New Mexico enacts law prohibiting the deployment of troops to polling places
On March 9, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed legislation prohibiting a person from bringing or ordering military troops or armed federal agents to a polling place or ballot drop box location.
Federal law prohibits the deployment of troops or United States servicemembers to a polling place "unless such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States."
New Mexico is one of eight states where lawmakers have introduced legislation on law enforcement presence at polling places. Legislators in California, Kansas, Virginia, and Washington have introduced bills prohibiting the enforcement of immigration laws near polling places, vote-counting locations, or other election sites. Illinois lawmakers introduced a resolution urging federal agencies not to conduct immigration enforcement near polling places.
A look at the Illinois March 17 primary election results
Illinois held statewide primaries on Tuesday, March 17. Here are a few highlights as of March 18.
Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton (D) won Illinois’ U.S. Democratic Senate primary with 40.1% of the vote. Other notable candidates included U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly (D-2) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-8). On the Republican side, Don Tracy (R) won with 39.9% of the vote.
J.B. Pritzker, who is seeking a third term, was unopposed in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. In the Republican primary, Darren Bailey defeated Ted Dabrowski and two other candidates. This means the November general election will be a rematch of the 2022 election in which Pritzker defeated Bailey 54.9%-42.4%.
Among Illinois’ 157 state legislative elections, there were 28 contested primaries. These included 17 Democratic primaries and 11 Republican primaries. Two incumbent state legislators were defeated in the primaries. In House District 40, Miguel Alvelo-Rivera (D) defeated incumbent Jaime Andrade (D). In House District 94, Joshua Higgins (R) defeated Norine Hammond (R). An average of three incumbents were defeated per year in even years from 2010 to 2024.
Ballotpedia covered 1,183 local elections involving 1,605 candidates on March 17 in Illinois. Illinois is one of 31 states in which Ballotpedia is expanding our coverage to include all local elections in 2026.
Washington voters to decide initiatives related to school sports eligibility and parental rights in public schools
On Nov. 3, Washington voters will decide on two ballot initiatives: one on school sports eligibility requirements based on sex, and one on parental rights in public schools.
Sports eligibility initiative
The Washington Sex Verification Requirements for Female School Sports Initiative (IL26-638) would "prohibit biologically male students from competing with and against female students." It would also require verification of their sex by a health care provider based on "reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels."
IL26-638 is the first statewide ballot measure on sex requirements for eligibility in school sports to qualify for the ballot in U.S. history.
Parental rights initiative
The Washington Parental Right to Review Education Materials, Receive Notifications, and Opt Out of Sexual-Health Education Initiative (IL26-001) would reenact the Washington Declaration of Parental and Legal Guardian Rights, which the Washington Legislature previously approved in 2024, and then partially repealed and amended in May 2025. That law gave parents the right to review educational materials, receive certain notifications, and opt out of sexual health education.
From 1889 to 2025, Washington voters decided on 34 Initiatives to the Legislature. Voters approved 16 of those initiatives and defeated 18.