Welcome to the Friday, May 9, 2025, Brew.
By: Lara Bonatesta
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- More incumbents are running in this year’s Virginia House of Delegates primaries than in any year since at least 2011
- Beyond the Headlines Part 3: The Unsung Heroes Managing America’s 500,000 Local Elections, by Leslie Graves, Ballotpedia Founder and CEO
- Iowa General Assembly adjourns first year of the two-year legislative session, votes on two constitutional amendments
More incumbents are running in this year’s Virginia House of Delegates primaries than in any year since at least 2011
All 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates are up for election this year, and there are 96 incumbents running in the primaries on June 17, leaving four open seats. This is the most incumbents running for re-election and the fewest open seats in any year since Ballotpedia started collecting competitiveness data in 2011.
This year’s four open seats are an 88% decrease from the high of 33 in 2023 (the first election following the adoption of new district maps following the 2020 census). This means newcomers are guaranteed at least 4% of the House and 3% of the General Assembly. In 2023, when there were also state Senate elections, there were 44 open seats across both chambers. This meant newcomers were guaranteed more than 31% of the General Assembly.
There are 17 contested primaries, down from 33 contested House primaries in 2023 and 25 in 2021.
There are nine contested Democratic primaries and eight contested Republican primaries. For Democrats, this is a 71% decrease from the high of 31 in 2023. Contested Republican primaries are down 50% from the high of 16 in 2023.
In total, 178 major party candidates are running, including 102 Democrats and 76 Republicans.
Of the 96 incumbents running for re-election, 51 are Democrats and 45 are Republicans. Three incumbents—two Democrats and one Republican—face primary challenges, representing 3.1% of all incumbents running for re-election. Seventeen percent of incumbents running for re-election faced primary challenges in 2023.
This year is the first year Virginia has held state legislative elections since the state adopted a law banning candidate nomination methods, such as conventions, that exclude “qualified voters who are otherwise eligible to participate in the nominating process under that political party’s rules but are unable to attend meetings.”
Virginia has had a divided government since the 2021 elections, when Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) was elected and Republicans won a majority in the House. The state previously had a Democratic trifecta. Democrats won a majority again in the House in 2023, and the party currently has a 51-49 majority in the House and a 21-19 majority in the Senate.
Virginia is one of two states—the other being New Jersey—holding state legislative elections this year.
Click here to learn more about elections for the Virginia House of Delegates.
Beyond the Headlines Part 3: The Unsung Heroes Managing America’s 500,000 Local Elections
This is part 3 in a three-part series about local elections. In case you missed part 1 or part 2, you can see the full archive here.
In my previous two columns, I’ve written about the state of local election administration and the challenges Ballotpedia faces as we expand our coverage of local elections. This week, I want to talk more about the people who run our local elections and the issues that keep them awake at night.
I also want to discuss why, despite everything, there’s room for optimism about local politics and Ballotpedia’s ability to eventually provide comprehensive coverage of every local election.
Once more, I spoke with our Local Elections Project Manager, Doug Kronaizl, and asked him what local election officials tell him are their biggest challenges and concerns. Doug said it’s common for election officials to be under significant pressure as Election Day approaches. That’s probably not surprising — it’s the one day when most people are focused on the mechanics of elections and the people who run them.
Counting votes is only a part of what they do. Doug said that local officials are “often juggling logistics, testing voting machines, preparing polling places, training volunteers, and managing administrative tasks. At the same time, they may handle last-minute candidate withdrawals, ballot orders and proofing, and answering voter inquiries — all within a fairly tight timeline.”
Understandably, these multiple, time-sensitive tasks can generate a lot of stress. Doug noted that “before a special election day in Iowa, we reached out to every county to see if they had elections scheduled. One official replied, ‘Amen, we do not!’ — a clear sign of relief.”
The other side of that is the officials who have to contend with a lack of interest — and candidates — in local elections.
“In one Delaware town, we called to ask about an upcoming election,” Doug said, “and the person who answered told us it had been canceled due to a lack of candidates. He also asked us if we, or anybody we knew, were interested. He was the only elected official remaining in the town.”
In some places, officials are stretched very thin, while others are left hoping that any candidates declare for office. Those are the extremes. Is there anything that unites local officials?
Doug and his team have contacted thousands of local elections officials across the country. The one thing that unites them: “a deep commitment to the work.”
“That gives me reason to be optimistic,” Doug said. “Local elections continue to take place on time, in all kinds of jurisdictions, because dedicated people are working behind the scenes to make them happen.”
“The system isn’t perfect,” Doug said, “but it’s resilient and it’s powered by people who care deeply about making it work.”
Regarding Ballotpedia’s long-term goal of providing comprehensive coverage of every election for the more than 500,000 local offices across the country, Doug said there’s room for optimism there, too.
“We’re on track,” he said. “We approach it like mapping unexplored territory. With each election, we uncover a little more — filling in gaps, identifying patterns, and gaining a clearer understanding of the landscape.”
“It’s a gradual process, but every step brings us closer to full coverage.”
And a recent milestone in Ballotpedia’s coverage is a case in point: “I think back to our coverage in Illinois on April 1,” Doug said. “That ended up being the single largest state we’ve ever covered on a single date. There were 63,000 seats up for election, 25,000 candidates across 12,000 elections. That’s roughly double the next-largest election we’ve ever covered. If we can cover Illinois, I’m pretty sure we can cover anybody.”
Iowa General Assembly adjourns first year of the two-year legislative session, votes on two constitutional amendments
The Iowa General Assembly adjourned on May 1, ending the first year of its two-year legislative session. During the session, legislators voted on two constitutional amendments on taxes and witnesses in criminal trials that may be on the ballot in 2026 and 2028, respectively.
Senate Joint Resolution 11 (2025)
On April 15, the Iowa Senate voted 32-15 in favor of Senate Joint Resolution 11 (SJR 11). It would amend the Iowa Constitution to require a two-thirds vote of both chambers of the General Assembly to increase the individual or corporate income tax rate.
Thirty-two Republicans voted yes, and 15 Democrats voted no.
Americans for Prosperity representative Taylor Raygor said, “In emergencies, we believe the Legislature can work together if it ever was necessary to raise taxes. But in the event that it is, we think having a broad consensus requiring two-thirds is prudent.” Americans for Prosperity describes itself as “an organization of grassroots leaders who engage citizens in the name of limited government and free markets on the local, state, and federal levels.”
State Sen. Cindy Winckler (D-49), who opposes the bill, said, “This causes me great concern, and I don’t necessarily think this is the time that we would pass something like this, that would take away one of the tools that we currently have. Always, we are very careful in increasing any kind of cost to Iowans. But we need to have the tools in the event that we need them.”
Both chambers approved SJR 11 (then called HJR 2006) along party lines in the 2023-2024 legislative session. To qualify for the 2026 ballot, the state House must approve it again in the 2026 session.
Senate Joint Resolution 9 (2025)
Both legislative chambers passed Senate Joint Resolution 9 (SJR 9).
In Iowa, anyone accused of a crime has the right to confront witnesses against them in court. The proposed amendment would allow the Legislature to pass laws limiting that right if the witness is under the age of 18, has an intellectual or developmental disability, or has a mental illness. Such witnesses would be permitted to testify remotely or without the accused person present.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird (R), who supports the amendment, said, “It’s really important that we can protect kids in court, that kids who have been traumatized can have the opportunity to testify outside the presence of the person they may be very, very afraid of.”
Chris Wellborn, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said: “They’re basically futzing around with the Sixth Amendment. I would argue that’s a very dangerous road to go down because when you start saying we carve out exceptions for someone’s confrontational rights, do we also carve out exceptions for their right to present a defense?”
On March 19, the Senate voted 47-0 to approve SJR 9. Thirty-four Republicans and 13 Democrats voted yes. On April 17, the House passed the amendment 87-6. Sixty Republicans and 27 Democrats voted yes, and three Republicans and three Democrats voted no.
The 2025 session was the first in which the amendment was introduced. Because Iowa requires constitutional amendments to pass in two consecutive two-year legislative sessions, the amendment must pass both chambers in either the 2027 or 2028 session to be placed on the November 2028 ballot.
Senate Joint Resolution 2004 (2024)
One other amendment could appear on the 2026 ballot, but neither chamber addressed it in 2025. Senate Joint Resolution 2004 (SJR 2004) would require a single rate for individual income taxes. Both chambers passed SJR 2004 in the 2024 session. To be on the 2026 ballot, both chambers would need to approve it in the 2026 session.
Between 1985 and 2024, the Iowa General Assembly placed 19 measures on the ballot. Voters approved 12 (63.2%) and defeated seven (36.8%). Voters decided between zero and two ballot measures each year.Click the following links to learn more about Iowa’s 2026 and 2028 ballot measures.