Year: 2026

  • Majority control at stake in elections for Michigan's state senate on November 3, 2026

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    Elections for the Michigan State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The New York Times' David W. Chen wrote, "In 39 states, one party controls the governorship and legislature ... Michigan may join them after November, but unlike in other states these midterms, where Democrats have the…

  • States are recruiting poll workers for November. Here's what they require.

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    Welcome to the Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, Brew. By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: States are recruiting poll workers for November. Here's what they require. With the Nov. 3 general election approaching, states across the country are recruiting poll workers to serve on Election Day and during…

  • Nearly two-thirds of 2026 legislative referrals were driven by one political party

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    State legislatures in 32 states referred 109 constitutional amendments and statutes to statewide ballots in 2026. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of those referrals reflect partisan divisions in the legislative votes that sent them to the ballot. Ballotpedia analyzed how Democrats and Republicans voted on each referral. Of the 109 legislatively referred measures on the ballot this…

  • Amy Acton (D) and Vivek Ramaswamy (R) to face off in toss-up election for Governor of Ohio

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    Amy Acton (D), Vivek Ramaswamy (R), and Don Kissick (L) are running in the general election for governor of Ohio on Nov. 3. Incumbent Mike DeWine (R) is term-limited. Ohio voters last elected a Democratic governor in 2006 when Ted Strickland (D) defeated J. Kenneth Blackwell (R) 61%-37%. Ohio voted for President Donald Trump (R)…

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #224

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    Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving school board governance, the politics surrounding it, and education policy.  In today’s edition, you’ll find: On the issues: The debate over Missouri’s A-F district and school grading framework In this section, we curate reporting, analysis, and commentary on the issues…

  • Share of incumbents in contested primaries above average in 2026, but less than previous midterm

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    In 2026, there were 1,156 state legislative incumbents in contested primaries, representing 23% of all incumbents who filed for re-election. That tied 2012 for the second-highest percentage of contested incumbents since 2010, next to 2022 at 27%. Ballotpedia uses the number and percentage of incumbents in contested primaries to help determine the overall competitiveness of…

  • Elections for ten of 20 seats in the Alaska State Senate are taking place this November, where a multi-party coalition has a majority

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    Elections for ten of the 20 seats in the Alaska State Senate will be held on November 3, 2026. After the 2024 elections, a 17-member coalition with a Democratic majority retained control of the chamber. The coalition of nine Democrats and eight Republicans first assumed control after the November 2022 elections. Members of the Alaska…

  • USDA restricts ESG spending in dairy checkoff program

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    In this week’s edition of Economy and Society: In Washington, D.C. USDA restricts ESG spending in dairy checkoff program What’s the story? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Sept. 17 that it will no longer allow dairy checkoff funds to support projects advancing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks, net-zero targets, or climate-neutrality initiatives.…

  • Ohio leads states in number of local ballot measures on data centers for 2026

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Ohio leads states in number of local ballot measures on data centers for 2026 Voters in eight states — Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kansas, California, Michigan, Nevada, and Florida — will decide on 38…

  • Contested state legislative primaries down 15% from previous midterm cycle

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    There were 1,994 contested state legislative primaries in 2026. That was 18% of the 11,164 possible primaries across the 46 states with state legislative elections this year. The total number of contested primaries in 2026—1,994—was 340 fewer and a 15% decrease from the previous midterm cycle in 2022. Democrats had 876 primaries, representing 16% of…