Welcome to the Friday, Oct. 4, Brew. 

By: Mercedes Yanora

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. Final (maybe?) ballot measure certification count – 160
2. 50 states in 25 days – Indiana and Montana
3. Ballotpedia Society drive ends today

Final (maybe?) ballot measure certification count – 160

Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston (R) invalidated Arkansas Issue 3 on Sept. 30. The measure would have expanded certain provisions of the state’s medical marijuana program, which was created when voters approved Issue 6 in 2016. 

The measure had been provisionally placed on the ballot because signature verification was ongoing amid the deadline for the final statewide ballot to be printed. When Thurston invalidated the measure on Sept. 30, he determined that proponents submitted a total of 88,040 signatures, falling short of the 90,704 signatures required. Thurston said that any votes already cast on the measure would not be counted. Proponents of the measure sued the state on Oct. 1, asking the state supreme court to order Thurston to certify the measure.

Arkansas Issue 3 was the last initiative pending signature verification this year. This brings the total number of certified statewide ballot measures in 2024 to 160. An average of 161 statewide measures were on the ballot in even-numbered years from 2010 to 2022. Technically, other certified measures could still be removed from the ballot via legal challenges (this has happened in prior years). But, for now, we’re at 160. Of those 160:

• On Nov. 5, voters in 41 states will decide on 147 statewide ballot measures.
• On Dec. 7, voters in Louisiana will decide on four constitutional amendments.
• Earlier in 2024, voters in five states decided on nine ballot measures. Voters approved five and rejected four of these measures.

There are lawsuits against other ballot measures that could result in them being invalidated before the election, including Arizona Proposition 140, Arkansas Issue 2, Nebraska Initiative 437 and Initiative 438, and Utah Amendment A. 

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50 states in 25 days – Indiana and Montana

Continuing our 50 states in 25 days coverage, today, we will look at what’s on the ballot in Indiana and Montana. Yesterday, we gave our readers a sample of what to expect in California and Maine. There are 20 business days between now and the final Friday before the election.

Indiana

Let’s start with a look at some key dates and deadlines in Indiana.

• The deadline for registering in person, by mail, or online is Oct. 7. Early voting begins Oct. 8 and ends on Nov. 4. 
• All polls open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. (local time). Everyone who is in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote. Voters can find polling locations here.
  • Indiana lists its time zone above as “local time” because 12 of 92 counties (six in both the northwest and southwest portions of the state) are in the Central Time Zone. The remaining counties are in the Eastern Time Zone. 
  • According to USA Today, Indiana is one of 15 states to have more than one time zone. 

What’s on the ballot?

• Indiana voters will elect one U.S. senator and nine U.S. representatives. The Senate seat is open because incumbent Mike Braun (R) is running for governor. Three U.S. House districts are open because the incumbents did not run for re-election.
• There are three state executive offices up for election: governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Incumbent Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) is term-limited, and incumbent Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch (R) ran unsuccessfully for governor. Incumbent Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) is running for re-election.
• All 100 seats in the state House and 25 seats in the state Senate are up for election. 
• Three seats on the state supreme court and two on the intermediate appellate court are up for election. Indiana is one of 20 states that uses retention elections at the state supreme court level and one of 19 states that uses this method for at least one type of court below the supreme court level.
• Thirteen school districts are up for election. These districts are among the 475 school districts included in Ballotpedia’s coverage of school board elections. This includes all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment.
• Municipal elections will be held in Indianapolis for coroner, surveyor, treasurer, and superior court judges. Municipal elections will also be held in Allen County for coroner, surveyor, treasurer, board of commissioners, county council, and circuit court judge. Allen County is one of 80 counties included in Ballotpedia’s coverage of municipal elections.
• Indiana is one of 26 states where we are expanding our local election coverage beyond the nation’s biggest cities, school districts, and state capitals. Including those mentioned above, Ballotpedia will cover elections for offices such as local councils and other county-level positions. 
• Voters will decide on one statewide ballot measure. 

Montana 

Next is Montana.

• The deadline for registering in person or by mail is Oct. 7. Election Day registration is available. Early voting begins Oct. 7 and ends on Nov. 4. 
• All polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain Time. Everyone who is in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote. Voters can find polling locations here. 

What’s on the ballot?

• At the federal level, Montana voters will elect one U.S. senator and two U.S. representatives. One U.S. House district is open because the incumbent did not run for re-election.
• Nine state executive offices are up for election: governor and lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, superintendent of public instruction, and public service commissioner (three seats). All nine offices are contested.
• One hundred and twenty-five seats in the legislature are up for election, including all 100 seats in the House and 25 seats in the Senate. There are 35 open seats in the House and 17 open seats in the Senate.
• Two seats on the state supreme court are up for election. Montana is one of 13 states that uses nonpartisan elections at the state supreme court level. Both seats are open because the incumbents are retiring.
• Like Indiana, Montana is one of 26 states where we are expanding our local election coverage. Including those mentioned above, Ballotpedia will cover elections for offices such as local councils and other county-level positions. 
• Voters will decide on three statewide ballot measures. 

Want to learn more about the elections you’ll be voting in this year? Click here to use our Sample Ballot Lookup tool!

The information above is just a small snippet of the detailed information on Ballotpedia for each state. You can check out our deep dive into Indiana’s 2024 elections here and Montana’s 2024 elections here.

Also, make sure to check back to our hub page, linked below, for future installments of the series.

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Ballotpedia Society drive ends today

Throughout this week, we’ve showcased how Ballotpedia is working to cover every federal and state election, as well as expanding our coverage of local elections. But we’re not stopping there. With your support, we’re expanding our coverage even further to provide robust information on every election in the country.   

Today marks the final day of our Ballotpedia Society drive, and with just 32 days until the Nov. 5 general election, your support has never been more crucial.

We are passionate about covering elections like these and ensuring that voters have all the information needed to make informed choices. But to reach our goal of covering every election in the United States, we need your support.

By joining the Ballotpedia Society with a monthly donation, you’ll help us expand our coverage and keep millions of voters informed, engaged, and empowered. Will you consider joining us today?
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