Author: Ballotpedia staff

  • Eight seats are open in this year's state legislative elections—the fewest since 2011

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    Welcome to the Tuesday, Aug. 26, Brew.  By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Eight seats are open in this year's state legislative elections—the fewest since 2011 Eight seats are open in this year's state legislative elections. That's 4% of the 180 seats up for election—the lowest percentage…

  • Robe & Gavel: The 2024-2025 term in review

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    Welcome to the Aug. 25 edition of Robe & Gavel, Ballotpedia’s newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S. I remember, I remember, The fir trees dark and high; I used to think their slender tops Were close against the sky: It was a childish ignorance,…

  • California Legislature approves congressional redistricting amendment for November 2025 ballot

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    Welcome to the Monday, August 25, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: California Legislature approves congressional redistricting amendment for November 2025 ballot On Aug. 21, California lawmakers approved and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation to put a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot…

  • ICYMI: Top stories of the week

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    Nationwide mail-in ballot rejection rate was 1.2% in 2024, higher than in 2016 and 2020 On June 30, the Election Assistance Commission released the 2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey results. In Monday’s Brew, we analyzed the survey's reporting on rejected mail-in ballots across all 50 states and U.S. territories in 2024 and compared these…

  • The Ballot Bulletin: Ballotpedia's Weekly Digest on Election Administration, August 22, 2025

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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 27 bills state legislatures acted on in the past week. Weekly highlights The big takeaways from the…

  • GOP majorities enact 42 direct democracy bills—triple their recent average

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    Welcome to the Friday, Aug. 22, Brew.  By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: GOP majorities enact 42 direct democracy bills—triple their recent average Each year, we release a report on state legislation affecting the three aspects of direct democracy in the U.S.—the ballot initiative, referendum, and recall…

  • Checks and Balances, August 2025

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    Highlights from this edition of Checks and Balances include deep dives into Trump's executive order expanding the role of political appointees in federal grant administration and the release of Ballotpedia's 2025 administrative state legislative tracker session-end report In Washington Trump expands role of political appointees in federal grant administration What’s the Story? On Aug. 7,…

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #170

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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: Reply to this email to share reactions or story ideas! On the issues: The debate over whether blue states should support private school choice In…

  • Judge denies effort to stop California climate reporting law

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    In this week’s edition of Economy and Society: Around the world Canadian think tank publishes report on ESG ratings What’s the story? On Aug. 15, The Fraser Institute, a Canadian think tank, published a report titled "A Lawsuit Waiting to Happen: The Use of Non-Financial Metrics by the Investment Industry." The report states that: Why…

  • A look at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention elections on Nov. 4

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, Aug. 20, Brew.  By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: A look at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention elections on Nov. 4 Three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices—Christine Donohue (D), Kevin M. Dougherty (D), and David N. Wecht (D)—are up for retention elections on Nov.…