Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.

Daily Brew: January 23, 2019

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search

January 23, 2019

Get your daily cup of news




%%subject%%

Today's Brew highlights when early voting may start in Chicago’s mayoral race, things to look for in a sample ballot, and the increase in candidate filings for Tampa’s elections  
The Daily Brew

Welcome to the Wednesday, January 23 Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. Early voting in Chicago tentatively scheduled to start on January 28
  2. The Eight Quality Benchmarks for a trustworthy sample ballot
  3. Tampa's 2019 municipal races see twice as many candidates as 2015

Early voting in Chicago tentatively scheduled to start on January 28

Municipal elections will take place in just under five weeks in Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States. Chicago has a city budget of $8.6 billion—roughly the same size budget as the state of Iowa. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who was first elected mayor in 2011 and won re-election in 2015, isn’t running for a third term. As of today, a total of 14 candidates are vying to succeed him. Thus far, at least 55 candidates have either withdrawn or been removed from the ballot by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.

Early voting in Chicago's elections was scheduled to begin on Thursday, January 17, but a number of outstanding petition challenges left the ballot unfinalized. The Chicago Board of Election Commissioners now estimates that early voting will begin on January 28.

Twenty-six candidates filed to run in the 2019 municipal elections are still facing challenges to their candidacies as of January 18, according to the board's preliminary candidate list. That includes:

  • 24 city council candidates
  • 2 city treasurer candidates

The tentative January 28 start date is for early voting at the Loop Super Site located at 175 W. Washington St. Early voting at locations in all wards begins on February 11.

Elections for Chicago mayor, treasurer, city clerk, and all 50 city council seats take place on February 26. Runoffs will be held on April 2 for those races in which no candidate receives a majority of the vote in February.

Signup to receive our free Chicago newsletter in your inbox tomorrow
blank

The Eight Quality Benchmarks for a trustworthy sample ballot

Shortly before each major election, dozens of organizations and state and local governments publish sample ballots. A sample ballot is a list of the offices, candidates, and ballot measures that will appear on a voter’s individual ballot. The sample ballot’s purpose is to help individuals prepare to vote before casting an actual ballot.

Not all online sample ballots are alike; some require you to input your voter registration information, and some only require your address. They also contain different amounts and kinds of information. For example, one sample ballot tool may only include federal elections while another also includes your state and local elections. Here are the Eight Quality Benchmarks that you can use to determine whether a sample ballot tool should be trusted:

1.) Data accuracy

2.) Precision of location

3.) Quality assurance

4.) Clarity of scope

5.) Depth of information

6.) Length of availability

7.) Source transparency

8.) Transparency about user data

At Ballotpedia, we maintain our sample ballot year-round and strive to excel at all Eight Quality Benchmarks.

Take a closer look at the list→

Tampa's 2019 municipal races see twice as many candidates as 2015

Thirty-two candidates filed to run for mayor and all seven city council seats up for election this year in Tampa, Florida. This is double the number of candidates who ran in the city’s previous municipal elections in 2015. Voting in these races takes place on March 5, and if no candidate receives a majority of votes in any race in the general election, runoff elections will be held on April 23.

The race to replace term-limited Mayor Bob Buckhorn attracted eight candidates. Two current city council members—District 1 representative Mike Suarez and District 4 representative Harry Cohen—are running for mayor along with Jane Castor, Dick Greco Jr., Topher Morrison, David Straz, Ed Turanchik, and write-in candidate Reginald Howard. When Buckhorn ran for re-election in 2015, he faced one challenger and won outright in the general election with over 95 percent of the vote.

The races for the open District 1 and 4 city council seats, as well as open-seat elections in Districts 3 and 5 due to term-limited incumbents, attracted a total of 17 candidates. The other three city council seats feature incumbents running for re-election, and those races drew a total of seven candidates.

In 2015, an average of two candidates ran per city council seat. Only one seat—District 6—required a runoff election to determine the winner. Tampa’s term limits prevent an incumbent from seeking more than two consecutive terms in office.

The filing deadline was January 18. Tampa is the 52nd largest city in the United States, with an annual budget of $1.03 billion.

Read on→


See also

Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Daily_Brew:_January_23,_2019&oldid=8439173"