Author: Lara Bonatesta

  • Minimum wage set to increase in 22 states and D.C., raising the nationwide average to $11.51 an hour

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Minimum wage set to increase in 22 states and D.C., raising the nationwide average to $11.51 an hour In 2026, the minimum wage will increase in 22 states and Washington, D.C. The increases…

  • Wyoming could become the 41st state to specify who may return another voter's ballot

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    Welcome to the Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Election results update: Albuquerque, New Mexico and Miami, Florida held runoff elections for mayor on Tuesday, Dec. 9. In Albuquerque, incumbent Tim Keller defeated Darren White 58%-42% with 100% of precincts reporting. In…

  • Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards to face off in Jan. 31 runoff election in Texas' 18th Congressional District

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    Christian Menefee (D) and Amanda Edwards (D) are the candidates in the runoff general election for Texas' 18th Congressional District on Jan. 31, 2026. Menefee and Edwards advanced to the runoff after no candidate received an outright majority in the special election on Nov. 4, 2025. In that election, Menefee received 28.9% of the vote…

  • Voters in six states approved 22 constitutional amendments this year, the second most in an odd year since 2011

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Voters in six states approved 22 constitutional amendments this year, the second most in an odd year since 2011  In 2025, voters in six states–California, New York, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin–approved 22…

  • Miami voters approve mayoral term limit change

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    On Nov. 4, voters in Miami, Florida, approved Referendum 4, which amended the city charter and established lifetime term limits for the mayor and city commissioners. The vote was 79.1% to 20.9%. Before the measure, Miami mayors and city commissioners could serve two consecutive four-year terms and could run again after a four-year break. As…

  • Progressives maintain majority on Minneapolis City Council, lose veto override power

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    Photo of the city of Minneapolis' skyline.

    All 13 seats on the Minneapolis City Council were up for election on November 4, 2025. While the Minneapolis municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, media outlets reported the council's progressive bloc maintained a seven-member majority but lost the ability to override Mayor Jacob Frey's vetoes. Nine votes are required to override a mayoral veto in…

  • Only nine state supreme court justices have lost retention elections since 1990

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Only nine state supreme court justices have lost retention elections since 1990 Thirty-eight states require supreme court justices to run for re-election, including 20 that use retention elections. Retention elections are elections where…

  • Bryan Calvo to be third mayor of Hialeah, Florida in less than a year

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    Bryan Calvo defeated Jesús Tundidor, incumbent Jackie Garcia-Roves, and two other candidates in the primary election for mayor of Hialeah, Florida, on Nov. 4. A general election was scheduled for Dec. 9, but was canceled after Calvo received a majority of the vote, winning the election outright. At the age of 27, Calvo was the…

  • Democratic socialist Katie Wilson elected mayor of Seattle as progressives win downballot races

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    With nearly 280,000 ballots counted as of Nov. 13, Katie Wilson has been declared the winner of the election for mayor of Seattle, defeating incumbent Bruce Harrell 50.2%-49.5%. Seattle has roughly 505,000 registered voters.  Although Seattle’s mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan, both candidates were Democrats. This race was one of several 2025 mayoral contests that…

  • Wisconsin becomes the 21st state to adopt a K-12 cellphone ban in 2025

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    Welcome to the Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Wisconsin becomes the 21st state to adopt a K-12 cellphone ban in 2025 A version of this story appeared in Hall Pass, Ballotpedia’s newsletter dedicated to school board politics and education policy on…