The present invention provides a high frequency electronic ballast with rail voltage switching which adjusts the DC rail voltage output (208) to account for different voltages of mains power (210), improving efficiency. The rail voltage switching comprises a mains power supply (200) providing mains power (210) and a mains voltage signal (212); a ballast microcontroller (206) responsive to the mains voltage signal (212) and generating a power factor correction (PFC) voltage signal (214); and a converter (204) operably connected to the mains power supply (200) and responsive to the PFC voltage signal (214) to generate a DC rail voltage output (208). For an embodiment using power factor control, the converter (204) comprises a coil (218), power factor correction (224), a switch (220), and a rectifier (222).