Since 2018, Ballotpedia has invited candidates to take part in our Candidate Connection initiative. We survey candidates at the federal, state, and local levels to help voters better understand how their candidates think about the world and how they intend to govern.
A total of 845 candidates from 38 states responded to the survey in 2023. Of these candidates, 111 were part of Ballotpedia’s expansion to collect surveys from local candidates beyond Ballotpedia’s core coverage scope. The remaining 734 candidates represent 12.7% of the 5,782 candidates Ballotpedia covered in 2023.
Colorado was the state with the highest number of survey respondents, with 116 candidates answering Ballotpedia’s survey, followed by Virginia with 100 respondents. Candidates for city offices made up the greatest percentage of respondents at 36.2%, followed by school board candidates at 31.0%. A total of 200 candidates, or 23.7% of respondents, won their elections.
Learn more about these candidates in our new report, which also highlights several notable candidates who completed the survey, features the respondents who won their elections, and lists all of the 845 candidates who sent in answers.
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