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Daily Brew: October 27, 2025
Welcome to the Monday, Oct. 27, Brew.
By: Briana Ryan
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- A look at the 188 local ballot measures we're covering on Nov. 4
- Record high fundraising in the Virginia House of Delegates races
- On the Ballot examines the elections happening in Virginia this year and potential congressional redistricting in the commonwealth
A look at the 188 local ballot measures we're covering on Nov. 4
There's about a week to go until Election Day, and Ballotpedia will cover more than 10,000 elections on Nov. 4. To help you understand what's at stake, the Daily Brew will feature previews of key elections from now through Election Day. To see what elections we're covering in your area, check out our Sample Ballot Lookup Tool.
Today, we're looking at the 188 local ballot measures we'll be covering on Election Day. You can also click on the links below to read other previews of the elections we’re covering on Nov. 4.
We're covering measures that appear on the ballot for voters within the 100 most populous cities in the U.S., within state capitals, and throughout California and Virginia. We're also covering electoral system-related measures and a selection of other notable topics.
This year's measures address 55 unique topics. The five most common are:
- City bonds - 30 measures
- District bonds - 27 measures
- Property tax - 24 measures
- Local water issues - 21 measures
- Zoning, land use, and development - 21 measures
We're covering the most local ballot measures in Texas on Nov. 4, with 49. In each odd-numbered year since 2021, we covered more measures in Texas than in any other state, with 33 in 2023 and 28 in 2021.
We're covering measures in 97 specific jurisdictions. The jurisdictions with the most measures on the ballot are:
- Albuquerque, New Mexico - 11 measures
- Denver, Colorado - eight measures
- Chandler, Arizona - six measures.
Here's a preview of what's on the ballot in three of the 97 jurisdictions that we're covering:
New York, New York, voters will decide on five measures.
- Question 2 would create two new expedited review processes for publicly financed affordable housing projects.
- Question 3 would create an expedited review process for land use changes for certain housing, affordable housing, and infrastructure projects.
- Question 4 would create the Affordable Housing Appeals Board, which could overturn City Council decisions that reject affordable housing projects.
- Question 5 would consolidate and digitize the existing paper city map.
- Question 6 would move the city's local elections, including the mayoral election, to coincide with presidential election years beginning in 2028. However, the change could not take effect unless the Legislature also amends Section 8 of Article XIII of the New York Constitution, and voters approve that amendment.
Denver, Colorado, voters will decide on eight measures.
- Referendum 310 would repeal a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products in city and county limits. A "Yes" vote would keep the flavored tobacco ban, while a "No" vote would repeal it.
- Referred Question 2G would designate the two at-large positions in the Denver City Council as Seat A and Seat B. Currently, the two at-large positions are on the ballot together, and the top-two candidates win the seats. The measure proposes listing the seats separately, and voters would elect one candidate for Seat A and one candidate for Seat B.
- Referred Question 2F would change the official names of the city departments and would add the Manager of Licensing and Consumer Protection to the mayor's cabinet.
The other five measures in Denver are bond issues that fund repairs and construction of city facilities. The measures would raise a total of $949.8 million.
Voters in Bexar County, Texas, which includes San Antonio, will decide on two measures.
- Proposition A would allow the county to increase the hotel occupancy tax by 2% in an effort to fund the Coliseum Complex Venue Project. It would also allow the county to use revenue from the county's existing motor vehicle rental tax to fund the project.
- Proposition B would allow the county to increase the hotel occupancy tax by 2% and use the proceeds to build a new arena for the San Antonio Spurs. It would also allow the county to use revenue from the motor vehicle rental tax to fund the construction of the new arena.
Click here to read more about all the local ballot measures that we're covering on Election Day.
Record high fundraising in the Virginia House of Delegates races
Virginia House of Delegates candidates raised a record $63.7 million in campaign funds by Sept. 30, compared to the previous high of $59.6 million in 2021.
Democratic House candidates have raised $44.2 million this cycle, their most in the last two decades. Republicans have raised $19.6 million, down from a high of $26.9 million in 2023.
As of Sept. 30, the top 10 fundraisers in this year's House elections were all Democrats. Thirteen of the 18 candidates who had raised more than $1 million were Democrats, and five were Republicans.
House Speaker Don Scott (D) has raised the most money at $5.1 million. Scott, who is running unopposed, is using his campaign funds to help boost other Democratic legislative candidates.
Scott and Rep. Michael Feggans (D) are the only two incumbents among the top 10 fundraisers.. The other eight are Democrats running in Republican-held districts. The Republican incumbent is running in seven of those contests, and one seat is open.
We identified 23 districts as general election battlegrounds. Democratic candidates in those districts raised a total of $24.2 million, and Republican candidates raised a total of $11.9 million.
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, satellite groups have also made $2.6 million in independent expenditures across 18 districts. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) and Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) also announced spending in the House races.
The DLCC announced in September that it had spent more than $2 million. DLCC President Heather Williams said in a statement, "These elections couldn't be more important, which is why the DLCC is all hands on deck to fuel these winning campaigns through Election Day."
The RSLC announced a $2 million get-out-the-vote program in the two state legislative chambers where elections are happening on Nov. 4, the Virginia House and New Jersey General Assembly, calling it "one of the most significant investments by the committee to date."
Virginia has a divided government in which Republicans control the governorship and Democrats control both legislative chambers. Currently, Democrats have a 51-48 majority with one vacancy in the House and a 21-19 majority in the Virginia Senate. There are no Senate districts up for election this year. All 100 House districts and the governorship are on the ballot.
Click here to read more about the state legislative general elections happening on Election Day.
On the Ballot examines the elections happening in Virginia this year and potential congressional redistricting in the commonwealth
In this episode of On the Ballot, we're headed to Virginia to break down the state's upcoming elections. Virginia Scope’s Brandon Jarvis and Ballotpedia's Lara Bonatesta join our host Norm Leahy to break down what's happening and why it matters.
Among the elections on the ballot are those for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and all 100 districts in the House of Delegates. Leahy and Jarvis will also discuss the breaking news that Virginia Democrats are considering congressional redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms.
To listen to this episode and more, click here. Also, don't forget to subscribe to On the Ballot on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast. Plus, if you're a Virginia voter, click here to learn more about what you can expect to see on your ballot.
