Category: State
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Majority control at stake in special election for Minnesota Senate District 60
Doron Clark (D) and Abigail Wolters (R) are running in a special election for District 60 in the Minnesota Senate on Jan. 28, 2025. The district is vacant due to the death of state Sen. Kari Dziedzic (D) on Dec. 27, 2024. Her death left a vacancy that turned Democrats’ 34-33 majority in the Senate…
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303 state legislative incumbents lost re-election campaigns in 2024
There were 5,807 state legislative seats up for election on November 5, 2024, in 44 states. Across those elections, 303 incumbents lost their re-election bids: 134 in general elections and 169 in primaries. This was the second even-year election in a row that primary defeats outnumbered those in general elections. Across primary elections in 2024,…
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Legislatures considered 334 proposals related to initiative, referendum, and recall in 2024 and passed 40 of them
Twenty-six states provide for an initiative or referendum process that allows citizens to collect signatures to place an initiative on the ballot to propose a new law, amend an existing law, or reject a law passed by their state legislature. State constitutions and statutes provide the frameworks that govern a state’s direct democracy process, including…
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Partisan control of Wisconsin Supreme Court at stake in 2025
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…
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Wisconsin voters to decide on adding voter photo ID requirement to state constitution on April 1
Wisconsin voters will decide on a constitutional amendment on April 1 to require photo identification to vote. A photo ID is already required by state law. The state legislature took the final vote on Jan. 14 to send the amendment to voters. Currently, 35 states require voters to present identification in order to vote at…
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Ohio becomes twenty-third state to adopt a Parents’ Bill of Rights
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed a Parents’ Bill of Rights into law on Jan. 8, encoding a parent’s right to direct the upbringing and education of their child into state law. Ohio is the 23rd state to adopt a Parents’ Bill of Rights. House Bill 8 includes the following rights for parents: The bill…
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Ballotpedia releases the state supreme court vacancies count for 2024
Twenty state supreme court justices vacated their seats before their term was scheduled to end in 2024. Of the 20 vacancies, 17 were caused by justices retiring, and three were caused by justices ascending to the chief justice position of the court. This is the first year since Ballotpedia started tracking state supreme court vacancies…
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The Minnesota House of Representatives might convene on Jan. 14
A dispute between Democrats and Republicans over control of the Minnesota House of Representatives may delay the start of the 2025 session, which was scheduled to start on Jan. 14. Ahead of the Nov. 5 general elections, Democrats had a 68-64 majority in the chamber with two vacancies. After the Nov. 5 general elections, the…
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Ten candidates are running in the special Republican primary in Florida’s 1st Congressional District
Ten candidates are running in the Republican primary for a special election in Florida’s 1st Congressional District. The primary is on Jan. 28, 2025. The general election is on April 1, 2025. Two candidates—Jimmy Patronis (R) and Joel Rudman (R)—lead in media attention and endorsements. Aaron Dimmock (R), who ran in the 2024 Republican primary…
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Signatures submitted for Maine voter photo ID ballot initiative, which could appear on Nov. 2025 ballot
In Maine, a campaign advocating for a citizen initiative to require photo voter identification submitted more than 170,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office on Jan. 6, 2025. If enough signatures are verified, the initiative could appear on the statewide ballot for voters on Nov. 4, 2025. Maine has an indirect initiative process, meaning…