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Daily Brew: September 23, 2025

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Ballotpedia's Daily Brew


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Wake up and learn



Welcome to the Tuesday, Sept. 23, Brew. 

By: Briana Ryan

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

  1. A look at upcoming voter participation dates
  2. Twenty-eight races this year are rematches of previous contests
  3. A roundup of recent election administration legislative activity

A look at upcoming voter participation dates

Ten states have important voter participation dates and deadlines ahead of statewide general elections on Nov. 4. While the following dates and deadlines may also apply to legislative and local elections this year, all 10 states listed below have either a statewide office or ballot measure on the ballot. That includes gubernatorial, state executive, and state supreme court general elections.

The following voter participation dates and deadlines include voter registration deadlines, early voting start and end dates, and deadlines to request and return absentee/mail-in ballots.

Voter registration deadlines

Early voting start dates

  • Sept. 19: Virginia
  • Sept. 20: Colorado
  • Oct. 5: Maine
  • Oct. 6: California
  • Oct. 14: Georgia
  • Oct. 17: Washington
  • Oct. 20: Texas
  • Oct. 25: New Jersey and New York

In Pennsylvania, the early voting start date varies by county.

Early voting end dates

  • Oct. 28: Pennsylvania
  • Oct. 30: Maine
  • Oct. 31: Georgia and Texas
  • Nov. 1: Virginia
  • Nov. 2: New Jersey and New York
  • Nov. 4: California, Colorado, and Washington

Absentee/mail-in ballot request deadlines

  • Oct. 24: Georgia (online/by mail/in-person), Virginia (online/by mail/in-person), and Texas (by mail/in-person)
  • Oct. 25: New York (online/by mail)
  • Oct. 28: Pennsylvania (online/by mail/in-person) and New Jersey (by mail)
  • Oct. 30: Maine (online/by mail/in-person)
  • Nov. 3: New Jersey (in-person) and New York (in-person)

Absentee/mail-in ballot return deadlines

In all 10 states, the in-person and mail return deadline for absentee and mail-in ballots is Nov. 4. However, each state differs regarding the mail return deadline type.

  • In California, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, the ballot must be postmarked by Nov. 4.
  • In Colorado, Georgia, Maine, and Pennsylvania, the ballot must be received by Nov. 4.

Click here for more information on this year’s voter participation dates and deadlines. Also, check out our Sample Ballot Lookup here to prepare for Election Day.

Twenty-eight races this year are rematches of previous contests

We're following 28 rematches this year between candidates who last faced each other in 2023, 2021, or 2019 for single-seat offices. That includes races that have and have not already happened.

Twenty-two rematches are between candidates who last met in 2023, four are between candidates who last met in 2021, and two are between candidates who last met in 2019. They include 15 state legislative races and 13 local races.

  • Five of the 22 rematches from 2023 were decided by a margin of 10 percentage points or fewer, the last time the two candidates met.
  • One of the four rematches from 2021 was decided by a margin of 10 percentage points or fewer the last time the two candidates met.
  • Neither of the two rematches from 2019 was decided by a margin of 10 percentage points or fewer, the last time the two candidates met.

Now, let's take a closer look at each of the rematches at each level of government.

State legislative rematches

There are 15 state legislative rematches this year. Twelve elections are rematches from 2023, one from 2021, and two from 2019. 

When this year's rematch candidates previously met, Democrats won seven of the races, and Republicans won eight. Three of the 15 state legislative rematches were decided by a margin of 10 percentage points or fewer the last time the two candidates met.

All but one of the state legislative rematches are between candidates who last faced each other in a race for the Virginia House of Delegates. The only state legislative rematch not in Virginia is a special election for Mississippi Senate District 19. According to Mississippi Today's Taylor Vance, the special election is happening due to a court ruling which "ordered Mississippi to conduct special elections for 14 legislative seats this year because the court determined the Legislature diluted Black voting strength when lawmakers redrew legislative districts."

Local election rematches

This year, there are 13 rematches for local offices within our coverage scope. All but three rematches are between candidates who last faced each other in 2023. 

Partisanship in local races is not always known, as some offices are nonpartisan. When this year's rematch candidates previously met, Democrats won five of the races, while the other eight were for nonpartisan offices. Three of the 13 local rematches were decided by a margin of 10 percentage points or fewer the last time the two candidates met.

Seven rematches, all for local offices, have already happened. Two of those elections—one for the mayor of St. Louis and the other for the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, Ward 1—had a different winner than the last time the two candidates met.

Click here to learn more about the rematches happening this year.

A roundup of recent election administration legislative activity

As legislative sessions continue across the country, we're following the latest nationwide trends and legislative activity related to election policy.

Let's start with some key takeaways from last week's legislative actions:

  • Lawmakers in six states acted on 41 bills over the last week. During the same week in 2024, legislators acted on 10 bills and 65 in 2023.
  • One bill was enacted last week. One bill was enacted during the same week in 2024, 11 were enacted in 2023, and none were enacted in 2022.
  • We are currently following 4,813 bills. At this time in 2023, the last odd year when all states held legislative sessions, we were following 3,081 bills.

Now, let's check out some other noteworthy election-related developments:

  • On Sept. 18, a group of voters in Madison, Wisconsin, filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that officials denied them their right to vote and seeking compensation. In the November 2024 general election, city officials failed to count 193 absentee ballots, after which the city clerk resigned and the Wisconsin Elections Commission ordered the city to revise its ballot counting procedures. 
  • On Sept. 16, the U.S. Department of Justice filed lawsuits against Oregon and Maine, alleging the states broke federal law because they did not provide their state voter registration lists to the department. In August, Oregon rejected two requests for the state to share its voter registration files and information about list maintenance. 
  • On Sept. 16, a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled that Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) cannot enforce a provision in the state's Election Procedures Manual prohibiting "threatening, harassing, intimidating, or coercing" behavior at polling places. Judge Kim Wardlaw, a Clinton appointee, wrote, "Plaintiffs may be dissuaded from engaging in their intended speech even if there is no threat of criminal prosecution because election officials may nonetheless report them to police or remove them from the polling location based on guidance provided by the Elections Procedure Manual."
  • On Sept. 12, the Missouri Senate passed a bill redrawing the state's congressional districts. The bill now heads to Gov. Mike Kehoe (R), who is expected to sign the new district maps into law.

No bills were vetoed in the past week. Seventy bills have been vetoed so far this year. No bills were vetoed during this period in 2024, 2023, or 2022.

A version of this story appeared in our Sept. 19 Ballot Bulletin—our weekly email that follows developments in election policy around the country. Click here to sign up.

You can also click here to see a full list of the bills we're following in 2025.

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