Welcome to the Monday, Jan. 6, Brew.
By: Briana Ryan
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- In the largest U.S. cities and throughout California voters decided a record number of local ballot measures last year
- Kannan Srinivasan (D) and Tumay Harding (R) are running in the special election for Virginia’s 32nd Senate District
- 119th Congress convened on Jan. 3
In the largest cities and throughout California voters decided on a record number of local ballot measures last year
Voters in the top 100 largest cities in the U.S. and throughout California decided on a record number of local ballot measures last year. Today, we’ll take a closer look at how those numbers compare to previous years.
California
Starting with California, voters decided on 842 local measures—the most since 2014—on five different election dates. Voters approved 625 (74%) and defeated 217 (26%). Additionally, voters approved the second-most local measures since 2014. Voters approved the most local measures in 2016, with 634 (76%).
Voters in 57 of the state’s 58 counties decided on local measures, with the greatest share decided in Los Angeles County, where 108 measures were on the ballot. Mariposa County was the only county that did not decide on any local measures in 2024.
Three hundred thirty-six measures were related to bond issues and local budgets. School bonds accounted for 37%, or 309, of these measures. Voters approved 232 local school bond measures and defeated 77.
In 2024, 296 or 35% of local measures were related to taxes. Eighty-five measures were on parcel taxes, 78 were on sales taxes, and 62 were on city taxes. Voters approved 60 parcel tax measures and rejected 25 while approving 61 sales tax measures and rejecting 21.
Voters also decided on other local measures such as housing and zoning, government and elections (including term limits and electoral systems), labor and unions, and marijuana.
The 100 largest cities in the U.S. and state capitals
There were 502 local measures across 37 states on the ballot for voters in the 100 largest cities and state capitals in 2024. Voters approved 435 (87%) and defeated 67 (13%).
The total number of local measures has trended upward in both even and odd-numbered years since 2018. The average number of local measures in even years has risen approximately 20% or about 70 measures per year.
Three California cities in Los Angeles county—Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Santa Clarita—tied for the most local measures with 108. The second most happened in Texas cities in Dallas county—Dallas, Garland, and Irving—with 47 measures in each.
Notable measures addressed abortion, wages, electoral systems, and election date changes.
Kannan Srinivasan (D) and Tumay Harding (R) are running in the special election for Virginia’s 32nd Senate District
Kannan Srinivasan (D) and Tumay Harding (R) are running in the special election for Virginia’s 32nd Senate District on Jan. 7. Incumbent Suhas Subramanyam (D) resigned on Jan. 3 after he was elected to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional District on Nov. 5.
Virginia is one of 12 states with a divided government. Democrats have a 50-49 majority with one vacancy in the House of Delegates and a 20-19 majority with one vacancy in the Senate. Meanwhile, Gov. Glenn Youngkin is a Republican.
After winning the Democratic nomination, Srinivasan resigned from his seat representing House District 26. triggering a special election for that seat. Regarding the District 32 and District 26 races, WAMU 88.5’s Margaret Barthel wrote, “Democrats hold one-seat majorities in both chambers, and an unexpected loss in either seat could either allow Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, to break tie votes in the Senate, or force a power-sharing agreement in the House.”
The majority of voters in the district have typically voted for Democratic candidates in previous elections. In 2023, Subramanyam defeated Gregory Moulthrop (R) 60.5% to 39%. Additionally, Democratic candidates won the district in the 2024 federal elections and the 2021 gubernatorial election.
Kannan Srinivasan’s (D) experience and platform
Srinivasan represents District 26 in the Virginia House of Delegates. He previously worked as a finance and business analyst for 30 years. According to his campaign website, in the Senate, he would “continue to deliver meaningful results for Loudoun residents by tackling important issues such as expanding access to mental health treatment for youth, enhancing consumer and renter protections, addressing the fentanyl/opioid crisis, and improving court efficiency.”
Tumay Harding’s (R) experience and platform
Harding is a former teacher in Prince William and Loudoun County Public Schools. Before her career in education, Tumay was a sales executive and small business owner. According to her campaign website, she would “fight to improve education and keep our children safe, slash taxes and eliminate red tape, and fix our broken energy policy that is leaving Virginia in the dark.”
Virginia Republican Party Rich Anderson says the party will try to win this district, saying, “We are dead serious about flipping these seats…If you don’t try, you have a guaranteed bad outcome.” The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has announced plans to spend $100,000 on the race, and chair Heather Williams says, “The stakes couldn’t be higher as we approach the first special elections of 2025. We must preserve our majorities to lead the upcoming legislative agenda and position Democrats for success heading into November’s elections.”
119th Congress convened on Jan. 3
Members of the 119th Congress convened on Jan. 3 with Republican majorities in both chambers. The last time Republicans controlled the U.S. House and Senate was during the 115th Congress between 2017 and 2019. During that time, Republicans had a 241-194 majority in the House and a 52-48 majority in the Senate. This time, Republicans have a 219-215 majority with one vacancy in the House and a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
The 20th Amendment specifies that the changeover for members of Congress occurs on Jan. 3 at noon. It also states that Congress should convene on that date unless it established a different date by law. Congress passed the 20th Amendment in 1932, and it was ratified in 1933.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson swore in 63 new representatives—33 Democrats and 30 Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris swore in 10 new senators—four Democrats and six Republicans. In December, two other new senators, Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Andrew Kim (D-N.J.), were sworn into office.
The chart below shows the number of new members in the last four Congresses.
