How Josh Shapiro and Stacy Garrity Stack up on Election Issues

For Pennsylvania voters, the 2026 governor’s race is about more than who will occupy the governor’s mansion.

It could also help determine how elections are run — from voter registration and mail-in ballots to identification requirements at the polls.

That’s because the governor has considerable influence over election policy, even though elections themselves are administered by counties.

“The governor can have tremendous influence on voting policy in the state,” said Carter Walker, a senior reporter with Votebeat Pennsylvania, in an interview with Radio Chatskill.

Walker has been examining the election records and policy positions of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican challenger Stacy Garrity.

One of the biggest differences he sees between the candidates is how much they are talking about elections.

“When Shapiro ran for governor the first time back in 2022, elections, voting issues, democracy issues, they were a big focus of his campaign,” Walker said.

Garrity, the state treasurer, is running her first campaign for governor. Walker said she has largely avoided making election policy a central part of her campaign.

“She is really not talking much about this issue, kind of avoiding it,” he said.

Walker said that may be connected to questions Garrity has faced about her past comments concerning the 2020 election.

Mail voting remains a dividing line

Mail-in voting is likely to remain one of the most closely watched election issues in Pennsylvania.

Walker said he has not heard Garrity directly call for eliminating mail voting. But some Republican lawmakers have pushed for eliminating or restricting it in recent years.

“If we had a Republican governor and a Republican legislature, maybe that’s something that you could push for,” Walker said.

Shapiro, meanwhile, has supported changes that could make mail voting easier to use.

Walker pointed to proposals for additional ballot drop boxes and efforts by Shapiro’s administration to reduce the number of mail ballots rejected because of technical errors.

One issue is Pennsylvania’s requirement that voters sign and date the envelope used to return their ballot.

“That often trips up and disenfranchises a lot of voters,” Walker said.

What would voter ID look like?

Garrity has identified voter ID as her top priority among election-related legislative issues, Walker said.

But there are still major questions about what that policy would actually require.

“We don’t really know what that means,” Walker said. “And the devil really is in the details.”

Would voters need a government-issued photo ID? Would a student ID qualify? What about a utility bill showing a voter’s name and address?

And what happens if someone arrives at the polls without the required identification?

Walker said those details could determine how significant the change would be for voters and election administrators.

Shapiro has also indicated in the past that he is open to voter ID requirements, Walker said, although he has not specified what form such a system would take.

The Legislature may have the biggest say

For all the attention given to the governor’s race, Walker said voters should remember that the governor cannot unilaterally rewrite Pennsylvania’s election laws.

“I’m going to go on a limb and say probably 90% of what you want to do with an election has to go through the legislature,” he said.

That means the makeup of the Pennsylvania House and Senate could be crucial to whichever candidate wins the governor’s race.

Walker pointed to several proposals Shapiro has supported, including same-day voter registration and allowing 16-year-olds to preregister so they can vote when they turn 18.

Those proposals did not make it through the Legislature during Shapiro’s first term.

Watch the details, Walker says

Election integrity has become a familiar political battleground in Pennsylvania, particularly since the 2020 election.

But Walker said voters should look beyond the political rhetoric and focus on what candidates actually propose.

“Try and listen carefully for the specifics,” he said. “What are the policies that they’re proposing?”

Those policies can have particular consequences in rural areas.

Walker noted that automatic voter registration can benefit rural residents, where people may be more dependent on driver’s licenses for transportation. Mail voting can also give rural voters another way to participate in elections.

“So I would be listening for the specifics of the policy, not just are they paying lip service to it,” Walker said.