Year: 2026

  • Robe & Gavel: SCOTUS begins February 2026 sitting

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    Welcome to the Feb. 23 edition of Robe & Gavel, Ballotpedia’s newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S. Play your guitar, boy, Till yesterday’s Black cat Runs out tomorrow’s Back door And evil old Hard luck Ain’t no more! -Langston Hughes It’s the first day…

  • Texas voters to decide on a combined 23 non-binding advisory questions in the March 3 primaries

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    Welcome to the Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Texas voters to decide on a combined 23 non-binding advisory questions in the March 3 primaries  On March 3, Texas voters will decide on a series of non-binding advisory questions that the state's…

  • New Mexico voters will decide whether to allow school elections to be held at the same time as state or federal partisan elections

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    The New Mexico State Legislature voted to send an amendment to voters in November that would repeal the constitutional requirement that school elections be held at different times from partisan elections, allowing them to be held on the same dates as partisan elections, such as statewide and federal elections.  The amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 1…

  • Maine legislators weigh expanding state's ranked-choice voting system

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    On Feb. 10, Maine legislators approved a bill requiring the use of ranked-choice voting to elect the governor and members of the state legislature. Before advancing the legislation to Gov. Janet Mills (D), the legislature is waiting for advice from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. In the ranked-choice voting system currently used in Maine, a…

  • The Ballot Bulletin: Ballotpedia's Weekly Digest on Election Administration, February 20, 2026

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    Welcome to The Ballot Bulletin: Ballotpedia’s Weekly Digest on Election Administration. Every Friday, we deliver the latest updates on election policy around the country, including nationwide trends and recent legislative activity.  In this week’s Ballot Bulletin, we cover 239 bills state legislatures acted on in the past week. Note: Starting on March 3, we’ll be…

  • Weekly Brew: February 20, 2026

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    Introducing a new Ballotpedia project for America’s 250th anniversary: “The Blueprints of Democracy” Ballotpedia is marking America's 250th anniversary with a new initiative we've been building for months — and today marks our open house. We're calling it "The Blueprints of Democracy," and throughout 2026, we'll survey the structures, processes, rules, and human stories that…

  • Introducing a new Ballotpedia project for America’s 250th anniversary: “The Blueprints of Democracy”

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    Welcome to the Friday, Feb. 20, Brew. By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Introducing a new Ballotpedia project for America’s 250th anniversary: “The Blueprints of Democracy” Ballotpedia is marking America's 250th anniversary with a new initiative we've been building for months — and today marks our open…

  • New Mexico voters to decide amendment establishing legislative salaries in 2026; state currently only one without legislator salaries

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    New Mexico voters will decide on a constitutional amendment on Nov. 3, 2026, that would establish a salary for state legislators based on the state’s annual median household income. The amendment, House Joint Resolution 5 (HJR 5), was introduced in the New Mexico House of Representatives by Rep. Cristina Parajon (D). On February 13, HJR…

  • New Mexico voters to decide amendment changing appointment process for university boards of regents in Nov. 2026

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    New Mexico voters will decide on an amendment relating to the appointments to members of the Board of Regents on Nov. 3, 2026. The amendment passed both chambers of the state legislature. The amendment, House Joint Resolution 1 (HJR 1), was introduced in the New Mexico House of Representatives by Rep. Christine Chandler (D). On…

  • Bill barring political appointees from serving as inspectors general introduced in Senate

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    Highlights from this edition of Checks and Balances include a bill barring political appointees from serving as inspectors general, and disparate state bills affecting their relationship with ICE In Washington Bill barring political appointees from serving as inspectors general introduced in Senate On Jan. 15 Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D) and four other Democratic senators introduced…