Welcome to the Friday, December 22, Brew.
By: Samuel Wonacott
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Chocolate Chip Cookie wins third nonconsecutive term as Ballotpedia’s Holiday Cookie
- The first 2024 presidential nominating contest is less than 30 days away
- How many RCV-related bills did state lawmakers introduce in 2023?
This will be our final Brew of the year. Have a restful holiday, and we’ll see you back here on Jan. 2!
Chocolate Chip Cookie wins third nonconsecutive term as Ballotpedia’s Holiday Cookie
At Ballotpedia, we love elections—and cookie elections are no exception. This year’s race was close enough to have many of us hanging on the edge of our seats. With 100% of precincts reporting, a winner has emerged: Chocolate Chip Cookie wins Ballotpedia’s 2023 Holiday Cookie Election with 39.6% of the vote.
Here are the final results as of poll closing time at 5pm ET:
- Chocolate Chip Cookie: 39.6%
- Sugar Cookie: 31.5%
- Gingerbread Cookie: 28.8%
Gingerbread Cookie, the incumbent and a first-time officeholder, was voted out after just one term in office, signaling voters are seeking a return to soft texture and chocolatey goodness.
The general election was open from December 18 until December 21. A primary election was held the previous week between eight candidates, including fifth-time hopefuls Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookie, Peanut Butter Blossom, and Snickerdoodle. When approached for a quote, the cookies’ campaign managers each said they would be reevaluating their campaign strategy for the 2024 Holiday Cooke Election.
Learn more about this year’s candidates and the results at the link below. If you voted in the election, don’t forget to use your discount code in Ballotpedia’s newly reopened merchandise store!
The first 2024 presidential nominating contest is less than 30 days away
As this is our final Brew of the year, it seems fitting to end with the latest information on 2024 statewide and presidential primary election dates.
Over the last several months, we’ve brought you regular updates as state election officials have finalized their 2024 candidate filing deadlines and primary election dates. Here’s where things stand:
Fifty states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have announced the dates for their 2024 statewide or territory-wide primaries.
Alabama, Arkansas, California, North Carolina, and Texas share the earliest 2024 statewide primary date, which is March 5 (Super Tuesday!). Louisiana will hold the latest statewide primary on Nov. 5 due to its unique majority-vote system.
On average, there are 91 days between a state’s filing deadline and the primary date. Utah, at 169 days, has the longest period between filing and primary, while Mississippi has the shortest, at 60 days.
The following U.S. territories have NOT announced their territory-wide primary dates:
- American Samoa
- North Mariana Islands
Separately, 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Democrats Abroad have announced the date(s) for their presidential nominating contests. Partisan filing deadlines have passed in 18 states as of this writing.
Republicans in the following U.S. territories have NOT announced the dates of their presidential primary or caucus:
- American Samoa
- Guam
- North Mariana Islands
Iowa has confirmed the earliest presidential nominating contest, with Republicans holding presidential caucuses on Jan. 15. New Hampshire will hold its presidential primary on Jan. 23, making it the season’s first primary. Last year, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted for South Carolina to hold the first presidential primary in 2024. However, New Hampshire election officials have cited a state law requiring their primary to occur at least a week before similar elections. President Joe Biden (D) will not appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot.
In 18 states, presidential and statewide primaries fall on the same date.
Here are some recent updates since we last covered this topic:
- Connecticut will hold its presidential primary on April 2. The filing deadline for this primary is Feb. 9.
- New Mexico will hold its statewide and presidential primaries on June 4. The filing deadline for candidates seeking pre-primary designation is Feb. 6. The filing deadline for all other candidates is March 12.
- Puerto Rico will hold its statewide primary on June 2. The filing deadline for candidates to submit 50% of the required signatures is Jan. 31. The filing deadline for candidates to submit 100% of the required signatures is Feb. 15.
- Utah Democrats will hold a presidential primary on March 5. The filing deadline for this primary was December 1, 2023.
Click below to read more about 2024 dates and deadlines.
#FridayTrivia: How many RCV-related bills did state lawmakers introduce in 2023?
In the Tuesday Brew, we unveiled our year-end report on the state of election administration legislation. The bills we cover in the report affect the way we vote. Overall, we tracked 3,199 election administration bills this year—a 25% increase from last year.
One area of election administration that has received a great deal of attention this year, and that occupies an important spot in our report, is ranked-choice voting (RCV), a voting system allowed in some form in 14 states and banned outright in five.
To help you make sense of RCV, we created the RCV Info Hub, a resource to address the lack of neutral resources to help voters understand what RCV is, how it’s used, its history, and why people support or oppose its use. We also released a four-part series on RCV on our weekly podcast, On the Ballot:
- Part 1: Ballotpedia Staff Writer Joe Greaney introduces RCV and walks us through this year’s legislation and ballot measures—and what we can expect to see in 2024.
- Part 2: FairVote Director of Research and Policy Deb Otis makes her case in support of RCV. Otis discusses how RCV fared in the November elections, highlighting the voting system’s perceived benefits, and addresses some of the most common concerns of voters and policymakers.
- Part 3: Save Our States Executive Director Trent England makes his case against RCV. England outlines his major arguments against RCV, citing elections where he says RCV raised voter concerns, and shares ideas for alternative election reform methods.
- Part 4: Queens College Professor Jack Santucci discusses the origins of RCV in the 1850s and its previous peak in popularity during the Progressive and New Deal Eras, highlights the different forms RCV can take, and shares his views on what’s next for RCV.
In 2022, state lawmakers introduced 44 RCV-related bills.
How many RCV-related bills did state lawmakers introduce in 2023?