Year: 2025

  • Bargaining in Blue 

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    In this month’s edition of Bargaining in Blue:  Dear Bargaining in Blue Readers, With this edition, we conclude our journey together. Thank you for your loyal readership. Should our work on police collective bargaining agreements continue in a new form, you’ll be the first to know. For any questions about our research, please contact editor@ballotpedia.org.…

  • Tracker: Article III federal judicial nominations by president by days in office since 2001

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    There were 43 vacancies out of 890 authorized federal judicial posts as of February 25, 2025. All of the vacancies were for Article III judgeships. This report is limited to Article III courts, where appointees are confirmed to lifetime judgeships. By February 25, 2025, 36 days in office for his second term, President Donald Trump…

  • What to know about state legislative seats that changed party control in 2024

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    Image of donkey and elephant to symbolize the Democratic and Republican parties.

    In the Nov. 5, 2024, elections, Republicans gained 55 state legislative seats, Democrats lost 54, and Independents and minor party officeholders lost one. That means the overall partisan composition across all 50 state legislatures changed by 0.7% in favor of Republicans. In 2022, the partisan composition changed 0.4% toward Republicans, with Democrats losing four seats,…

  • Voters to decide if Musk’s SpaceX will get its own hometown

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: A comprehensive look at 124 years of ballot measures in Oregon  Ballotpedia’s Historical Ballot Measure Factbook will document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. This ongoing research effort will…

  • Democratic state financial officers support ESG in letter to regulators

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    In this week’s edition of Economy and Society: In the states Democratic state financial officers support ESG in letter to regulators What’s the story? Seventeen Democratic state financial officers sent a letter to the acting heads of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Labor (DOL), asking them to not restrict the…

  • St. Louis will pick its next mayor with approval voting

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    Welcome to the Tuesday, Feb. 25, Brew.  By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: St. Louis will pick its next mayor with approval voting Incumbent Mayor Tishaura Jones, Michael Butler, Andrew Jones Jr., and Cara Spencer are running in the nonpartisan primary for Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri…

  • Four candidates are running in the nonpartisan primary for Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri on March 4

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    Incumbent Tishaura Jones, Michael Butler, Andrew Jones Jr., and Cara Spencer are running in the nonpartisan primary for Mayor of St. Louis on March 4, 2025. St. Louis Public Radio’s Lara Hamdan and Rachel Lippmann wrote, “The next mayor of St. Louis will come into office with crime numbers mirroring the national downward trend…But he…

  • Robe & Gavel: SCOTUS concludes February 2024 sitting

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    Welcome to the Feb. 24 edition of Robe & Gavel, Ballotpedia’s newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S. The caged bird sings   with a fearful trill   of things unknown   but longed for still   and his tune is heard   on the distant hill   for the caged bird   sings of freedom. -Maya Angelou Follow…

  • Ballot measure campaigns in 2024 raised more than the last three even-year election cycles

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    In 2024, campaigns supporting and opposing the 159 ballot measures that appeared on statewide ballots received more than $1.3 billion in contributions—more than each of the last three even-year election cycles. Campaigns in 2020 raised the second-highest amount ($1.2 billion) despite having the fewest number of ballot measures—129. Campaigns behind the 11 measures in California…

  • Total partisan composition of state legislatures changed by less than one percentage point in 2024

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    Welcome to the Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Total partisan composition of state legislatures changed by less than one percentage point in 2024 As lawmakers around the country meet in the 2025 legislative sessions, we’re continuing our analysis of the elections…