Each week, we bring you a collection of the most viewed stories from The Daily Brew, condensed. But first…
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Now, here are the top stories from the week of May 22-May 26.
Here’s why an initiative to create a power company is on the ballot in Maine this November
One initiative has been certified for the November ballot in Maine—the Maine Creation of Pine Tree Power Company Initiative. The initiative would create a municipal consumer-owned electric transmission and distribution utility called the Pine Tree Power Company, run by a publicly elected board, and allow it to purchase and acquire all investor-owned transmission and distribution utilities in Maine.
Currently, two investor-owned companies distribute the majority of Maine’s power—Central Maine Power (CMP) and Versant. Supporters of the Pine Tree Power Company have said a consumer-owned utility company would be more affordable and reliable and have criticized CMP and Versant for their ties to foreign-owned businesses. Critics of the initiative have said that buying CMP and Versant would require billions of dollars worth of debt that consumers would pay through their electric bills.
The Pine Tree Power Company Initiatives follows another ballot measure related to election transmission in Maine. In 2021, voters approved Question 1, which prohibited the construction of electric transmission lines defined as high-impact in the Upper Kennebec Region and required a two-third vote of each legislative chamber to approve future high-impact transmission line projects. Question 1 was the most expensive ballot measure in Maine’s history, with around $100 million raised in support and opposition.
State executives continue to endorse school board candidates
Four state executive officials in Oklahoma endorsed school board candidates in this year’s elections, continuing what we first started to notice last year. These four officials endorsed three candidates in three races.
Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell (R), and Supt. of Public Instruction Ryan Walters (R) all endorsed Jared Buswell, who was challenging an incumbent in the Tulsa School District. Walters also endorsed Julie Bentley, who was running in the nearby Bixby School District.
Commission of Labor Leslie Osborn (R) endorsed incumbent Judy Mullen Hopper in the Putnam School District.
Buswell and Bixby lost their respective elections. Mullen Hopper won.
More absentee ballot drop box legislation introduced in 2023 than at this point in 2022
So far this year, state legislators have introduced more bills regulating the availability and security of absentee ballot drop boxes than at this point in 2022.
Ballot drop boxes are like large mailboxes where voters can return their mail-in ballots. Drop boxes can be staffed or unstaffed. Depending on the location, a ballot drop box may be accessible 24/7 or only during specified business hours. The bills that would regulate such drop boxes can generally fit into two categories: drop box availability and drop box security. Bills on drop box availability regulate the allowance, availability, or placement of ballot drop boxes. Drop box security bills establish or change existing rules for the physical security of drop boxes, such as requiring security cameras or in-person staffing.
In 2023, legislators have introduced 34 bills related to ballot drop boxes. Three (9%) of these bills have become law. At this point in 2022, legislators had introduced 26 bills, and two (8%) had become.
Since the start of 2022, Democrats have introduced more drop box availability bills overall, sponsoring 38 compared to Republicans’ 31. Republicans have introduced more drop box security bills, sponsoring 19 compared to Democrats’ 13. Republicans sponsored all seven bills introduced since 2022 to prohibit drop boxes entirely.
Click below to use the Tracker and explore bills of your interest!
On May 25, the Texas Legislature took the final vote to send a constitutional amendment to the ballot that would authorize the legislature to provide for cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for certain annuitants, who meet criteria provided by law, of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. The amendment also authorizes the legislature to allocate money from the general fund to pay for the adjustment.
The amendment, House Joint Resolution 2 (HJR 2), passed the state House by a vote of 147-0 with three not voting on April 28. The state Senate passed an amended version of HJR 2 on May 22 by a vote of 31-0. The state House concurred on May 25 by a vote of 140-0 with nine not voting.
The implementing legislation, Senate Bill 10 (SB 10), passed the state Senate, was amended by the state House, and is headed to a conference between the chambers after the Senate did not concur with the House amendments. Under the House amended version of SB 10, annuitants would receive an annual gain sharing cost-of-living adjustment not to exceed 2% annually and contingent upon a five-year average pension fund investment return of 7%. The gain-sharing cost-of-living adjustment would take effect in Sept. 2028 and apply to annuitants who have been retired for at least three state fiscal years. The amended bill would also provide for a one-time cost-of-living adjustment in Jan. 2024. The rate would vary by the amount of time an annuitant has been retired ranging from 2% to 6% of a cost-of-living adjustment.
The Teacher Retirement System is considered actuarially sound with an authorization period of 27 years according to the Pension Review Board.
Legislative Chair for the Texas Retired Teachers Association Ricky Chandler said, “I think it’ll be a big help especially to the retired teachers and staff, not only teachers but everybody that’s a school employee.” He also said, “The inflation has really hurt teachers and employees that have retired years and years ago, some of them are just barely making it.”
Nicole Hill, communications director for the Texas American Federation of Teachers, said, “Good news is we saw movement, and we haven’t seen that in years,” she said. “But it just doesn’t go far enough. This is essentially crumbs.”
This is the ninth amendment to be certified for statewide ballots in Texas for Nov. 2023. Between 1985 and 2021, an average of 14 measures appeared on statewide ballots in odd-numbered-year elections in Texas.
Two new noteworthy candidates announced 2024 presidential campaigns in the past week. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) announced on May 22, 2023, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced on May 24. There are now three noteworthy Democrats and eight noteworthy Republicans running for president.
Below is a summary of each candidate’s campaign activity from May 19 to May 26.
Joe Biden (D) spoke about firearms policy at a memorial for the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in Washington, D.C., on May 24. That day, Biden also released an online ad criticizing DeSantis.
Asa Hutchinson (R) campaigned in South Carolina from May 22 to May 23.
Vivek Ramaswamy (R) held campaign events in Chicago, Illinois, on May 19 and Iowa on May 26. He also spoke at the Bitcoin 2023 conference on May 20.
Tim Scott (R) announced his presidential campaign on May 22 at a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina. On May 23, Scott began a $5.5 million ad campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire. Scott campaigned in Iowa on May 24 and New Hampshire on May 25.
Donald Trump (R) was endorsed by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) on May 22. Trump released an online ad on May 24 criticizing DeSantis.
We did not identify any specific campaign activity from Corey Stapleton (R) during this time frame.
At this point in the 2020 cycle, 26 noteworthy candidates were running for president. Twenty-four were seeking the Democratic nomination, and two (Trump and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld) were seeking the Republican nomination.
Notable stories at the time included eight Democratic presidential candidates appearing at demonstrations opposing anti-abortion laws in Alabama and Georgia on May 21, 2019, and reporting that said Trump had spent $5 million on Facebook ads targeting older Americans and women from January to May 2019.
In the 2016 election, eight noteworthy candidates had announced their campaigns as of May 26, 2015. There were two Democrats (Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders) and five Republicans.
H.J.Res.42 was a joint resolution of disapproval under the terms of the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, also known as the Home Rule Act, which allows Congress to nullify D.C. laws within a certain review period. The D.C. law this resolution sought to nullify was the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, which “[set] forth a variety of measures that focus on policing in the District, including measures prohibiting the use of certain neck restraints by law enforcement officers, requiring additional procedures related to body-worn cameras, and expanding access to police disciplinary records.”
In his veto message, Biden said, “While I do not support every provision of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, this resolution from congressional Republicans would overturn commonsense police reforms such as: banning chokeholds; setting important restrictions on use of force and deadly force; improving access to body-worn camera recordings; and requiring officer training on de-escalation and use of force. The Congress should respect the District of Columbia’s right to pass measures that improve public safety and public trust.”
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), who discharged the resolution on the Senate floor, argued in favor of passing the resolution, saying, “Congress must exert our constitutional authority to keep our nation’s capital safe. It’s a disgrace that the capital of the most powerful nation on earth has become so dangerous, but this sad reality is exactly what we should expect when far-left activists are calling the shots.” After Biden vetoed the resolution, Vance said, “With today’s veto, President Biden rejected a bipartisan and commonsense effort to make our nation’s capital safer.”
Overriding a presidential veto requires a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers of Congress. The House of Representatives and Senate both passed the resolution by a simple majority.
The House of Representatives voted 229-189 to approve the resolution on April 19, 2023, with 14 Democrats and 215 Republicans voting in favor. The Senate voted 56-43 to approve the resolution on May 16, with six Democrats, one Independent who caucuses with Democrats, Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), and 48 Republicans voting in favor. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) introduced the resolution on March 9.
This was the second Home Rule Act resolution related to D.C. criminal law to makee it to Biden’s desk during the 118th Congress. The first was H.J.Res.26, which sought to nullify a D.C. law that would make “a variety of changes to DC criminal laws, including by providing statutory definitions for various elements of criminal offenses, modifying sentencing guidelines and penalties, and expanding the right to a jury trial for certain misdemeanor crimes.” Biden signed the resolution into law on March 20, 2023, marking the fourth time the federal government had nullified a D.C. law under the terms of the Home Rule Act since its passage in 1973.
President Ronald Reagan (R) issued the most vetoes (87) of all presidents since 1981. Biden, with four vetoes, has issued the fewest. President Donald Trump (R) issued the second-fewest vetoes (9) within this timeframe.
Presidents have issued 2,586 vetoes in American history. Congress has overridden 112. President Franklin D. Roosevelt vetoed 635 bills, the most of any president. Presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Q. Adams, William H. Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, and James A. Garfield did not issue any vetoes.
Welcome to The Ballot Bulletin: Ballotpedia’s Weekly Digest on Election Administration.Every Friday, we deliver the latest updates on election policy around the country, including legislative activity, nationwide trends, and recent news. In each issue, you’ll find updates on legislative activity and recent news.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed S7050, an omnibus elections bill making multiple changes to the state’s election law, on May 24.
Legislative highlights
Highlights:
States enacted 12 bills during the past week. In the same week in 2022, states enacted 16 bills.
States have enacted 164 bills in 2023. By this point in 2022, states had enacted 131 bills.
Of the bills active over the past week, Democrats sponsored 51, a 25% decrease from the 68 Democrat-sponsored bills state legislatures acted on the week before. Republicans sponsored 69 of the bills acted on this past week, a 10.4% decrease from the 77 Republican-sponsored bills state legislatures acted on the week before.
The bill topics with the most legislative activity this week were audits and oversight (29), ballot access (21), voter registration and list maintenance (21), counting and certification (18), contest specific procedures (17), and election dates and deadlines (17).
Recent activity and status changes
We’ve tracked the following election-related bills in 2023:
164 enacted bills (16 more than in our last edition)
6 that have passed both chambers (-3)
232 that have passed one chamber (-8)
2 that have advanced from committee (No change)
1,859 introduced bills (-10)
261 dead bills (+23)
Enacted bills
States have enacted 164 election-related bills in 2023, compared to the 131 bills enacted at this point in 2022. Of these 164 bills, Democrats sponsored 26 (15.9%), Republicans sponsored 103 (62.8%), and 19 (11.6%) had bipartisan sponsorship. Committees or legislators with independent or other party affiliations sponsored the remaining 16 (9.8%) bills. To see all bills approved this year, click here.
Bills enacted since May 19, with their official titles, are listed below.
NC H229: Stagger/Extend Terms of Town Officers/Halifax
Oklahoma (Republican trifecta)
OK HB2052: Elections; multistate voter list maintenance organizations; modifying authority to join certain organizations; providing penalties; effective date.
South Carolina (Republican trifecta)
SC S0764: Rock Hill School District 3 in York County
Tennessee (Republican trifecta)
TN SB0526: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2 and Title 6, relative to local elections.
TN SB1182: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, relative to elections.
TN HB0828: AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 2, relative to polling places.
Texas (Republican trifecta)
TX SB2038: Relating to release of an area from a municipality’s extraterritorial jurisdiction by petition or election.
Bills that passed both chambers
Six bills have passed both chambers (but have not yet been enacted or defeated) in 2023, compared to 50 bills that had passed both chambers at this point in 2022. To see all bills that have currently passed both chambers, click here.
No bills have passed both chambers since May 19.
Vetoed bills
Governors have vetoed 13 bills this year, compared to nine vetos at this point in 2022. To see all bills that have been vetoed in 2023, click here.
Three bills have been vetoed since May 19. They are listed with their official titles below.
Arizona (Divided government)
AZ HB2305: Ballots; signature verification; observers
Enacted bills by topic and sponsorship, 2022 vs. 2023
Recent activity by topic and sponsorship
The chart below shows the topics of the bills state legislatures acted on since May 19. Click here to see a full list of bill categories and their definitions.
* Note: Contest-specific procedures refers to primary systems, municipal election procedures, recall elections, special election procedures, and other systems unique to a particular election type.
All 2023 bills by topic and sponsorship
The chart below shows the topics of a sample of the 2,537 bills we have tracked this year. Note that the sums of the numbers listed do not equal the total number of bills because some bills deal with multiple topics.
Recent activity by state and trifecta status
Fifty-six (39.2%) of the 143 bills with activity this week are in Democratic trifecta states, 58 (40.6%) are in Republican trifecta states, and 29 (20.3%) are in states with divided governments.
Of the 69 with activity over the same week in 2022, 36 (52.2%) were from states with Democratic trifectas, 11 (15.9%) were from states with Republican trifectas, and 22 (31.9%) were from states with divided governments.
The map below shows election-related bills acted on in the past week by state trifecta status.
All 2023 bills by state and trifecta status
Of the total bills introduced in 2023, 1,103 (43.4%) are in states with Democratic trifectas, 1,140 (44.8%) are in states with Republican trifectas, and 301 (11.8%) are in states with divided governments.
Texas legislators have introduced the most election-related bills this year. Texas holds legislative sessions in odd years only, and so had no activity in 2022. New York was the most active state at this point in 2022. South Dakota has enacted the most bills this year. In 2022, New York and California had enacted the most bills at this point.
The map below shows the number of election-related bills introduced by state in 2023 by state trifecta status.
Recent news
Two lawsuits challenge voter registration regulations in newly enacted Florida elections bill
Several groups filed lawsuits against the state of Florida on May 24 after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed S7050, which makes numerous changes to the state’s election laws. The Campaign Legal Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Florida, and Elias Law Group filed another lawsuit on behalf of the Florida NAACP and seven other organizations. Both lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida and allege the newly enacted bill unconstitutionally restricts these organizations. At issue in both lawsuits are the provisions regulating third-party voter registration organizations. The bill requires these organizations to provide a receipt to each applicant when accepting their application, prohibits an organization from using pre-filled applications or using a voter’s personal information for any purpose other than registration, and increases the penalties for violations. The bill also requires any person handling voter registration applications for a third-party organization to be a U.S. citizen and not have been convicted of a felony.
In both lawsuits, the plaintiffs argued that the bill will decrease voter participation. League of Women Voters of Florida President Cecile Scoon said, “Senate Bill 7050 is yet another assault on democracy and attempt to muzzle Floridians.” Abha Khanna, a partner at Elias Law Group, the firm representing the plaintiffs in the second suit, said, “Third-party voter registration organizations play a critical role in ensuring that every eligible Floridian has an opportunity to vote, especially Black and brown Floridians.” Republican lawmakers in Florida said the bill protects voter information and the integrity of the state’s elections. Rep. Tyler Sirois (R) said, “These laws are the foundation of our democracy. Election reform should be something we look at every session.” Rep. Lawrence McClure (R) said, “We are putting a priority on that voter’s personal information. It should be the most sacred part of the entire interaction. This bill protects the Florida voter, while making sure our elections remain the best in the nation.”
Lawsuit challenges Arkansas U.S. House district map
A group of Arkansas voters and the Christian Ministerial Alliance filed a lawsuit on May 23 arguing that Arkansas’ congressional districts are unconstitutional and racially motivated. The suit names Secretary of State John Thurston (R) and six members of Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners as defendants. The challenge centers on Pulaski County, which contains the city of Little Rock. The state’s newest congressional district map divides the county into three districts, while under earlier district maps, the county was only in the 2nd Congressional District. Plaintiffs said, “The 2021 redistricting plan is but the latest effort by Arkansas officials to limit Black voters’ access to representation and otherwise the political process.” Attorney General Tim Griffin (R) said, “This latest suit simply regurgitates those same failed claims. I look forward to defeating these allegations in court for the second time.” This lawsuit is the third to challenge the state’s congressional district boundaries in Pulaski County. The first suit filed on March 7 is ongoing, while another filed on March 21 was dismissed on May 11.
Harris County officials to challenge Texas election bills on constitutional grounds
On May 24, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo (D), Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis (D) said they will sue the state over two election-related bills. The first bill, SB1750, would transfer all powers and duties of the county elections administrator to the county tax assessor-collector and county clerk in counties with a population of more than one million. The second piece of legislation, SB1993, would permit the secretary of state to order a new election in Harris County if more than 2% of polling places run out of ballot paper for more than one hour. Menefee said, “We’re suing state officials because these bills are clearly unconstitutional – our state’s constitution bars lawmakers from passing laws that target one specific city or county, putting their personal vendettas over what’s best for Texans. Republican lawmakers are disregarding the will of Harris County voters. But to protect Harris County communities, our public servants, and our residents – we’re going to fight.” Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R), the author of both bills, said, “The public’s trust in elections in Harris County must be restored after a continuing set of problems culminating the fact that the current EA couldn’t or wouldn’t get millions of sheets [of] ballot paper out of the warehouse to the polls for voters to vote on, and that’s real voter suppression! It can NOT be tolerated in the Nation’s 3rd Largest County.”
The U.S. Supreme Court on May 25, 2023, unanimously held in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the EPA’s regulatory jurisdiction over the nation’s wetlands is limited. The decision echoes the court’s 2022 ruling in West Virginia v EPA, in which the justices limited the scope of the agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
The decision brings to a close a 14-year legal battle between the Sacketts and the EPA, in which the EPA claimed that the Sackett’s residential lot in Idaho contained wetlands subject to its jurisdiction pursuant to the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Sacketts disagreed and the dispute worked its way through the federal courts in the years following the initial lawsuit.
Justice Samuel Alito delivered the opinion of the unanimous court, arguing that the EPA’s regulatory authority over wetlands only extends to those with “a continuous surface connection to bodies that are ‘waters of the United States.’”
In an opinion concurring in the judgment, Justice Elena Kagan agreed that the EPA’s authority does not extend to the Sackett’s property but expressed concern that the court’s reasoning “substitutes its own ideas about policymaking for Congress’s.”
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity, accounting for both regulatory and deregulatory actions.
From May 22, 2023, through May 26, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 1,790 pages for a year-to-date total of 34,410 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 575 documents:
465 notices
Six presidential documents
42 proposed rules
62 final rules
Six proposed rules, including proposed amendments to the Veterans Readiness and Employment and Education regulations to implement provisions of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 from the Veterans Affairs Department, and six final rules, including the adoption of amended energy conservation standards for room air conditioners from the Energy Department were deemed significant under E.O. 12866—defined by the potential to have large impacts on the economy, environment, public health, or state or local governments. Significant actions may also conflict with presidential priorities or other agency rules. The Biden administration in 2023 has issued 158 significant proposed rules, 99 significant final rules, and five significant notices as of May 26.
Ballotpedia maintains page counts and other information about the Federal Register as part of its Administrative State Project. The project is a neutral, nonpartisan encyclopedic resource that defines and analyzes the administrative state, including its philosophical origins, legal and judicial precedents, and scholarly examinations of its consequences. The project also monitors and reports on measures of federal government activity.
Click here to find more information about weekly additions to the Federal Register in 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017: Changes to the Federal Register
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
More bills introduced in 2023 than in 2022 that would make ballot access more difficult for political parties
Tim Scott, Ron DeSantis join Republican presidential primary field
A look at the age demographics of Oklahoma school board candidates
More bills introduced in 2023 than in 2022 that would make ballot access more difficult for political parties
Lately, we’ve been bringing you deep dives into recent trends in election-related legislation. We’ve reported that states are enacting more election administration bills than in 2022 and that Utah, for the second year running, is enacting more of those bills than other states. We’ve also looked at the increase this year in bills regulating absentee ballot drop box availability and security.
Let’s take a look at another topic that falls under election administration—ballot access.
Compared to last year, lawmakers in 2023 have introduced more bills that would make it more difficult for political parties to qualify for the ballot.
We’ve tracked 25 ballot access bills since January. We’ve determined nine bills would make it more difficult for parties to qualify for ballot access,introduced in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, and Texas. Seven bills would do the opposite and decrease ballot access difficulty. The other nine ballot access bills we’re tracking would not affect the difficulty of ballot access.
Democrats and Republicans sponsored bills in both categories on a fairly even basis.
How parties get their candidates on the ballot varies from state to state. Some states require parties to file petitions to qualify for the ballot. Others require party candidates to win a certain percentage of the vote, and others require a party to register a certain number of voters.
In our analysis, we counted bills that would raise petition, vote, or registration requirements or restrict timelines as increasing difficulty, and bills that would lower requirements or expand timelines as decreasing difficulty.
Here’s a look at some of ballot access bills that would have made it more difficult for parties to qualify candidates for the ballot:
Minnesota SF1827: This bill would have doubled the threshold to meet the definition of a “major political party,” requiring parties to have run a candidate who received at least 10% of the vote in the last election for certain offices (up from 5%). In Minnesota, major party candidates are nominated in primaries, with the winner qualifying for the general election without having to file nominating petitions. According to Ballot Access News publisher Richard Winger, Minnesota’s current 5% requirement is one of the most difficult in the country, with 2% being the median requirement. Virginia and New Jersey have a 10% requirement, while Alabama’s is 20%. A House omnibus bill with a similar provision—changing the major political party requirement from 5% to 8%—passed both chambers of the state legislature in May, and the governor has until early June to sign or veto the bill.
Montana SB565. This bill, which died in committee, would have increased minor party petition requirements from either (1) 5,000 signatures to 15,000 signatures, or (2) from 5% of the number of votes cast for the successful candidate in the last gubernatorial election to 5% of voter turnout in the last general election.
Here’s an example of a ballot access bill—the only one enacted so far this year—that eases access requirements:
Arkansas SB277: This law lowers the petition signature requirement for new political parties from 3% of the number of votes cast in the last gubernatorial election to 10,000 signatures (38% of the former requirement as of the 2022 election). The law also lengthens the time parties may collect signatures.
In 2022, we tracked 29 ballot access bills, three of which were enacted. Two made ballot access easier for political parties, while one made minor administrative changes. Of the bills that were introduced in 2022, we determined that 17 would have eased ballot access requirements. Three bills, a set of companion bills in Iowa, would have increased requirements for non-party political organizations (political organizations not meeting the conditions to be a political party) to nominate a candidate at a convention. The other bills would either have had no effect on ballot access difficulty or their effects were unclear.
To view the current status of ballot access for political parties in each state, click here.
We cover stories like these in even greater detail in the Ballot Bulletin, our weekly newsletter on legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news in election policy. Click here to subscribe.
Our comprehensive Election Administration Legislation Tracker is the basis for the data and analysis in this report. This user-friendly tracker covers thousands of election-related bills in state legislatures, and organizes them by topic with neutral, expert analysis from Ballotpedia’s election administration researchers.
Explore the tracker for yourself at the link below!
Tim Scott, Ron DeSantis join Republican presidential primary field
The 2024 race to the White House is speeding up—and adding a few new names to the roster. Let’s check in on the latest presidential election news.
This week, two new noteworthy candidates announced campaigns for the 2024 presidential election—Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). Scott announced May 22, while DeSantis announced May 24. That brings our tally of noteworthy presidential candidates to 11 candidates—three Democrats and eight Republicans. That’s less than half the 26 candidates who were running at this time four years ago.
Below is a summary of each candidate’s campaign activity from May 19 to May 26.
Joe Biden (D) spoke about firearms policy at a memorial for the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in Washington, D.C., on May 24. That day, Biden also released an online ad criticizing DeSantis.
Marianne Williamson (D) released the text of her economic policy, titled “An Economic Bill of Rights: A Vision for a Moral Economy,” on May 23. Williamson’s campaign manager, Peter Daou, and deputy campaign manager, Jason Call, resigned from her campaign on May 20 and May 19 respectively.
Ron DeSantis (R) announced his presidential candidacy on May 24 in a live-streamed conversation with Elon Musk and David Sacks on Twitter.
Larry Elder (R) published an op-ed in The Washington Times titled “President Biden at Howard University: The great White savior” on May 22.
Nikki Haley (R) campaigned in Iowa on May 19, and in New Hampshire on May 23 and May 24 respectively. Haley wrote an op-ed for Seacoastonline titled “Nikki Haley: Force Congress to fix veterans’ healthcare” on May 24.
Asa Hutchinson (R) campaigned in South Carolina from May 22 to May 23.
Vivek Ramaswamy (R) held campaign events in Chicago, Illinois, on May 19. He also spoke at the Bitcoin 2023 conference on May 20. Ramaswamy is scheduled to campaign in Iowa today.
Tim Scott (R) announced his presidential candidacy on May 22 at a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina. On May 23, Scott began a $5.5 million ad campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire. Scott campaigned in Iowa on May 24, and in New Hampshire on May 25.
Donald Trump (R) was endorsed by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) on May 22. Trump released an online ad on May 24 criticizing DeSantis.
We did not identify any specific campaign activity from Corey Stapleton (R) during this time frame.
At this point in the 2020 cycle, 26 noteworthy candidates were running for president. Twenty-four were seeking the Democratic nomination, and two (Trump and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld) were seeking the Republican nomination.
Notable stories at the time included eight Democratic presidential candidates appearing at demonstrations opposing anti-abortion laws in Alabama and Georgia on May 21, 2019, and reporting that said Trump had spent $5 million on Facebook ads targeting older Americans and women from January to May 2019.
In the 2016 election, eight noteworthy candidates had announced their campaigns as of May 26, 2015. There were two Democrats (Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders) and five Republicans.
Keep up to date with the latest 2024 presidential election news at the link below.
A look at the age demographics of Oklahoma school board candidates
In case you missed it, the Wednesday and Thursday Brew issues this week focused on in-depth analysis of Wisconsin and Oklahoma school board elections. As we’ve scoured local government websites, mined candidate filing lists and voter files, and combed through mountains of local news stories and social media posts to bring you this coverage, we’ve also unearthed some unique demographic data about the school board candidates themselves.
Let’s take a look at one fun example from Oklahoma—school board candidate ages. We gathered this data from filing lists and publicly-available voter files.
Here’s what we found.
Both the average school board candidate and average election winner were 50 years old.
The average incumbent who ran for re-election was 51 years old.
The average non-incumbent was 46 years old.
The youngest candidates were 20 years old. There were two of them, and they both lost in their respective primaries.
The oldest candidates were 86 years old. There were also two of them, and they both lost in general elections.
The youngest election winner was 27. The oldest was 84.
The chart below shows the age range of election winners and losers.
You can find more demographic data on Oklahoma candidates at the link below.
New Jersey is holding elections, including for legislative offices, on June 6, 2023. A number of candidates running in these elections completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.
Below is a selection of responses from the candidates who filled out the survey as of May 25. To read each candidate’s full responses, click their name at the bottom of the article.
Incumbent Yraida Aponte-Lipski (D) is running for Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders District 4, and the Democratic primary election is on June 6. Here’s how Aponte-Lipski responded to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
“Causes that I have worked on specifically are balanced/stable budgets, … direct services for our homeless and senior neighbors, helicopter reduction in our area, bike-pedestrian-vehicular safety and education, protecting Liberty State Park, women’s empowerment, helping families apply for admissions to Hudson County Schools of Technology and Hudson County Community College as well as appeal decisions that are not favorable, worked with inmates at the county jail, their families, and jail staff to facilitate optimum communication, and, lastly, being a commissioner on the County planning board who has missed only 1 meeting.”
Click here to read the rest of Aponte-Lipski’s answers.
Chris Auriemma (R) is running for New Jersey State Senate District 36, and the Republican primary election is on June 6. Here’s how Auriemma responded to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
“Parental Rights. We pay for the schools and we have a right to what our children are taught. We have children who cannot read or do math at college level leaving high school unprepared for the real world. There are so many parents who are afraid to s[p]eak out against these radical politics going into the classrooms.”
Click here to read the rest of Auriemma’s answers.
Mario De Santis (D) is running for New Jersey State Senate District 3, and the Democratic primary election is on June 6. Here’s how De Santis responded to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
“Education, public safety, healthcare, & economic opportunities.”
Click here to read the rest of De Santis’ answers.
Roger Forest Locandro (R) is running for New Jersey State Senate District 15, and the Republican primary election is on June 6. Here’s how Locandro responded to the question: What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
“Jobs
Education
Work Force Development
Green Sustainability
Equity in opportunity
Agriculture, Solar, Hydro Electric Geothermal”
Click here to read the rest of Locandro’s answers.
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