Become a Votebeat sponsor

Watch a Q&A with Pennsylvania’s top elections official

Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania’s secretary of state, answered audience questions about trust in elections and misinformation.

A man wearing a dark suit jacket and glasses poses for a portrait outside of a building in front of a group of people behind a fence.
Al Schmidt, then Philadelphia City Commissioner, stands outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Lynsey Addario / Getty Images)

Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for our free newsletters here.

This year, Pennsylvania voters will cast their ballots for president, members of Congress, top state offices such as attorney general and treasurer, and more.

In 2020, the state was subjected to false claims of election fraud fueled by former President Donald Trump. The claims led to a flood of lawsuits, some of which went to the state’s Supreme Court and sowed distrust in Pennsylvania’s election system.

On April 2, Al Schmidt, head of the Pennsylvania Department of State, joined Votebeat and Spotlight PA to discuss how his agency is working to create trust in our election system and combat misinformation. The event also included a Q&A with a University of Pittsburgh researcher on how to spot election misinformation.

Watch the event in full below:


The Latest

A bill to overcome a court hurdle passes the Legislature after a proposed constitutional amendment falls short.

The new maps destroy majority-minority districts and fail to account for growth in Latino population, the plaintiffs allege.

A bill added to the special session agenda would restore limits on voters who make last-minute address changes.

Heather Honey joins the agency as a deputy assistant secretary.

Officials say the Justice Department hasn’t responded to a request for help transmitting the massive file.

The policy has been the subject of a back-and-forth court battle over burdens on voting.