Author: Ballotpedia staff

  • Citizen initiatives have different signature deadlines in each state. Here’s what they are for 2026

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    Welcome to the Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Citizen initiatives have different signature deadlines in each state. Here’s what they are for 2026  Twenty-six states permit citizen initiatives, with each state setting its own rules for signature collection and filing deadlines.…

  • Ballotpedia publishes 15th Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report

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    Ballotpedia’s 15th Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report shows state legislative contests this year are less competitive than the record high in 2021 but still the second-most competitive of any odd year since 2011. In 2025, the nationwide State Legislative Competitiveness Index is 38.1, down from 40.0 in 2021 but above the average of 31.6 since…

  • Senate Republicans invoke nuclear option to change nomination rules

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    Welcome to the Monday, Sept. 15, Brew. By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Senate Republicans invoke nuclear option to change nomination rules On Sept. 11, Senate Republicans voted to change chamber rules governing the nomination process for certain presidential nominees. The vote was 53-45, along party lines.…

  • ICYMI: Top stories of the week

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    Understanding primaries – State primary laws and types, explained State laws governing primaries can be confusing. In some states, political parties control their primaries, including whether to hold a primary at all. Elsewhere, primaries are mandatory.  Looking at laws governing who may participate in a primary, we classify states into one of five categories:  Thirty-nine…

  • The Ballot Bulletin: Ballotpedia's Weekly Digest on Election Administration, September 12, 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 66 bills state legislatures acted on in the past week. Weekly highlights The big takeaways from the…

  • Understanding primaries – State primary laws and types, explained

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    Welcome to the Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Understanding primaries – State primary laws and types, explained State laws governing primaries can be confusing. In some states, political parties control their primaries, including whether to hold a primary at all. Elsewhere,…

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #173

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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 no-zero grading policies  In this section, we curate reporting,…

  • Department of Labor announces ESG retirement plan rule

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    In this week’s edition of Economy and Society: In Washington, D.C., and around the world Department of Labor announces ESG retirement plan rule What’s the story? The Department of Labor (DOL) announced Sept. 4 that it will issue a new rule governing the use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in retirement plans covered…

  • Ballotpedia has tracked each major party's number of U.S. House seats won in relation to U.S. House national vote share gained from 1980 to 2024 (Brew)

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    As states implement or consider new congressional district boundaries ahead of the 2026 elections, debates over how votes translate into control of U.S. House seats are in the spotlight. Our review of more than 40 years of data shows that the share of all House votes a party receives across the country does not always…

  • California Proposition 50 campaigns top $41.4 million—more than the three previous initiatives on the state's Citizens Redistricting Commission

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    Welcome to the Tuesday, Sept. 9, Brew.  By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: California Proposition 50 campaigns top $41.4 million—more than the three previous initiatives on the state's Citizens Redistricting Commission As of Sept. 4, the campaign committees for and against California Proposition 50 have raised a…