Welcome to the Monday, July 3, Brew.
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- One party controls the top state executive offices in 44 states—up from 30 in 2010
- U.S. Election Assistance Commission set to replace guidelines for voting equipment
- Subscribe to our Ballot Bulletin newsletter to stay on top of election legislation
One party controls the top state executive offices in 44 states—up from 30 in 2010
In 44 states, one party controls that state’s top executive offices—governor, attorney general, and secretary of state—known as a state government triplex. This is up from 30 states with a state government triplex in 2010.
There is a Republican state government triplex in 24 of those 44 states. Democrats have 20. Both figures represent the largest number of triplexes for either party since Ballotpedia began tracking this data in 2010. Six states have divided state executive leadership, which is the smallest number since 2010.
In states where the governor appoints the attorney general or secretary of state, Ballotpedia considers the governor’s party to hold the office until the governor appoints a specific person to the position. If a state does not have all three triplex offices, Ballotpedia considers that state a triplex if one party controls both triplex offices in that state.
In 2011 and 2012, Republicans held 23 state government triplexes, only one below their 2023 peak. In 2019 and 2020, Democrats held 17 state government triplexes, three below their 2023 peak.
Republicans had their largest net increase in state government triplexes from 2010 to 2011. In 2010, Republicans held 13 triplexes and increased that number to 23 the following year. Democrats’ largest net increase was after the 2018 elections, when they went from 12 triplexes in 2018 to 17 in 2019.
After the 2022 elections, Democrats gained triplexes in Maryland and Massachusetts, and Republicans gained a triplex in Iowa. In January 2023, Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) nominated Al Schmidt (R) as secretary of the commonwealth, which changed Pennsylvania from a Democratic triplex to divided government.
Three states—Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi—are holding state executive elections in 2023. Mississippi is a Republican triplex, and Kentucky and Louisiana have split control of those offices.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is the only Democrat among that state’s triplex officials, and two outside elections forecasters rate the gubernatorial race as Lean Democratic. Term-limited Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is the only Democrat among that state’s triplex officials, and two outside elections forecasters rate the gubernatorial race is rated as Lean Republican. Republicans currently hold all three triplex offices in Mississippi. Donald Trump (R) won all three states in the 2020 presidential election.
U.S. Election Assistance Commission set to replace guidelines for voting equipment
Earlier this month, Ballotpedia’s On the Ballot podcast featured a conversation between Donald Palmer, a Commissioner of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and our editor-in-chief, Geoff Pallay. They discussed election integrity and new voting technology, and you can find the episode on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Now, let’s dig into this topic a little deeper.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) recently decided to change its standards regarding voting machines, and since the details are complex, there is the potential for confusion. Here’s a breakdown of the facts.
The EAC will retire the standards it currently uses to federally certify and test voting equipment—known as Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSGs) versions 1.0 and 1.1—on Nov. 16. A new version of the standards—VVSGs, version 2.0—will replace the retired ones.
The EAC’s retirement of VVSGs 1.0 and 1.1 will be the first voting system standard deprecation since the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) created the commission in 2002. VVSGs 2.0 will be the first update to federal voting system standards update since 2015.
EAC commissioners voted 4-0 to adopt VVSG 2.0 on Feb. 20, 2021, which began a process known as deprecation. When a previously used VVSG is retired, or deprecated, voting systems and equipment certified to the deprecated standard keep their certification. Jurisdictions may continue to use and acquire previously certified equipment.
The Voluntary Voting System Guidelines specify the standards used to test and certify voting systems and equipment for several factors, including “basic functionality, accessibility, and security capabilities.” Federal law does not require voting equipment to comply with Voluntary Voting System Guidelines, though some states do.
The requirements for the new voting system standards state that the EAC is updating the guidelines “to replace decade’s old voting machines, to improve the voter experience, and provide necessary safeguards to protect the integrity of the voting process.” In particular, these new guidelines include an expanded focus on voting system cybersecurity.
Before the creation of the EAC, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) was responsible for developing federal voting system standards.
The EAC has four members who may serve up to two consecutive four-year terms. The president appoints commissioners subject to Senate confirmation. Former presidents Barack Obama (D) and Donald Trump (R) each nominated two of the current EAC commissioners. The Senate confirmed all four unanimously.
Subscribe to our Ballot Bulletin newsletter to stay on top of election legislation
ICYMI, last week, we released our latest report—State of Election Administration Legislation 2023—presenting our observations and analysis regarding all the election-related state legislation we’ve tracked in the first part of this year. We published that on the one-year anniversary of the launch of our Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which enables readers to track the latest developments regarding state election laws in all 50 states.
But how do you stay on top of this topic all year round?
We also produce an email newsletter—The Ballot Bulletin—that delivers the latest updates on election policy each week. It tracks national election policy developments, including legislative activity, big-picture trends, and recent news.
Each issue includes:
- A list of bills that moved through state legislatures, were signed into law, or were defeated in the past week.
- A breakdown of legislative activity by state, topic, and partisan sponsorship.
- Comparisons between what’s happening now and what happened in previous years.
- The latest news on notable legislative developments, litigation, and other election policy changes.
We published our latest edition and emailed it to subscribers on Friday, and you can click here to read it on our site. And you can use the sign-up box on this page to subscribe and get future issues sent straight to your inbox.