Year: 2025
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On this date in 1974, Alaska voters approved an initiative to change the state's capital city, which did not occur
Fifty-one years ago, on August 27, 1974, Alaskan voters approved Initiative 1, a ballot measure that began the process to move the state capital from Juneau to a city in Western Alaska. It was the third measure on the ballot in fourteen years that would have required a change in the capital city. Alaskans have…
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A look at voter registration forms by state
Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia require prospective voters to register to vote before casting a ballot. North Dakota, which abolished voter registration in 1951, is the only state that does not require voter registration. While 42 states and the District of Columbia have online voter registration systems, all states (except North Dakota) have…
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Democratic and Republican trifecta states have each averaged 19 ballot initiatives since 2010
Democratic and Republican trifectas each averaged 19 ballot initiatives for even-numbered year elections between 2010 and 2024. States with divided governments averaged 15 initiatives. Twenty-six (26) states provide for a statewide ballot initiative process, where citizens place constitutional amendments, statutes, or veto referendums on the ballot. Following the 2024 elections, 22 of the 26 states…
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Alaska's ballot measure history: 220 statewide measures decided by voters
Ballotpedia has completed an inventory of all Alaska ballot measures since 1956—the year voters ratified the state constitution and three years before Alaska gained statehood. Since 1956, voters have decided 220 ballot measures. Of those, 158 (72%) were approved and 62 (28%) were defeated. In Alaska, most measures are placed on the ballot either through…
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Above average share of state legislative incumbents saw primary contests this year
Thirty-eight state legislative incumbents faced contested primaries in 2025, representing 22% of all incumbents who filed for re-election. While that was two fewer than the 40 contested incumbents in 2021, it was larger by percentage than each of the three previous odd-year cycles following presidential elections. Twelve percent were contested in 2013, 16% in 2017,…
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Rep. Lloyd Doggett announces that he will not seek re-election if the courts uphold Texas’ new congressional map
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) announced on Aug. 21, 2025, that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026 if the courts do not overturn Texas' new congressional map. The Texas House of Representatives passed the map on Aug. 20, 2025, and the Texas Senate passed it on Aug. 23, 2025.…
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Almost 200 candidates have already filed to run in the 2028 presidential election
As of Aug. 25, 2025, a total of 175 candidates had filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run in the 2028 presidential election. Of these candidates, 39 were Democrats, 44 were Republicans, and the other 92 were independent or minor party candidates. Over the course of a presidential election cycle, hundreds of individuals…
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Robe & Gavel: The 2024-2025 term in review
Welcome to the Aug. 25 edition of Robe & Gavel, Ballotpedia’s newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S. I remember, I remember, The fir trees dark and high; I used to think their slender tops Were close against the sky: It was a childish ignorance,…