Author: Ballotpedia staff

  • 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…

  • Robe & Gavel: Federal Judicial Vacancy Count released for September 2025

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    Welcome to the Sept. 8 edition of Robe & Gavel, Ballotpedia’s newsletter about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and other judicial happenings around the U.S. In the dreamy silence Of the afternoon, a Cloth of gold is woven Over wood and prairie; And the jaybird, newly Fallen from the heaven, Scatters cordial…

  • An early look at the open race for Wisconsin Supreme Court

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    Welcome to the Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: An early look at the open race for Wisconsin Supreme Court  On Aug. 29, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley announced she would not seek another term in 2026, setting the stage for…

  • ICYMI: Top stories of the week

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    Utah ordered to redraw congressional districts ahead of the 2026 elections On Aug. 25, a federal judge ordered Utah to redraw its congressional map, making Utah one of 13 states where congressional district boundaries may change before the 2026 elections. Most notably, on Aug. 29, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a new congressional map…