
Incumbent Sheriff Dave Rosado (Write-In) and Wallace Chadwick III (R) are running in the general election for Sheriff of Chesapeake, Virginia, on Nov. 4, 2025. According to the sheriff's office official website, the office's "primary responsibilities include operating the Chesapeake Correctional Center, transporting inmates, providing security for all courts within the city, and serving as…

Voters in Missouri will decide on a constitutional amendment to require voter approval of citizen-initiated constitutional amendments in each congressional district, rather than statewide. The constitutional amendment would also add language to the Missouri Constitution prohibiting foreign nationals and foreign adversaries, as defined, from spending to support or oppose ballot measures, with penalties for violations, and…
Highlights from this edition of Checks and Balances include the Trump Administration’s announcement that it is using a budgetary procedure called pocket rescission, and a dispute about rulemaking procedure between the Wisconsin governor and legislature. In Washington Trump Administration uses pocket rescission to withhold appropriated funds On Aug. 29, the White House announced that it…

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced on Sept. 14, 2025, that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026. On his retirement, McCaul said, “It’s been an honor to serve for over two decades in the Congress [...] I’m looking now for a new challenge. I’m going to serve the remainder…

Ballotpedia’s 15th Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report shows state legislative contests this year are less competitive than the record high in 2021 but still the second-most competitive of any odd year since 2011. In 2025, the nationwide State Legislative Competitiveness Index is 38.1, down from 40.0 in 2021 but above the average of 31.6 since…

Incumbent Michelle Wu and Josh Kraft defeated two other candidates in the nonpartisan primary election for mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, on Sept. 9, 2025. On Friday, Sept. 12, Kraft withdrew from the race. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2025. Wu was first elected in 2021, when she defeated Annissa Essaibi George 64%-35.6%.…

Thirty-five members of the U.S. Congress—eight U.S. Senate members and 27 U.S. House members—have announced they will not seek re-election in 2026. Compared to previous election cycles, 35 is the most retirement announcements we have tracked at this point since 2018. Since our Aug. 18 update, six U.S. House members and one U.S. Senate member…

Since achieving statehood in 1889, South Dakotans have voted on 366 statewide ballot measures. Voters approved 160 (43.7%) and rejected 206 (56.3%). In South Dakota, most measures are placed on the ballot by the South Dakota State Legislature or through a successful citizen initiative. The Legislature voted to refer 233 measures to the state ballot,…

Voters in Maine approved a constitutional amendment establishing the state’s initiative and referendum process 117 years ago, on September 15. The vote was 53,785 (68.7%) to 24,543 (31.3%). Maine was the seventh state to adopt the initiative and referendum, and the first state east of the Mississippi River. The constitutional amendment provided for an indirect…