Author: Lara Bonatesta

  • A comprehensive look at 178 years of ballot measures in Wisconsin

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: A comprehensive look at 178 years of ballot measures in Wisconsin  As we mentioned in our Jan 9. and Feb. 5 editions of the Brew, Ballotpedia’s Historical Ballot Measure Factbook will document nearly…

  • 58 minor party candidates received more votes than the margin of victory in the 2024 federal, state, and local elections

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: 58 minor party candidates received more votes than the margin of victory in the 2024 federal, state, and local elections  Of the more than 75,000 elections Ballotpedia covered last year, at least 58…

  • Partisan control of Wisconsin Supreme Court at stake in 2025

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    Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel are running for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 1, 2025. Incumbent Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, one of the court’s liberal members, is retiring. The filing deadline was Jan. 7, 2025. The primary scheduled for February 18, 2025, was canceled after only two candidates filed to…

  • 77 officials were recalled in 2024 – higher than the 10-year average

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: 77 officials were recalled in 2024 – higher than the 10-year average Seventy-seven officials were removed from office through recall elections in 2024. An average of about 55 officials were recalled between 2014…

  • A comprehensive look at all ballot measures in California from 1910-2024

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    Welcome to the Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: A comprehensive look at all ballot measures in California from 1910 to 2024  Ballotpedia’s Historical Ballot Measure Factbook will document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. This ongoing research…

  • The 2024 Cookie of the Year winner – Sugar Cookie

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    Welcome to the Friday, December 20, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Thank you for reading the Brew! We’re so grateful to you, our readers, for welcoming us into your inbox. We’ll be back on Jan. 6. Have a wonderful rest of your 2024 and holiday…

  • States that could advance school choice policy in 2025

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, December 18, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: States that could advance school choice policy in 2025 A version of this story appeared last week in Ballotpedia’s education newsletter, Hall Pass. Sign up to stay informed on the latest education policy and…

  • Minimum wage to increase in 23 states and D.C. in 2025 by an average of 75 cents

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    Welcome to the Thursday, December 5, 2024, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Minimum wage to increase in 23 states and D.C. in 2025 by an average of 75 cents  Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., are increasing their minimum wages in 2025 by an average of…

  • Three candidates running in general election for Florida’s 13th Congressional District on Nov. 5

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    Incumbent Anna Paulina Luna (R), Whitney Fox (D), and Tony D’Arrigo (No Party Affiliation) (Write-in) are running in the general election for Florida’s 13th Congressional District on Nov. 5, 2024. Politico’s Kimberly Leonard, Mia McCarthy, and Kierra Frazier wrote, “As the state has gotten more Republican — and Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed through a GOP-friendly…

  • Both candidates for North Carolina Secretary of State complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

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    Both candidates running in the Nov. 5, general election for North Carolina Secretary of State —  incumbent Elaine Marshall (D) and Chad Brown (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office and how they intend to govern. North…