Welcome to the Friday, March 8, Brew.
By: Samuel Wonacott
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Forty-six percent of the elections Ballotpedia covered in February were uncontested
- Volunteer for Ballotpedia—and help provide voters with neutral, fact-based information about every candidate
- #FridayTrivia: Which president delivered the first televised State of the Union address?
Forty-six percent of the elections Ballotpedia covered in February were uncontested
As part of Ballotpedia’s growing coverage of the nation’s local elections (with a goal of eventually covering all of them), we will be issuing monthly reports on the results, trends, and emerging issues we discover.
Today, we’re looking at elections we covered in February.
Of the 318 elections we covered in 14 states, 46% were uncontested. That’s up from January, when 30% of the 23 elections we covered were uncontested. February’s rate of uncontested races was less than the 57.53% average rate we identified between 2018 and 2023 (more on that below).
A race is considered uncontested if the number of candidates who filed was less than or equal to the number of seats on the ballot. The analysis below does not include presidential primaries.
First, a caveat about the data. In some states, uncontested elections are canceled or omitted from candidate lists. Canceled elections can be challenging to identify. While we try to account for as many canceled elections as possible through direct outreach to local election officials, it’s likely that contested elections are overrepresented in this analysis. If an election is canceled, and nobody ever hears about it, does it make a sound?
The rate of uncontested elections in February varied by state:
- Every election we covered in February was contested in Georgia, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
- Every election we covered was uncontested in Colorado, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas.
- In Oklahoma 36% of the 84 elections were uncontested.
- In Wisconsin, just under half of the 203 elections were uncontested.
Historically, most elections go uncontested. So far in 2024, 45% of elections have been uncontested. If that rate were to hold throughout the year, it would make 2024 the most competitive election cycle since we began tracking this data in 2018.
In 2020 and 2022, 64% and 63% of elections went uncontested, respectively.
Last year, we analyzed more than 10,000 local elections and found that around 60% were uncontested. We found that elections for local judicial offices were the least contested (76.5%), while elections for mayor were the most (47.4%). In Oklahoma, which was one of 10 states where we covered all school board elections, 79% of school board races were canceled.
The only election cycle where we covered more contested than uncontested elections was in 2021 when 50.4% of elections were contested compared to 49.6% uncontested.
We’ll be back next month with another look at uncontested elections.
Volunteer for Ballotpedia—and help provide voters with neutral, fact-based information about every candidate
Do you know high school or college students with an interest in politics? Encourage them to apply to join our summer 2024 Ballotpedia Fellow program! Applications open today.
The summer program runs from June 10-Aug. 2. Since 2020, 12 cohorts of students have completed the Fellows program.
The program is designed specifically for high school and college students. Fellows have the opportunity to develop robust research and data aggregation skills while working directly with Ballotpedia staff to increase the quality of information available to voters about their elections.
Our program—with opportunities to continue your involvement—is designed to ensure that students from all backgrounds can participate.
Fellows contribute 5-10 hours of work per week, which can be completed at their discretion in order to accommodate school schedules, extracurricular activities, and work commitments. Fellows only need a computer or laptop, a reliable internet connection, and a passion for our mission of providing American voters with unbiased, factual information for candidates in every election in America.
Fellows who complete the program are eligible for a nationally recognized service honor through Ballotpedia.
#FridayTrivia: Which president delivered the first televised State of the Union address?
On Thursday, President Joe Biden (D) delivered his third State of Union. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) delivered the Republican response.
We discussed the history of the State of the Union in the Wednesday Brew. Presidents usually give the State of the Union in January or February. The address is authorized via Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution: “[The president] shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient…”
From 1801 to 1912, the State of the Union was a report that presidents sent to Congress.
Which president delivered the first televised State of the Union?