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Daily Brew: October 21, 2025
Welcome to the Tuesday, October 21, Brew.
By: Briana Ryan
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Our top 10 ballot measures to watch on Nov. 4
- Voters across the United States decided 34 elections by 10 votes or fewer last year
- A look at where the Virginia gubernatorial candidates stand on K-12 education
Our top 10 ballot measures to watch on Nov. 4
With two weeks to go until Election Night, our staff is busy preparing to cover 24 statewide ballot measures in six states, along with 188 local ballot measures.
Out of all those ballot measures, our team has selected 10 of the most important and compelling ones in the country. Some are single ballot measures, while others include grouped ballot measures that address related topics within the same state.
Below, we provide a brief summary of each ballot measure, along with a link to our more comprehensive coverage.
California Proposition 50 would allow the state to use a new, Legislature-drawn congressional district map for 2026 through 2030. The measure will rank as at least the seventh most expensive ballot measure in the state's history.
Maine Question 1 would require voters to present photo ID and make changes to absentee voting and ballot drop box rules. If voters approve the measure, Maine would become one of 37 states to require voters to present ID in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.
Maine Question 2 would establish a process for obtaining an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO), which would restrict someone's access to weapons "capable of producing death or serious bodily injury." If voters approve the measure, Maine would become one of 22 states that have enacted laws authorizing courts to issue ERPOs.
Colorado Propositions LL and MM are both related to the state's Healthy School Meals for All Program (HSMA), which reimburses public schools for providing free breakfast and lunch to students. In 2022, voters approved Proposition FF, which created the HSMA and, to fund the program, reduced state income tax deductions for taxpayers with a federal adjusted gross income above $300,000.
- Proposition LL would allow the state to keep $12.4 million in excess revenue and interest from reduced state income tax deductions on taxpayers earning $300,000 or more under Proposition FF, along with future revenue from this tax change, to provide funding for the HSMA. In 2022, the Legislature’s fiscal analysis projected that the reduced income tax deductions from Proposition FF would generate $100.7 million for the HSMA. However, the tax changes generated $112.0 million—$11.3 million more than the estimated amount. Under the state's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR), revenue collected above the estimated amount, plus 10% interest, must be refunded to taxpayers and adjustments made to tax rates, unless voters approve another ballot measure allowing the state to keep the excess revenue. Proposition LL is that measure.
- Proposition MM would reduce state income tax deductions for taxpayers earning $300,000 or more—from $12,000 to $1,000 for single filers and $16,000 to $2,000 for joint filers—to generate about $95 million in revenue for the HSMA and, once the program is funded with reserves, to provide funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Texas Proposition 3 would require judges or magistrates to deny bail to individuals accused of certain violent or sexual offenses that are punishable as a felony if it is demonstrated after a hearing through a preponderance of the evidence that the accused will likely not willfully appear in court or by clear and convincing evidence that the accused is a danger to the community or victim.
Texas Proposition 15 would provide that parents have the right "to exercise care, custody, and control of the parent's child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child's upbringing" and the responsibility "to nurture and protect the parent's child." While 26 states have adopted Parents' Bill of Rights, which are laws that grant parents specific rights regarding their children's education, none have adopted state constitutional amendments addressing the broader subject of parental rights.
Texas Proposition 16 would provide that "persons who are not citizens of the United States" cannot vote in the state. Since 2018, 14 states have voted on similar constitutional amendments.
Texas Propositions 2, 6, and 8 would prohibit certain types of taxes.
- Proposition 2 would prohibit taxes on realized or unrealized capital gains of individuals, families, estates, and trusts, including taxes on the sale or transfer of capital assets.
- Proposition 6 would prohibit an occupation tax on registered securities market operators or any securities transaction tax.
- Proposition 8 would prohibit taxes on a decedent's property or on the transfer of an estate, inheritance, legacy, succession, or gift.
New York City Question 6 would move the city's local elections to coincide with federal presidential election years, beginning in 2028. If voters approve the measure, term lengths would be temporarily adjusted to coincide with the new schedule—some four-year terms would be adjusted to three-year terms until 2028, or one year for certain council seats. Shortened terms will not count as full terms when it comes to term limits.
New York City Questions 2, 3, and 4 would address housing and land use.
- Question 2 would create two new expedited review processes for publicly financed affordable housing projects. One process would allow the five-member Board of Standards and Appeals to approve such projects. The other process would establish a faster land use review in 12 community districts identified as having the lowest rate of affordable housing production.
- Question 3 would create an Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP) for certain land use changes and projects related to affordable housing.
- Question 4 would create the Affordable Housing Appeals Board (AHAB), which would have the power to review and reverse decisions by the city council that disapprove and modify land-use applications that directly facilitate the creation of affordable housing.
Click here for an in-depth look at the ballot measures included in our list. Also, click here to view our list of the top 10 elections to watch on Nov. 4.
Voters across the United States decided 34 elections by 10 votes or fewer last year
Every year, we cover thousands of elections at all levels of government—from the halls of the U.S. Congress to school boards in all parts of the country. While there are plenty of elections where a candidate wins big, there are also some that are decided by a dozen or fewer votes.
Between September 2024 and September 2025, 34 elections nationwide were decided by 10 votes or fewer. Democrats won 11 of these elections, Republicans won five, and nonpartisan or minor party candidates won 18. Twenty-two of those were decided by five votes or fewer.
The closest election with the highest turnout last year was for Colorado House of Representatives District 16. Rebecca Keltie (R) defeated incumbent Rep. Stephanie Vigil (D) by three votes with 41,279 total votes cast. The closest election with the lowest turnout was the Constitution Party primary for South Carolina's 4th Congressional District, where Mark Hackett defeated Michael Chandler by three votes out of 13 cast.
Since 2018, there have been 660 elections decided by 10 or fewer votes. Of those 660 elections, 394 were determined by fewer than five votes, including 94 decided by a single vote. Democrats won 139 elections decided by 10 or fewer votes, Republicans won 160, and nonpartisan or minor party candidates won 361.
Among these elections since 2018, the one decided with the lowest voter turnout was the 2024 Constitution Party primary for South Carolina's 4th Congressional District mentioned above. The race with the highest voter turnout was the 2020 general election for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, when Mariannette Miller-Meeks(R) defeated Rita Hart (D) by six votes out of 393,922 total cast.
Click here for more information on elections decided by 10 or fewer votes last year.
A look at where the Virginia gubernatorial candidates stand on K-12 education
There are two gubernatorial offices on the ballot this year—in Virginia and New Jersey. In both states, the incumbents are term-limited. Today, we're looking at where the candidates in Virginia stand on issues related to K-12 education.
Abigail Spanberger (D) and Winsome Earle-Sears (R) are running to succeed incumbent Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).
Spanberger represented Virginia's 7th Congressional District from 2019 to 2025. Before serving in Congress, she was a CIA case agent.
Earle-Sears has served as the lieutenant governor of Virginia since 2022 and is a former member of the Virginia Board of Education.
Politico's Gregory Svirnovskiy wrote, "Virginia's off-year gubernatorial elections are often viewed as one of the country's first political touchpoints following a presidential election. The state has trended blue in federal elections for years, but statewide offices are typically hypercompetitive that favor the party out of power in Washington."
Education was a prominent topic in the 2021 gubernatorial election that saw Youngkin defeat Terry McAuliffe (D). This time around, education is once again an issue the candidates are campaigning on. In the May 13 episode of On the Ballot, The Virginia Scope's Brandon Jarvis listed education, the state's right-to-work law, and the Trump administration as key issues in the race.
Spanberger released her "Strengthening Virginia Schools Plan" on Aug. 8. The 10-page proposal covers K-12, higher education, and early childhood and childcare. The plan states that Spanberger will "work aggressively to get schools the funding they need, boost workforce training opportunities, and take real action to address Virginia's chronic teacher shortage." She calls for a renewed focus on literacy and math instruction, holding schools accountable for meeting state proficiency standards, and making it easier for parents to understand test scores. Other parts of the plan include allowing schools to raise funds for renovations, combating gun violence, and increasing funding for career and technical education (CTE) options.
Additionally, Spanberger says she will reject "efforts to divert funding from public education to pay for voucher programs," and has released ads highlighting Earle-Sears' support for those policies.
Earle-Sears unveiled her education plan in a July 10 post on social media, saying, "I believe every child should have the chance to succeed and every parent should have a voice in their child's education. That's why I introduced the CAREs plan, to clear childcare waitlists, attract and retain great educators, expand access through regional partnerships, and cut taxes on essential baby goods." Earle-Sears' campaign website states that she will "empower parents to choose the best school for their children so every child gets a quality education. She will prioritize parents' rights and basic reading and math skills over ideological grandstanding."
Earle-Sears has defended what she describes as Youngkin's educational achievements, including additional funding for schools and teacher pay.
The candidates have differed on whether schools should permit transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. That question has roiled several schools in Virginia in recent years and divided lawmakers. On Oct. 2, Youngkin signed Executive Directive 14, instructing the Virginia Board of Health to issue regulations preventing "biological males from using designated female spaces where females are likely to be in a state of undress," including in public school restrooms.
Earle-Sears has opposed school policies that allow transgender students to use facilities that align with their gender identity, saying, "Here's the truth. There are two sexes, boys and girls, and for generations, we've understood this — that they deserve their own sports teams, their own locker rooms, their own bathrooms."
At an Oct. 9 debate, Earle-Sears asked Spanberger, "Are you going to change in a gym where men are nude in the locker rooms? Are you going to do that?" Spanberger responded, "My answer is that in each local community decisions should be made between parents and educators, and teachers in each community. It shouldn't be dictated by politicians."
A version of this story appeared in the Oct. 15 Hall Pass, our weekly newsletter on school board politics and education policy. You can subscribe here.
Click here to learn more about the Virginia gubernatorial election.
