Each week, we bring you a collection of the most viewed stories from The Daily Brew, condensed. Here are the top stories from the week of November 27- December 1.
Voters in six states decided 32 constitutional amendments, most in odd-numbered years since 2003
In 2023, 41 statewide ballot measures—including both proposed statutes and constitutional amendments—were certified for the ballot in Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. That’s the most in an odd-numbered year since 2007. Of the 41 total measures on the ballot (including initiatives) in 2023, 33 (80.5%) were approved and eight (19.5%) were defeated.
Fifty-five statewide measures have been certified for 2024.
Twenty-nine state legislative incumbents lost re-election in 2023, more than 2021, but less than 2019
Twenty-nine state legislative incumbents lost re-election in 2023. They represent 6.5% of all incumbents who ran for re-election. That’s less than the odd-year average of 6.7% defeated incumbents between 2011 and 2023, and less than the even-year average of 9% between 2010 and 2022.
In 2019, 10 (4.6%) of 217 Republican incumbents who advanced to the general election lost, while two (1%) Democratic incumbents out of 196 did.
Ten legislators have switched parties this year—fewest in an odd year since 2015
As of Nov. 30, 10 state legislators have switched political parties in 2023. Counting both even and odd years, 173 state legislators have switched political parties since 1994, an average of six party switches per year. Mississippi had the most party switches between 1994 and 2023, with 20, followed by Louisiana (17) and Georgia (16).