Welcome to the Friday, February 25, Brew.
By: Douglas Kronaizl
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- How you can use Ballotpedia to stay in the know on election day
- State supreme courts in North Carolina and Pennsylvania enact new redistricting plans
- #FridayTrivia: How many state legislative seats are up for election in 2022?
How you can use Ballotpedia to stay in the know on election day
On March 1, Texas will hold the first statewide primaries of the 2022 election cycle. Voters will pick nominees in races ranging from the U.S. House to governor to county clerks.
At Ballotpedia, we want to make sure you have all the tools to vote with confidence. If you’re voting next Tuesday, or want to take a look at any upcoming elections in your area, get prepared by using our Sample Ballot Lookup tool!
Here’s how it works:
- Enter your address (we don’t store or retain any of your information when you do that).
- Select an upcoming election date. Several dates might be listed if there is more than one coming up in your area.
- View the list of candidates that will be on your ballot. Ballotpedia covers every federal, state executive, and state legislative election. We also have comprehensive info for the 100 largest cities by population. For municipal elections we are covering in Texas, click here.
- Click on a candidate to read their biography, view past election results, and learn more about their campaign themes. We also provide race overviews. Where the office names are linked, you can click to learn more about the race in general.
You can contact your state or local election administrator to view an official sample ballot.
For even more information on the go, be sure to download our My Vote app, which allows you to research the elections and candidates on your ballot, save your choices, and access important election information.
Another important way Ballotpedia brings you information about your upcoming elections is through our Candidate Connection survey. Every candidate we cover is invited to fill out this survey, which gives voters a chance to hear directly from who’s running for office.
We have full candidate survey completion in 13 competitive primaries in Texas. In each of these races, every candidate has completed a survey. These primaries are listed below. Click on a candidate’s name to view their survey responses to see how the candidates compare on the issues.
U.S. House
- U.S. House District 14, Democratic primary: Howard, Williams
- U.S. House District 24, Democratic primary: Fragnoli, Gay, McDowell
- U.S. House District 34, Republican primary: Cantu-Cabrera, Flores, Kunkle, McCaffrey
- U.S. House District 38, Democratic primary: Klussmann, Martinez Alexander, Reed
State executive
- State Comptroller, Democratic primary: Dudding, Mahoney, Vega
- State Board of Education District 5, Democratic primary: Bell-Metereau (inc.), Guico, Juárez
State legislative
- Senate District 24, Democratic primary: Jones-Hospod, Kohlwes
- House District 33, Democratic primary: Haase, Lynskey
- House District 50, Democratic primary: Talarico (inc.*), Alcorta
- House District 52, Republican primary: Harris, Jarrin, McGuinness, Schober
- House District 97, Democratic primary: McLaurin, Rector
- House District 132, Democratic primary: Campbell, West
- House District 136, Republican primary: Evans, Salahuddin
* Rep. James Talarico (D) currently represents House District 52 and is running in District 50 due to redistricting.
State supreme courts in North Carolina and Pennsylvania enact new redistricting plans
Over the past couple of days, we’ve seen two states—North Carolina and Pennsylvania—enact new redistricting maps. In both states, previous maps faced legal challenges bringing us to where we are today. Here’s a quick summary of how the process played out:
North Carolina enacted new congressional and state legislative district maps on Feb. 23 after the Wake County Superior Court signed off on maps of the state’s 170 legislative districts approved by the Republican-controlled General Assembly last week.
The court rejected a congressional map supported by the legislature and instead adopted a plan proposed by a panel of court-appointed special masters. This panel consisted of three former state judges: Tom Ross (D), Bob Edmunds (R), and Bob Orr (I). North Carolina was apportioned 14 congressional districts following the 2020 census, an increase of one from previous years.
The General Assembly originally enacted maps on Nov. 4, 2021, but they were challenged in court. On Feb. 4, with the four justices registered as Democrats in the majority, the state supreme court declared the maps unconstitutional in a 4-3 decision, leading to the redraw.
Legal challenges delayed the state’s candidate filing process for the 2022 elections. With the new maps enacted, candidate filing resumed on Feb. 24 and will end on March 4 for primaries scheduled for May 17.
Pennsylvania finished its redistricting process on Feb. 23 after the state supreme court enacted new congressional district lines. Pennsylvania was apportioned 17 congressional districts following the 2020 census, a decrease of one from previous years.
The court chose from over a dozen submitted maps, including one proposed by the Republican-controlled state legislature. In a 4-3 ruling, the Democratic-controlled court ultimately selected the Carter map, submitted by a group of Pennsylvania citizens who were petitioners in a redistricting-related lawsuit.
The state supreme court assumed authority over the redistricting process after Gov. Tom Wolf (D) vetoed the legislature’s enacted congressional map on Jan. 26. Mapmaking authority initially passed to a lower court but, in a Feb. 2 order, the supreme court ruled that it would have control over the process.
Pennsylvania’s primary elections are scheduled for May 17.
Overall, 37 states have completed congressional redistricting for the current cycle compared to 40 at this point following the 2010 census. Similarly, 38 states have finished redrawing state legislative lines compared to 40 as of Feb. 25, 2012.
#FridayTrivia: How many state legislative seats are up for election in 2022?
On March 1, voters in Texas will participate in the first primary elections of the 2022 cycle. Among the races on the ballot include all 181 of the state’s legislative seats. These seats are just the first in one of the largest state legislative election cycles in recent memory. More state legislative seats are up for election this year than at any point since at least 2010. And we will be bringing you coverage of every single one!
How many state legislative seats are up for election in 2022?