201 years ago, Missouri became the 24th state admitted to the Union on Aug. 10, 1821. According to archeological excavations, humans have inhabited the Missouri area since about 9000 BCE. There were many different civilizations of native peoples including the Missouri, Quapaw, and Osage. The French began to settle in present-day Missouri around 1735. The…
There are 23% more contested state legislative primaries this year than in 2020, including 53% more Republican primaries and 8% more top-two/four primaries. Democratic primaries are down 10%. These figures include elections in 39 states that account for 5,011 of 6,166 state legislative seats up for election this year (81%). A primary is contested when…
On July 28, 2022, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (R) signed House Bill 123 (HB 123) into law, which would formally recognize 229 federally recognized American Indian tribes in Alaska. The bill was approved by the state legislature on May 17, 2022, before going to the governor’s desk. “House Bill 123 codifies in law what Alaskans…
Fifty-seven state legislative seats up for election in Vermont this year are open, meaning no incumbents filed to run. This represents 32% of the state’s legislature, a marked increase compared to recent election cycles. Since no incumbents are present, newcomers are guaranteed to win all open seats. Vermont restructured its House and Senate during the…
Kari Lake, who won the Republican primary for governor of Arizona on Aug. 2, completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey in May 2022. The Candidate Connection survey is an opportunity for voters to learn more about candidates through a variety of personal and political questions. A selection of Lake’s survey responses are excerpted below. To read…
Kari Lake defeated Karrin Taylor Robson, Scott Neely, and Paola Tulliani-Zen in the Republican primary for governor of Arizona on Aug. 2, 2022. With 90% of the expected vote counted, Lake had received 47% of the vote, followed by Taylor Robson with 44%. Incumbent Gov. Doug Ducey (R) is term-limited. Heading into the primary, Lake…
Committees supporting and opposing California Propositions 26 and 27, which would enact in-person and mobile sports betting respectively, have raised over $256.4 million becoming the most expensive ballot measures in California history. The committees eclipsed the 2020 app-based drivers initiative, Proposition 22, which raised $224.3 million. Proposition 26, backed by American Indian tribes, would legalize…
Trudy Busch Valentine won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Missouri on August 2, 2022. She received 43.2% of the vote based on unofficial returns. Lucas Kunce came in second place with 38.4%. Nine other candidates also ran in the primary with no one receiving more than 5%. Busch Valentine is a former nurse…
Below are a selection of responses from the candidates who filled out Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey since July 17. To read each candidate’s full responses, click their name at the bottom of the article. Manny Abarca (D) is running for Jackson County Legislature to represent District 1 and is on the ballot in the general…
Alan Green (D), Scott Fitzpatrick (R), and John Hartwig (L) won their respective primaries for Missouri State Auditor on Aug. 2, 2022. Green and Hartwig ran unopposed; Fitzpatrick received 64.7% of the vote based on unofficial returns. David Gregory was the only other Republican candidate. The general election will take place on Nov. 8. Green…