CategoryState

According to the Texas Secretary of State’s office, an eligible voter may apply to vote by mail if his or her application is received by the early voting clerk by Oct. 25. To vote by mail in Texas, you must be at least 65 years old, disabled, out of the country, or in jail.

 

Texas is holding elections for the following offices, in addition to other elections beyond Ballotpedia’s coverage scope. Of the following races, Ballotpedia has designated the Houston mayoral election and Houston Independent School District elections as battleground races.

 

 

 

Incumbent Sylvester Turner and 11 challengers will compete in the general election for mayor of Houston, Texas. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two general election candidates will participate in a runoff election on December 14, 2019.

 

Four out of nine seats on the Houston Independent School District (HISD) school board are up for general election. The HISD school board faces the possibility of being replaced by a state-appointed board of managers. If appointed, the board of managers would assume the responsibilities of the elected board, while elected trustees would not have any power until they were reinstated.

 

Texas voters will also decide 10 constitutional amendments put on the ballot by the state legislature. Measures concern taxes, bonds, budgets, law enforcement animals, and municipal governance. Proposition 4 would prohibit the state from levying an income tax on individuals. Ballots will also feature a variety of local measures. Local measures in Irving, El Paso, Harris County, Arlington and Tarrant County, and Austin and Travis County fall within Ballotpedia’s coverage scope for 2019.

 

October 29 is the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot by mail in New Jersey. However, voters have until November 4 at 3 p.m. to apply in-person for a mail-in ballot at their county clerk’s office—known as in-person absentee voting—and submit the ballot in person. The deadline to return an absentee ballot is November 5 at 8 p.m.

 

New Jersey is holding the following elections, in addition to other elections beyond Ballotpedia’s coverage scope:

 

 

New Jersey voters will also decide a legislatively referred constitutional amendment—Public Question 1—that would extend an existing $250 property tax deduction that veterans receive to continuing care retirement centers on behalf of the veterans living there and require the retirement centers to pass the value of the deduction on to veterans in the form of credits or payments.

 

Jersey City voters will also vote on Municipal Question 1, a veto referendum concerning short-term rental property regulations and permit requirements.

 

October 29 is the final day for voters to request absentee ballots in Kentucky for the general election on November 5. Absentee voting is only allowed under specific conditions in Kentucky. Click the link below to see if you qualify.

 

Kentucky is holding elections for the following, in addition to other elections beyond Ballotpedia’s coverage scope:

 

 

The gubernatorial election featuring Gov. Matt Bevin (R), state Attorney General Andy Beshear (D), and John Hicks (L), is a top battleground election in the country. It follows nearly four years of conflict between Bevin and Beshear that began when each was elected to his current position. The election will decide the state’s trifecta status until at least the 2020 state legislative elections. If Bevin wins, Republicans will maintain their trifecta control of the state, while a Beshear or Hicks victory would result in neither party having trifecta control.

 

Gregory Stumbo (D) and Daniel Cameron (R) are running for the attorney general position being vacated by Beshear. Democrats have held the office since 1952, but a combination of factors indicate this race should be competitive. In addition to it being an open seat, Beshear defeated his challenger in 2015, 50.1 percent to 49.9 percent. Donald Trump (R) won Kentucky with 62.5 percent of the vote in 2016, and he endorsed Cameron on July 29.

 

Pennsylvania voters wishing to cast an absentee ballot in the Nov. 5 election must apply for an absentee ballot by Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. Absentee voting is only allowed under specific conditions in Pennsylvania. Click the links at the end of this post to determine if you qualify.

 

Pennsylvania is holding the following elections, in addition to other elections beyond Ballotpedia’s coverage scope:

 

 

The following school district is also holding elections:

 

Pennsylvania voters will also decide a legislatively referred constitutional amendment to add specific rights of crime victims, together known as Marsy’s Law, to the Pennsylvania Constitution. If approved, Pennsylvania would become the 13th state to approve a Marsy’s Law measure, although the measures were ruled invalid by courts in Montana and Kentucky. Voters will also see a variety of local measures, including one in Pittsburgh to establish a Parks Trust Fund with revenue from a property tax and two measures in Philadelphia concerning a bond issue and competitive bidding.

 

As of October 18, voters in Washington may cast ballots for the November 5, 2019, elections. Since Washington is a vote-by-mail state, ballots were mailed on Oct. 18 and Accessible Voting Units (AVUs) are available at voting centers. Voting will last through 8:00 p.m. local time on November 5.

 

Washington is holding elections for the following, in addition to other elections beyond Ballotpedia’s coverage scope:

 

 

The fifteen statewide measures on the ballot in 2019 are more than any other single year since at least 1995. Initiative 976 would limit annual registration renewal fees to $30 for vehicles under 10,000 pounds and enact other restrictions on vehicle taxes and fees. Referendum 88 concerns affirmative action. Senate Joint Resolution 8200 would authorize the legislature to pass laws for government continuation during catastrophic incidents. The other 12 measures on the ballot are mandatory, non-binding advisory questions on bills passed in 2019 that increased tax revenue.

 

The city council elections in Seattle are occurring a year after the repeal of the 2018 head tax proposal, which would have required businesses grossing at least $20 million to pay $275 per employee in order to fund affordable housing programs for the homeless. The city council voted to pass the head tax 9-0 in May 2018 but then repealed it by a 7-2 vote in June 2018. Of the three incumbents running for re-election, Kshama Sawant in District 3 voted against repealing the tax, while District 1’s Lisa Herbold and District 5’s Debora Juarez voted to repeal the tax.

Early voting in Texas runs from Oct. 21 through Nov. 1. All registered voters may vote at any early voting location in the county in which they are registered.

 

Texas is holding elections for the following offices, in addition to other elections beyond Ballotpedia’s coverage scope. Of the following races, Ballotpedia has designated the Houston mayoral election and Houston Independent School District elections as battleground races.

 

 

 

Incumbent Sylvester Turner and 11 challengers will compete in the general election for mayor of Houston, Texas. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two general election candidates will participate in a runoff election on December 14, 2019.

 

Four out of nine seats on the Houston Independent School District (HISD) school board are up for general election. The HISD school board faces the possibility of being replaced by a state-appointed board of managers. If appointed, the board of managers would assume the responsibilities of the elected board, while elected trustees would not have any power until they were reinstated.

 

Texas voters will also decide 10 constitutional amendments put on the ballot by the state legislature. Measures concern taxes, bonds, budgets, law enforcement animals, and municipal governance. Proposition 4 would prohibit the state from levying an income tax on individuals. Ballots will also feature a variety of local measures. Local measures in Irving, El Paso, Harris County, Arlington and Tarrant County, and Austin and Travis County fall within Ballotpedia’s coverage scope for 2019.

 

Heading into the Nov. 16 general election, Republicans are seven seats short of a 70-seat supermajority in the Louisiana House of Representatives.

 

Louisiana has a two-round electoral system, sometimes referred to as a jungle primary or majority electoral system. All candidates, regardless of party affiliation, face off in the primary election. If a candidate receives at least 50 percent of the vote in the primary election, he or she wins outright. If no candidate reaches that threshold, a general election is held between the top two vote-getters.

 

After the Oct. 12 primary election, 63 House seats are guaranteed to Republicans, 33 to Democrats, and one to an independent. Party control of eight House seats will be decided in the general election. Republicans need to win all seven of these general elections where they are on the ballot in order to win a veto-proof House majority. Democrats can prevent a Republican supermajority in the House by winning at least one of the races in which they are facing a Republican opponent.

 

Republicans secured a supermajority in the state Senate in the primary. With supermajorities in the House and Senate, Republicans would have the ability to both override a gubernatorial veto and vote to place a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on the ballot.

 

These are also the last elections before the state government redraws congressional and state legislative districts following the 2020 census. In Louisiana, both congressional and state legislative districts are drawn by the state legislature.

 

The Louisiana gubernatorial general election will also be held on Nov. 16. Incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) and businessman Eddie Rispone (R) advanced from the primary. If Edwards wins, the state will remain under divided government. If Rispone wins, Republicans will have a state government trifecta.

 

• Louisiana State Senate elections, 2019
• Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2019

Voters in some Kansas counties could begin casting early ballots in person on Oct. 16 for the Nov. 5 general election. The exact start dates for early voting vary between Oct. 16 and Oct. 29. Click the Kansas Secretary of State office link at the bottom of this post to find contact information for your county election office. Early voting ends in all counties at noon on Nov. 4.

 

Kansas is holding elections for the following, in addition to other elections beyond Ballotpedia’s coverage scope:

 

 

The five school districts holding elections are:

 

 

Three of Wichita’s seven school board seats are up for election. In each of the other districts, four out of seven school board seats are up for election.

 

Wichita’s municipal elections and four of the five school district elections (all but Circle USD) take place in Sedgwick County. Early voting in Sedgwick County runs Oct. 21-25, Oct. 28-Nov. 1, and until noon on Nov. 4.

 

All of Kansas will also vote on a legislatively referred constitutional amendment, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1605. The amendment would end the state’s practice of adjusting the U.S. Census population regarding military personnel and students when redistricting the Kansas State Legislature.

 

The deadline for county clerks to mail ballots to eligible voters for the November 5 elections in Colorado passed on October 18. The deadline to mail ballots to voters registering after Oct. 18 or requesting replacement ballots is Oct. 28. Coloradans may also cast ballots and register to vote in person at voter service and polling centers (VSPCs). Each county will have at least one VSPC open from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5 (except Sunday, Nov. 3).

 

Ballots must be received by county clerks by 7:00 pm on Election Day. The Colorado Secretary of State’s office says, “Postmarks do not count; ballots must be in the hands of the county clerk by 7:00 PM on Election Day in order to be counted.”

  

See the Colorado Secretary of State’s FAQ page linked at the bottom of this post for information on tracking the status of mail ballots, finding ballot drop-off and polling locations, and more.

 

Colorado is holding elections for the following, in addition to other elections beyond Ballotpedia’s coverage scope:

 

 

The school districts holding elections are:

 

 

Colorado voters will also vote on two legislatively referred state statutes, Proposition CC and Proposition DD: