Category: State
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3.7% of state legislative incumbents who filed for re-election have lost in primaries
So far this year, seven state legislative incumbents—five Democrats and two Republicans—have lost to primary challengers. As of June 21, there were two incumbents in uncalled races. Across the two states that have held primaries, 3.7% of incumbents running for re-election have lost, slightly fewer than in 2021 (3.9%). These totals include data from both legislative…
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State governors issued 49 executive orders from June 5-18
State governors issued 49 executive orders from June 5-18. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) led the field with 15, followed by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) with seven. Governors in 33 states issued the fewest orders with zero. Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. The last two weeks’ executive orders account for…
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Legislators introduced triple the number of constitutional amendments related to parental rights in 2023 compared to prior years
Since 2013, at least 38 state constitutional amendments related to parental rights have been introduced in state legislatures. From 2013 to 2021, there were between one and three amendments introduced each year. In 2022, there were four constitutional amendments introduced. In 2023, that number more than tripled, with 13 state constitutional amendments proposed in nine…
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Texas enacts legislative district boundaries identical to its previous boundaries
Texas enacted legislative district boundaries in June 2023 for use until the 2030 census due to legal concerns that the state’s 2021 districts could not be permanent since they were adopted in a special legislative session. The Texas Constitution requires that redistricting take place during a regular legislative session. The districts the state adopted this…
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Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey: New Jersey roundup
New Jersey is holding elections, including for state legislative offices, on Nov. 7, 2023. A number of candidates running in these elections completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office. Below is a selection of responses from the candidates who…
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Election legislation roundup: Florida State Legislature
As of June 18, members of the Florida State Legislature, which includes the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida State Senate, have passed seven bills related to election administration since the beginning of the year. Of those seven bills, legislators passed four during the week of June 12-18. Republicans sponsored the four bills. The…
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Nine candidates running in Louisiana’s open-seat, all-party gubernatorial primary on Oct. 14
Nine candidates are running in the all-party primary in the open-seat election for governor of Louisiana on Oct. 14. Gov. John Bel Edwards (D)—who was first elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019—is term-limited. Jeff Landry (R), Hunter Lundy (I), John Schroder (R), and Shawn Wilson (D) have the most campaign receipts and media attention.…
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Louisiana Republicans continue to see more term-limited legislators than Democrats
For the third consecutive election cycle, Republican state legislators in Louisiana have more term-limited members than Democrats. In 2023, Republicans have 16 term-limited lawmakers, whereas Democrats have six. Louisiana is the only state holding elections for a term-limited legislature in 2023. Out of the 144 seats up for election in the Louisiana State Legislature this…
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Single-party control of state executive offices at highest point in more than a decade
Forty-four states have single-party control of state executive offices as of June 2023, which is up from 30 in 2010. When a single party controls the offices of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state, it is known as a state government triplex. If a state does not have all three triplex offices, Ballotpedia considers…
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Michigan continues to lead in number of mayoral recalls
For the second consecutive year, Michigan has experienced the largest number of mayoral recalls in the country as of the mid-point of the year. Ballotpedia has tracked 29 recall efforts against 28 mayors in the first half of 2023, with 15 of those recalls targeting mayors in Michigan. Disputes related to wind turbines and solar…