Tag: state elections
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Party control informs state legislative competitiveness trends ahead of 2026 elections
Across 31 states with completed candidate filing data, an average of 23% of incumbent state legislators are running in contested primaries this year — the second-highest share since 2010, trailing only 2022. At the same time, the average share of open seats, at 17.4%, is the second-lowest since 2010. Among the 31 states with completed…
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Over the past two weeks, 12 new ballot measures were certified in seven states
As of May 26, 117 statewide measures have been certified for the ballot in 38 states, 15 more measures than the average number certified at this point in other even-numbered years over the past decade (2014 to 2024). Here’s an update on the latest ballot measure activity during the past two weeks: The most recent…
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Michigan citizenship voting requirement campaign submits signatures for 2026 ballot initiative
Americans for Citizen Voting, the campaign behind an initiative that would amend the Michigan Constitution to require that only U.S. citizens can vote in elections, submitted 750,000 signatures to the Michigan Department of State on March 4, 2026. If enough valid signatures are found, the initiative will appear on the November 2026 ballot. In Michigan,…
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Christian Menefee won the general election runoff for Texas' 18th Congressional District on Jan. 31
Christian Menefee (D) defeated Amanda Edwards (D) in the runoff general election for Texas' 18th Congressional District on Jan. 31. Menefee will serve the remainder of former Rep. Sylvester Turner's (D) term through January 2027. Turner died on March 5, 2025. Menefee and Edwards advanced to the runoff after no candidate received an outright majority…
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Ten candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Illinois on March 17, 2026
Ten candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Illinois on March 17, 2026. Three candidates have led in fundraising, media attention, and polling: Robin Kelly (D), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D), and Juliana Stratton (D). Incumbent Dick Durbin (D), who was first elected in 1996, announced his retirement on April 23, 2025. The…
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An early look at the most competitive state legislative chambers in 2026
Eighty-eight state legislative chambers will be up for election this year. Of these chambers, Republicans control 51, Democrats control 34, and three are held under divided government. Nationwide, Republicans hold 56 chambers, Democrats hold 40, and three are held under divided government. Both parties are looking to expand their majorities or gain control of chambers,…
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70% of last June’s elections were uncontested
Throughout June, Ballotpedia covered 900 elections in 20 states, 70% of which were uncontested. That’s up from May, when 43% of the 2,892 covered were uncontested. Ballotpedia defines an uncontested election as one where the number of candidates running is less than or equal to the number of seats up for election. This analysis does…
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Four out of five elections were uncontested in Illinois, Wisconsin on April 1
Illinois and Wisconsin held a combined 18,641 elections on April 1, primarily local elections to school boards, city councils, and other special districts. But, in both states, it was clear who the winners would be in a majority of those elections since more than four out of every five elections were uncontested. An uncontested election…
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Three candidates are running in the general election for Wisconsin's Superintendent of Public Instruction
Incumbent Jill Underly, Brittany Kinser, and Adrianne Melby are running in the general election for Wisconsin's superintendent of public instruction on April 1, 2025. Underly was first elected in 2021, defeating Deborah Kerr 57.6% to 42.3%. Underly is campaigning on requesting more funding for state schools from the state legislature and says, "Our state has…
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What to know about the margins of victory in 2024 state legislative elections
Across all 5,807 state legislative seats up for election in 2024, the average margin of victory was 27.3%. An electoral margin of victory (MOV) is the difference between the share of votes cast for the winning candidate and the second-place candidate in an election. Only races with more than one candidate were included in this…