Author: Douglas Kronaizl
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State legislative elections in 2021 are the most contested since at least 2010
Two hundred and twenty state legislative seats are up for election on Nov. 2, 2021, in three state legislative chambers: the New Jersey State Senate and General Assembly and the Virginia House of Delegates. According to Ballotpedia’s Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report, state legislative elections in 2021 are the most competitive since at least 2010.…
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Four states release proposed redistricting maps between Sept. 15 and 22
Four states— Alaska, Arkansas, Texas, and Washington— released proposed redistricting maps between Sept. 15 and 22. Alaska: The Alaska Redistricting Board adopted six proposed state legislative maps at its Sept. 20 meeting: two prepared by the board and four proposed by third-party organizations. The board originally released its two proposals on Sept. 9 but replaced…
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Eight state legislative incumbents—3.9% of those seeking re-election—lost in contested primaries
Eight state legislative incumbents—five Democrats and three Republicans— lost in primaries in 2022, representing 3.9% of all incumbents who filed for re-election and 20% of all incumbents who faced contested primaries. This was an average number of incumbents defeated in primaries compared to the five odd-year election cycles before it. Sixteen incumbents lost primaries in…
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Three candidates answer Ballotpedia’s survey in Virginia governor’s race
Virginia voters will elect a new governor this November. Incumbent Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is term-limited, leaving the seat open. Three candidates—Terry McAuliffe (D), Glenn Youngkin (R), and Princess Blanding (Liberation)—will appear on the general election ballot. A fourth, Paul Davis (I), is running as a write-in candidate. Youngkin, Blanding, and Davis have all completed…
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Major party competition reaches a decade-high in the 2021 state legislative elections
The percentage of state legislative seats being contested by both major parties in 2021 is higher than at any point in the past decade, according to a Ballotpedia analysis of candidate filings. Of the 220 seats up for election in New Jersey and Virginia, 93% are set to feature a Democrat versus a Republican on…
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0.8% of absentee/mail-in ballots rejected in 2020
In the 2020 general election, voters cast 70.6 million absentee/mail-in ballots, and election officials rejected 0.8% of them, according to data released by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The number of absentee/mail-in ballots cast in 2020 marked a 111% increase over 2016. And by comparison, absentee mail-in ballot rejection rates in 2018 and 2016…
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Eighty percent of state legislative incumbents seeking re-election advanced to the general election without a primary challenge
A greater percentage of state legislative incumbents advanced directly to the general election without a primary challenge in 2021 compared to 2019, according to Ballotpedia’s annual competitiveness report. Two states—New Jersey and Virginia—are holding state legislative elections this year with 220 seats up for election. In 2021, 203 incumbents filed for re-election, 80.3% of whom…
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Ninety-two percent of state legislative incumbents filed for re-election in 2021
In 2021, state legislative incumbents filed for re-election at a higher rate than any other year in the past decade other than 2013. When an incumbent does not run for re-election, his or her seat is left open, meaning it is guaranteed to a newcomer at the start of the next state legislative session. Of…
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A closer look at major-party expenditures in the Virginia gubernatorial election
In the race for Governor of Virginia, investment executive Glenn Youngkin (R) has outspent former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) according to the most recent campaign finance reports covering spending through June 30, 2021. Youngkin, who launched his campaign three months after McAuliffe, has spent $16.9 million dollars to McAuliffe’s $11.3 million. McAuliffe recorded his first…
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A closer look at major-party donations in the Virginia gubernatorial election
Candidates for governor of Virginia filed campaign finance reports on July 15, 2021, providing new totals in the race. The major-party candidates—Terry McAuliffe (D) and Glenn Youngkin (R)—have both raised roughly $20 million for their respective campaigns, according to the most recent reports. A closer look at the sources of those campaign contributions shows that…