Author: Samuel Wonacott

  • You can now pump your own gas in Oregon—but that could change in 2024

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    Welcome to the Tuesday, December 5, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Oregon voters could weigh in on initiative to prohibit self-serve gas stations in 2024 In August, Oregon ended its 72-year ban on self-service gas stations, leaving New Jersey as the only state that prohibits…

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #87

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    Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving school board politics and governance. In today’s edition, you’ll find: Reply to this email to share reactions or story ideas! On the issues: The debate over grade inflation  In this section, we curate reporting, analysis, and commentary on the issues…

  • Highest number of odd-year constitutional amendments approved since 2003

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    Welcome to the Tuesday, November 28, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Voters in six states decided 32 constitutional amendments, most in odd-numbered years since 2003 As we move toward the end of 2023, let’s continue our look back at the year’s top political stories. On…

  • Ballotpedia’s exclusive deep dive into Nov. 2023 school board elections, part two: Virginia

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    Welcome to the Tuesday, November 21, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: A majority of school board seats were uncontested in Virginia Ballotpedia covered every school board election in seven states on Nov. 7: Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. Over the next month,…

  • The impact of 2023’s elections on future statewide ballot measures

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    Welcome to the Friday, November 17, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: State legislative elections in New Jersey and Virginia could affect future constitutional amendments On Nov. 7, Democrats in Virginia won a majority in the state House, while Democrats in New Jersey gained a supermajority…

  • Seven state constitutions expressly prohibit noncitizens from voting—Wisconsin’s could become the eighth

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    Welcome to the Tuesday, November 14, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Wisconsin could become eighth state to pass constitutional prohibition on noncitzen voting  On Nov. 9, the Wisconsin Legislature put a constitutional amendment on the November 2024 ballot that would specify that only U.S. citizens…

  • Welcome to the 2024 election cycle

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    Welcome to the Friday, November 10, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Welcome to the 2024 election cycle  The 2023 election cycle isn’t over yet (Louisiana’s runoff elections are Nov. 18), but the next cycle has already begun—the first 2024 filing deadline for state and congressional…

  • 11 rematches this year between candidates who faced off in 2021

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    Welcome to the Monday, November 6, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: There are 11 rematches this year between candidates who last faced off in 2021 At long last, Election Day is tomorrow! Tuesday’s Brew will preview what’s on the ballot, and in the days and…

  • $169 million contributed to ballot measure campaigns in 2023

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    Welcome to the Friday, November 3, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: More than $169 million has been raised for and against state ballot measures in 2023, surpassing the three previous odd-year election cycles A total of $169.48 million has been contributed to campaigns supporting or…

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #84

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    Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving school board politics and governance. In today’s edition, you’ll find: Reply to this email to share reactions or story ideas! On the issues: The debate over education savings accounts proposals in Texas In this section, we curate reporting, analysis, and…