Daily Brew: March 13, 2026

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Welcome to the Friday, March 13, 2026, Brew. 

By: Lara Bonatesta

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. Voters in 31 Illinois counties will weigh in on the federal school choice tax credit in the March 17 primaries
2. Six states and Washington, D.C., have filing deadlines in the next two weeks 
3. On this day in 1848, voters ratified the Wisconsin Constitution, one of the oldest constitutions still in effect today 

Voters in 31 Illinois counties will weigh in on the federal school choice tax credit in the March 17 primaries

As the U.S. Treasury works to finalize rules governing the upcoming Education Freedom Tax Credit, the first federal private school choice policy enacted as part of last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), proponents and critics are attempting to influence whether states participate in the elective program. 

In Illinois, where the debate over the Education Freedom Tax Credit has been especially energetic, voters in 31 counties will express their views on the program through non-binding advisory questions placed on March 17 primary ballots. In three of those counties (Cook, Lake, and Winnebago), only voters in select communities will weigh in on the Education Freedom Tax Credit question. 

In 29 of the 31 counties where voters will see the advisory question related to the Education Freedom Tax Credit, the following question will appear on the ballot: “Should Illinois opt into a federal program that would provide public K-12, private school, and homeschool students with privately-donated funds for academic needs, such as tutoring and test preparation, educational therapies for students with disabilities, tuition, books, exam fees or for other specified academic needs?” The question is worded somewhat differently in two counties. 

Although Illinois has a Democratic trifecta and voted 54-43% for Kamala Harris (D) in the 2024 presidential election, 28 of the counties asking voters about the Education Freedom Tax Credit voted for President Donald Trump (R). In those counties, Trump defeated Harris by an average margin of 42%. The remaining three counties — Cook, Lake, and Winnebago — voted for Harris. They are the only counties in which a subset of voters living in certain communities will see the Education Freedom Tax Credit advisory question.

According to Chalkbeat Chicago, the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI), a think tank that advocates for free-market policies and supports the Education Freedom Tax Credit, asked county election and township boards across the state to include the advisory question. An IPI press release said, “The results of these advisory questions may be examined by state leaders to inform decisions about whether to get involved in the program.” Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s (D) representative, Jillian Kaehler, said the governor is evaluating “the issue through a lens focused on affordability for working families and what best supports Illinois students, families, and public schools.” 

In Illinois, city councils, township boards, and county boards can vote to place non-binding questions pertaining to public policy issues on the ballot. According to the Illinois State Board of Elections’ data, voters in a total of 48 distinct jurisdictions — counties, townships, and municipalities — will have at least one advisory question on their ballots dealing with everything from property taxes, rodent abatement, and even golf carts. 

The Education Freedom Tax Credit is a nonrefundable tax credit that will allow individuals to receive up to $1,700 of federal tax credits for donations to non-profit Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). In turn, those SGOs will manage contributions and distribute scholarship funds to eligible families or individuals for private or public educational expenses, including private school tuition, tutoring services, and textbooks. 

In order to qualify for a scholarship under the program, students must live in households earning no more than 300% of the area's median gross income and be eligible to enroll in K-12 schools. States must opt in by Jan. 1, 2027. Donors in non-participating states can still receive a federal tax credit by donating to SGOs in participating states.

Critics of the Education Freedom Tax Credit program have said it will divert funding from public schools, disproportionately benefit the wealthy, and serve as a backdoor for more private school choice programs. Supporters have said it will give students, particularly those from low-income families and disadvantaged backgrounds, educational options outside of the public school system. The program’s advocates have also argued states should opt in because the money doesn’t come out of the state budget. 

As of this writing, 27 states have formally opted into the program or a governor has announced his or her intent to participate. Governors in three states have said they will not opt their states into the program.

While the IPI has called for Pritzker to opt the state into the program, the Illinois Education Association (IEA), the state’s largest union, has opposed both the Education Freedom Tax Credit and the advisory question. The IEA has said it “urges Illinoisans to vote ‘NO’ on the question, which is misleadingly worded to make voters think no public money will be used.” The IEA also said, “The federal plan, much like Illinois’s recently lapsed ‘Invest in Kids’ program, takes tax dollars away from public schools and gives that money to private schools.”

Invest in Kids was a tax-credit scholarship program that operated in Illinois between 2017 and 2023, when the legislature stopped funding it. The program, like the Education Freedom Tax Credit, provided scholarships to eligible students for qualified educational expenses outside of the public school system. 

The U.S. Treasury is expected to issue rules regarding the Education Freedom Tax Credit in the coming months. Late last year, the U.S. Treasury invited comments on the implementation of the program, receiving more than 2,000 comments by the time the public comment period ended on Dec. 26. 

Click here to learn more about the Education Freedom Tax Credit.

Six states and Washington, D.C., have filing deadlines in the next two weeks 

As the 2026 primaries get into swing, midterm races are continuing to take shape. 

Six states and Washington, D.C., have candidate filing deadlines in the next two weeks. The map and bulleted list below show which states have candidate filing deadlines scheduled between March 14 and 28.

• Maine: March 16 (statewide primary candidate filing deadline)
• New Mexico: March 17 (statewide filing deadline for write-in primary candidates)
• Colorado: March 18 (statewide primary candidate filing deadline)
• Washington, D.C.: March 18 (statewide primary candidate filing deadline)
• Arizona: March 23 (statewide candidate filing deadline)
• New Jersey: March 23 (statewide primary candidate filing deadline)
• West Virginia: March 24 (statewide filing deadline for write-in primary candidates)

Looking back

Thirteen states had a candidate filing deadline in the past two weeks:

• Nebraska: March 2 (statewide filing deadline for non-incumbent primary candidates)
• North Carolina: March 3 (statewide filing deadline for unaffiliated candidates)
• Oregon: March 3 (statewide filing deadline for incumbent primary candidates)
• Montana: March 4 (statewide filing deadline for primary candidates)
• California: March 6 (statewide candidate filing deadline)
• Georgia: March 6 (statewide filing deadline for primary candidates)
• Idaho: March 6 (statewide filing deadline for write-in primary candidates)
• New Mexico: March 10 (statewide filing deadline for primary candidates not seeking pre-primary designation)
• Oregon: March 10 (statewide filing deadline for non-incumbent primary candidates)
• Pennsylvania: March 10 (statewide filing deadline for primary candidates)
• Tennessee: March 10 (statewide candidate filing deadline)
• Iowa: March 13 (statewide filing deadline for primary candidates)
• Nevada: March 13 (statewide filing deadline for primary candidates)
• Utah: March 13 (statewide filing deadline for U.S. House primary candidates)

Candidates must meet various state-specific filing requirements and deadlines to appear on primary and general election ballots. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether and how candidates can make it onto the ballot. These laws are set at the state level and apply to candidates running for state and federal offices.

Upcoming primaries

Looking ahead, the final statewide primary in March will take place in Illinois. See below for dates voters in that state should know.

Illinois

• Voter registration deadline: Feb. 17 by mail (March 1 online, March 17 in person.)
• Early voting start date: Feb. 5
• Primary date: March 17 

To read more about candidate filing deadlines for the upcoming midterm elections, click here. Click here to see a full list of statewide primaries.

On this day in 1848, voters ratified the Wisconsin Constitution, one of the oldest constitutions still in effect today 

On this day, March 13, 1848, Wisconsin voters ratified the state constitution 72.5%-27.5% or 16,799 to 6,384. This constitution is still in effect today.

This was not the first ratification amendment presented to voters. In 1846, Wisconsin voters approved a measure to form a state government, and the state’s first constitutional convention convened later in 1846. The 1846 convention had 124 delegates, including 103 Democrats, 18 Whigs, and three Independents. The first draft of the constitution contained provisions debated at the time, including prohibiting commercial banking, granting married women the right to own property, and providing suffrage for African American men. On April 5, 1847, voters rejected the first constitution, 58.9% to 41.1%. 

The second constitutional convention met between December 1847 and February 1848. The second convention had 69 delegates, including 46 Democrats and 23 Whigs. The new draft of the constitution included the declaration of rights, the establishment of the structure of state government, rules for elections and suffrage, a prohibition of slavery, and the establishment and organization of school districts and a state university.

Voters approved the second draft on March 13, 1848. On May 29, 1848, Wisconsin became the 30th U.S. state.

That constitution is still in effect today. It is the oldest state constitution still in effect outside of New England. Only Massachusetts (1780), Maine (1820), New Hampshire (1793), and Vermont (1793) have older constitutions. The Wisconsin Constitution has been amended 152 times. It can be amended via a legislative or convention-referred constitutional amendment, both of which require voter approval. Wisconsin is one of 24 states that do not have statewide citizen initiatives. The most recent amendment that voters approved was Question 1 on April 1, 2025, which required individuals to show photo ID to vote. 

There are three constitutional amendments on the ballot in Wisconsin on Nov. 3. They include:

• An amendment that would prohibit the government from closing gatherings at places of worship during declared emergencies, including public health emergencies.
• An amendment that would prohibit the government from discriminating or granting preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.
• An amendment that would prohibit the governor from using the partial veto to create or increase any tax or fee.

Click here to read more about the 1848 ratification amendment in Wisconsin, and here to see Ballotpedia’s Wisconsin Historical Ballot Measures Factbook.