throne. Each day is another opportunity to share love, truth, and the hope of Jesus Christ.
