Welcome to the Thursday, October 31, 2024, Brew.
By: Lara Bonatesta
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Happy Halloween! Candidates’ favorite fictional characters
- 50 states in 25 Days – Alabama and Delaware
- When can states begin processing absentee/mail-in ballots?
Happy Halloween! Candidates’ favorite fictional characters
Happy Halloween! Each year, thousands of candidates fill out our Candidate Connection survey. The survey asks candidates thoughtful questions about their political philosophy and provides valuable information to voters making tough decisions at the ballot box. More than 6,400 candidates have completed the survey this year, and more continue to do so.
Aside from questions about what motivates them on political and personal levels, candidates can also answer some light-hearted questions. One of those questions may even help you pick out a last-minute Halloween costume.
So, in the spirit of Halloween, let’s look at some of the most popular answers to the survey question: If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
- 151 candidates would be Superman.
- 83 would be Wonder Woman.
- 77 would be Atticus Finch.
- 72 would be Batman.
- 34 would be Sherlock Holmes.
- 26 would be Harry Potter.
- 23 would be James Bond.
- 12 would be Leslie Knope.
- 8 would be Yoda.
- 5 would be Scooby Doo.
If these responses seem familiar, you may remember our breakdown from 2022. Superman also led that year with 143 responses. Here are some other interesting comparisons to our analysis from that year.
- Wonder Woman and Atticus Finch overtook Batman in 2024. Seventy-three said they would be Wonder Woman in 2022, compared to 83 in 2024.
- Atticus Finch was more popular with 2024 candidates. Eleven candidates said they would be Atticus Finch in 2022, compared to 77 in 2024.
- Batman was less popular among 2024 candidates. Seventy-seven candidates said they would be Batman in 2022, compared to 72 in 2024.
- Sherlock Holmes was more popular in 2024. Twenty-six candidates said they would be Sherlock Holmes in 2022, compared to 34 in 2024.
We hope you enjoyed these references and walked away with a new idea or two for your next costume party! If you or a candidate you know would like to join the fun, we encourage you to fill out our candidate connection survey here. There is still time to share both the serious and not-so-serious aspects of yourself and your candidacy with our readers.
50 states in 25 Days – Alabama and Delaware
We’re continuing to dig into what voters across the country can expect to see on their ballots with our 50 states in 25 days series. Yesterday, we looked at what’s on the ballot in Mississippi and New Jersey. Tomorrow is the final Friday before the election. Let’s continue investigating what’s on the ballot across the country. Today, we’re heading to Alabama and Delaware. We’ll close things out tomorrow with New Hampshire and Oklahoma.
Alabama
Let’s take a look at Alabama’s elections. Here are some key dates and deadlines.
- The deadline for registering online, in person, or by mail was Oct. 21.
- Alabama is one of three states – the others being Mississippi and New Hampshire – that do not offer early voting. The other 47 states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting in some form.
- Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Most of Alabama is in the Central time zone, but parts of eastern Alabama, including Phenix City and some surrounding areas, observe Eastern Time. Polling places located in areas that operate on Eastern Time may be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Everyone in line when polls close must be allowed to vote. Voters can find polling locations here.
Here’s what’s on the ballot.
- Alabama voters will elect seven U.S. Representatives. Incumbents are running in six districts. One district is open because incumbent Barry Moore (R) is running in the 1st Congressional District after redistricting. Moore defeated incumbent Jerry Carl (R) in the Republican primary.
- Two statewide executive offices are up for election: the Alabama State Board of Education has four seats up for election, and the Alabama Public Service Commission has one seat up for election.
- Five seats on the state supreme court, three seats on the state court of civil appeals, and three seats on the state court of criminal appeals are up for election. Alabama is one of eight states that uses partisan elections at the state supreme court level and one of nine states that uses this method for at least one type of court below the supreme court level.
- School board elections are being held in Jefferson and in Mobile counties.These districts are two of 475 school districts included in Ballotpedia’s coverage of school board elections. This includes all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment.
- Municipal elections will be held in Jefferson County for county circuit clerk, county treasurer, county constables, district court judges, circuit court judges, and probate court judges. Jefferson County is one of 80 counties included in Ballotpedia’s coverage of municipal elections.
- Voters will decide on one statewide ballot measure.
Delaware
Now, let’s check out Delaware’s elections, starting with some key dates and deadlines.
- The deadline for registering online, in person, or by mail was Oct. 12.
- Early voting started Oct. 25 and ends Nov. 3.
- All polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Everyone in line when polls close must be allowed to vote. Voters can find polling locations here.
Here’s what’s on the ballot
- Delaware voters will elect one U.S. Senator and one U.S. Representative. Incumbent Sen. Tom Carper (D) did not run for re-election. Incumbent Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) is running for U.S. Senate.
- Three state executive offices are up for election: governor, lieutenant governor, and insurance commissioner.
- All 41 seats in the state House and 10 of 21 seats in the state Senate are up for election. There are five open seats in the House and no open seats in the Senate.
- Delaware is one of 26 states where we are expanding our local election coverage beyond the nation’s biggest cities, school districts, and state capitals. Including those mentioned above, Ballotpedia is covering 30 races featuring 40 candidates for offices such as local councils and other county-level positions.
Want to learn more about the elections you’ll be voting in this year? Click here to use our Sample Ballot Lookup tool!
The information above is just a small snippet of the detailed information on Ballotpedia for each state. You can check out our deep dive into Alabama’s 2024 elections here and Delaware’s 2024 elections here.
Also, make sure to check our hub page, linked below, for future installments of the series.
When can states begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots?
Ballotpedia’s 2024 Election Help Desk provides reliable, nonpartisan answers to more than 50 election-related questions ranging from voter registration to casting a ballot to certifying final results. Today, we’re answering the question, When can states begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots?
After receiving completed absentee/mail-in ballots, election officials must process them before they can be counted.
Processing generally involves verifying voter signatures and physically preparing ballots for tabulation. Processing practices can vary from state to state.
As of 2024:
- Forty-three states allow processing to begin before Election Day.
- Seven states require processing to begin on Election Day.
Counting involves tabulating votes and processing ballots through tallying machines.
Currently:
- Twelve states allow counting to begin before Election Day.
- Twenty-three states allow counting to begin before polls close on Election Day.
- Fourteen states require counting to begin after polls close on Election Day.
- One state—Connecticut—allows local registrars of voters to determine when ballots are counted.
