Ballotpedia’s 2025 study of competitiveness in state executive official elections found that 50% of incumbents (4 incumbents across 8 seats) did not seek re-election, leaving those seats open. An average of 41.7% of state executive seats were open in odd-year elections from 2011-2023. An average of 58.3% state executive incumbents sought re-election in odd years…
On October 10, 1911, California became the twelfth state to establish an initiative and referendum process. On that date, California voters approved two constitutional amendments related to direct democracy. The first, Proposition 7, created the initiative and referendum process. It gave Californians the power to propose constitutional amendments, state statutes, and veto referendums. The measure…
With three weeks to go until Election Night, our staff is busy preparing to cover elections across the country. In preparation, our team has selected 10 elections from that coverage to make up our list of the most important, compelling, and competitive elections in the country. Our editorial department selected these elections based on past…
Keith Barnett and Matthew De La Montanya are running in the nonpartisan special election for District 5 of the Plumas Unified School District, California, on November 4, 2025. Incumbent Leslie Edlund resigned from the board on April 2. As a result, the board decided to pick a successor to serve the remainder of Edlund’s term,…
The California State Legislature passed four bills that make changes to the laws governing ballot measures in the state, including a bill to prohibit foreign nationals from contributing to state and local ballot measure campaigns. Assembly Bill 953 defines foreign nationals as “a person who is not a citizen of the United States and who…
Matt Van Epps defeated 10 other candidates to win the Republican special primary election for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District on October 7, 2025. He received 51.6% of the vote to second-place finisher Jody Barrett’s 25.3% and third-place finisher Gino Bulso’s 10.9%. The general election will be held on December 2, 2025. The special election will…