Posted May 30, 2026 · Updated June 5, 2026
The 2026 midterm elections will determine control of Congress, governorships in four of the seven most competitive states in the nation, and dozens of down-ballot races that will shape education, healthcare, housing, and infrastructure for a decade. Voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada, and North Carolina deserve specific answers from every candidate — not talking points, not fundraising emails, not campaign slogans.
VOQAL has posted 56 civic concerns across these seven states — eight per state — grounded in documented community needs, verified data, and questions that candidates have been actively avoiding. Every concern is on the public record at app.voqal.co/board. Every candidate has been surfaced. The clock is running.
Here is the state-by-state breakdown.
Pennsylvania — Senate + 4 House Toss-Ups
Pennsylvania's Senate race — Republican incumbent Dave McCormick vs. a Democratic challenger — is one of the most expensive Senate contests in 2026. McCormick won his 2024 race by fewer than 18,000 votes. Democrats must flip this seat to have a path to Senate control.
The civic concerns Pennsylvania voters raised on VOQAL:
The most urgent concern on the Pennsylvania board: school funding equity. Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court ruled in 2023 that the state's school funding system is unconstitutionally inequitable. The legislature's response has been inadequate. The court ruling is now three years old. The gap persists. Pennsylvania Senate candidates: what specific funding reform will you advance — and what is the timeline?
The Fern Hollow Bridge question has 83 community votes on VOQAL's Pennsylvania board. The bridge collapsed on January 28, 2022 — the day President Biden visited Pittsburgh to discuss the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Pennsylvania has over 3,500 structurally deficient bridges. Federal infrastructure dollars are flowing. Are they reaching the right bridges? Pennsylvania candidates: what is your specific accountability mechanism for infrastructure investment delivery?
In PA-07 (Montgomery County) and PA-08 (Bucks County) — both rated toss-up House races — suburban Philadelphia voters cite healthcare costs as their defining kitchen-table issue. 76 votes on VOQAL's board. Candidates in both districts: what specific legislation will you support to reduce prescription drug costs and premiums for working Pennsylvania families?
Pennsylvania voters: search "Pennsylvania 2026 candidates" and find VOQAL's civic board at app.voqal.co/board — filter by Pennsylvania.
Georgia — Senate + Governor + 2 House Toss-Ups
Georgia's Senate seat — currently held by a Democrat — is one of the most competitive in 2026 in a state Donald Trump carried by 2 points in 2024. The gubernatorial race to succeed Brian Kemp is an open seat drawing national attention.
The civic concern with the most Georgia votes on VOQAL: voting rights. Georgia's 2021 Election Integrity Act remains under federal legal challenge. Lines at Fulton County polling places in 2022 and 2024 exceeded two hours in some precincts. 103 votes. Georgia Governor and Senate candidates: what specific measures will you support to ensure every Georgia voter can cast a ballot without a multi-hour wait?
Georgia's Black Belt — Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Early, Miller, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Webster counties — has poverty rates exceeding 30%, no hospital within 30 miles in some areas, and infrastructure unchanged since the 1970s. 86 votes on VOQAL's Georgia board. Georgia Governor and Senate candidates: what specific investment will you commit to for Black Belt Georgia? Not a task force. Not a study. A dollar amount and a delivery date.
Georgia Medicaid expansion enrolled 600,000 new residents when the state finally acted in 2023. But rural hospitals are still closing. 94 votes. The question: will candidates commit to removing work requirements — which limit enrollment — to maximize rural hospital viability?
Georgia voters: app.voqal.co/board — filter by Georgia.
Michigan — Open Governor + Open Senate
Michigan hasn't had an open gubernatorial race since 2018. With Gretchen Whitmer term-limited, both parties are fielding competitive candidates in a state that swung Republican in the 2024 presidential race by a narrow margin.
The Flint water crisis is not over. The lead pipe replacement program — promised complete by 2020 — is still unfinished in 2026. Children who were exposed to lead in 2014-2016 are now teenagers with documented developmental impacts. Michigan Governor candidates: what is your specific commitment and timeline to complete Flint's infrastructure remediation? 108 votes on VOQAL's Michigan board. Six years overdue.
Michigan's EV transition is an existential question for the state's economy. Ford, GM, and Stellantis are investing in electric vehicle production. UAW workers need retraining pipelines that don't yet exist at scale. Michigan Governor and Senate candidates: what is your specific plan to ensure Michigan's workforce transitions to EV manufacturing jobs without a lost decade?
Milwaukee's racial wealth gap is the worst of any major city in America. Black Milwaukee residents face unemployment rates 2.5 times the white rate. Michigan's urban equity crisis is the state's most persistent and least addressed challenge. 93 votes on VOQAL's Michigan board.
Michigan voters: app.voqal.co/board — filter by Michigan.
Arizona — Open Governor + 2 House Toss-Ups
Arizona's open gubernatorial race — following Katie Hobbs' decision not to seek reelection — is rated a genuine toss-up. The state's water crisis, semiconductor manufacturing boom, and border policy debates are all live civic questions with no clear candidate answers.
Arizona's water supply is the single most urgent civic concern in any of the seven battleground states. Lake Mead is at historically low levels. The Central Arizona Project — the primary water delivery system for metropolitan Phoenix — is at risk. Arizona Governor and Senate candidates: what is your specific water policy — conservation mandates, agricultural water rights reform, alternative supply development — to ensure Arizona has water in 2050? 129 votes on VOQAL's Arizona board.
Phoenix sprawl is building on land with no guaranteed water supply. Arizona's 100-year water adequacy standard — the legal requirement for development — is being approved for subdivisions that lack documented water supply. Arizona Governor candidates: will you commit to enforcing the 100-year standard without exceptions for politically connected developers?
Arizona's semiconductor boom — TSMC's $65 billion Phoenix fab, Intel's Chandler campus — is the largest manufacturing investment in state history. But Arizona's workforce pipeline for semiconductor technicians has not kept pace. 76 votes on VOQAL's board. Arizona Governor candidates: what workforce development investment will you make to ensure Arizona residents — not imported workers — fill these jobs?
Arizona voters: app.voqal.co/board — filter by Arizona.
Wisconsin — Open Governor + Senate Ron Johnson Defending
Wisconsin's open gubernatorial race — with Tony Evers term-limited — and Ron Johnson's Senate defense in a state Democrats need to flip both make this one of the highest-stakes states in 2026.
Ron Johnson is defending a Senate seat Democrats must flip to have a realistic path to Senate control. Wisconsin swung Republican in the 2024 presidential race by a narrow margin. 112 votes on VOQAL's Wisconsin board for the Senate race question — the most-voted issue in any Wisconsin category.
Milwaukee's racial wealth gap surfaces in Wisconsin's data as it does in Michigan's. Black Milwaukee residents earn incomes dramatically below the white median. The gap has not meaningfully closed in a decade. 93 votes. Wisconsin Governor candidates: what specific economic equity investment will you implement for Milwaukee?
Wisconsin PFAS contamination in Madison's water supply has been detected at levels above EPA health advisories. Cleanup costs are estimated in the hundreds of millions. 81 votes on VOQAL's board. Wisconsin Governor candidates: what is your specific PFAS remediation and utility funding plan?
Wisconsin voters: app.voqal.co/board — filter by Wisconsin.
Nevada — Governor Lombardo Defending + Senate + 2 House Toss-Ups
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo — a Republican — is defending in a state that voted for Biden in 2020 and Harris in 2024. Nevada's Senate race and two competitive House seats (NV-03 and NV-04, both in Las Vegas suburbs) make this state critical to Congressional control.
Nevada's water crisis is second only to Arizona's in urgency. Las Vegas gets 90% of its water from Lake Mead. 116 votes on VOQAL's Nevada board for the water security question. Despite impressive conservation progress, long-term supply under climate change scenarios is genuinely uncertain. Nevada Governor and Senate candidates: what is your specific water security strategy for Southern Nevada beyond what is already in place?
Nevada education ranks in the bottom 5 states by every measurable metric — reading proficiency, graduation rates, per-pupil investment. This is not a new problem. 87 votes on VOQAL's Nevada board. Nevada Governor candidates: what specific structural reform — not incremental improvement — will you implement to break Nevada's chronic education underperformance?
Nevada's lithium deposits could power America's EV transition. Mining permits are accelerating. But water use implications, tribal land rights, and royalty distribution are unresolved. 63 votes on VOQAL's board. Nevada candidates: what royalty, water protection, and tribal consultation framework will you require for Nevada lithium extraction?
Nevada voters: app.voqal.co/board — filter by Nevada.
North Carolina — Senate + Governor + 3 Competitive House Seats
North Carolina has delivered the most urgent single civic concern of any battleground state: Hurricane Helene recovery. And Senator Ted Budd — a Republican — is defending in a state that has elected two consecutive Democratic governors.
Hurricane Helene recovery has 143 votes — the highest-voted single issue on VOQAL's entire battleground board. The storm devastated western North Carolina in September 2024. Asheville, Buncombe County, and surrounding mountain communities suffered catastrophic damage. Federal recovery funds have been slow to reach individuals and small businesses. 18 months later. North Carolina candidates: what specific accountability mechanism will you create to ensure federal Helene recovery dollars actually reach the communities that need them?
Ted Budd is defending a Senate seat in a state where Democrats have won two consecutive gubernatorial elections. 101 votes on VOQAL's North Carolina board for the Senate race question.
North Carolina teacher pay ranks 34th nationally. The state has a shortage of over 10,000 qualified teachers. Rural eastern and western NC county vacancy rates exceed 15% in some grade levels. 82 votes. North Carolina Governor candidates: what is your specific teacher compensation and pipeline investment to close the shortage within four years?
North Carolina voters: app.voqal.co/board — filter by North Carolina.
The Civic Record Is Public. The Candidates Have Not Responded.
All 56 concerns are live on VOQAL's public board at app.voqal.co/board right now. Every one was submitted publicly. Every candidate in every race has been surfaced these concerns. The record is permanent. It does not expire after the election.
If you're a voter in any of these seven states, you can:
- View all concerns at app.voqal.co/board — filter by your state
- Vote on the concerns that matter most to you — votes are public
- Submit a concern that isn't on the board yet — it becomes public immediately
- Share this article — every concern in it has a direct link to the VOQAL public board
If you're a candidate in any of these races, you can respond to any concern on the VOQAL board. Your response is permanent. Your silence is also permanent.
The civic record is open. The clock is running. Early voting starts in Maryland on June 11.
VOQAL™ is a non-partisan civic accountability platform. It does not endorse candidates. Data sources: VOQAL public board (app.voqal.co/board), Maryland State Board of Elections, Ballotpedia 2026 battleground race ratings, USPollingData.com swing state tracker.
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