Tag: elections
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30 state legislative races were decided by fewer than 100 votes in 2020
Thirty (0.5%) of the 5,875 state legislative races in 2020 were decided by fewer than 100 votes. Twenty-nine of the 30 races were in state houses, and one was in a state senate. Partisan control changed in 15 (50%) of the 30 races. Thirteen of the partisan changes (43.3% of the 30 races) were Republican…
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Average margin of victory in U.S. House races reaches decade-long low
The average margin of victory in the 2020 elections for U.S. House was lower than at any point since at least 2012. A margin of victory refers to the difference between the share of the vote received by the winning candidate and the share of the vote received by the runner-up. For example, suppose Candidate…
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Decade-low 227 state legislative incumbents defeated on Nov. 3
In the November 2020 general election, 227 state legislative incumbents were defeated, the lowest number in any even-numbered year in the past decade. By party, those defeated incumbents include 165 Democrats, 52 Republicans, and 10 independents and members of a third party. The 227 incumbents defeated marked a 29.5% decrease from the 322 defeated in…
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Special election to be held Jan. 23 in Texas state House district
A special general election is being held on January 23 for District 68 of the Texas House of Representatives. Charles Gregory (D), John Berry (R), Jason Brinkley (R), Craig Carter (R), and David Spiller (R) are running in the general election. A general election runoff will be scheduled if no candidate earns at least 50%…
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Ballotpedia’s analysis of California’s 2020 local ballot measures
California voters decided 719 local ballot measures across seven different election dates in 2020. Here are some highlights from Ballotpedia’s annual report on local ballot measures in California: • Voters approved 62.4% percent of California’s local measures in 2020, which was 14 and 15 percentage points lower than their approval rates in 2016 and 2018,…
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Voter registration deadline for Rhode Island bond election is January 31
The voter registration deadline for the Rhode Island bond election to be held on March 2 is January 31. The deadline to apply for a mail ballot is February 9. The Rhode Island legislature referred seven bond questions totaling $400 million to the ballot as part of the state budget approved in December. The ballot…
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A closer look at turnout in Georgia’s statewide runoff elections
Although most of the nation’s focus during the Jan. 5 Georgia runoffs was on the two U.S. Senate seats, there was one other runoff that didn’t receive as much attention. Voters in Georgia also decided the District 4 race for the state Public Utilities Commission (PSC), which resulted in a first for the Peach State. …
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Election still undecided in New York’s 22nd Congressional District
Results in the Nov. 3 U.S. House election in New York’s 22nd Congressional District have not yet been certified. The latest vote count, completed on Dec. 30, showed former Rep. Claudia Tenney (R) with a 29-vote lead over incumbent Anthony Brindisi (D). This race was one of 56 U.S. House rematches from 2018, when Brindisi defeated…
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Voters to decide Georgia’s U.S. Senate races
Georgia was the only state to hold two Senate elections in 2020. In addition to the regularly scheduled election for the seat David Perdue (R) won in 2014, a special election was held to fill the rest of retired Sen. Johnny Isakson’s (R) term. Both races advanced to runoffs as no candidate received a majority…
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Voter turnout in 2020 increased the ballot initiative signature requirements in 10 states
Voter turnout in 2020 elections caused a change in the number of valid signatures required for initiatives and veto referendums in 10 of the 26 states with at least one form of statewide initiative or referendum. Signature requirements are determined differently depending on the state and, in 2022, will vary from 16,961 for initiated statutes…