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Election coverage approach for Ballotpedia
Election coverage at the federal, state, local, and territorial levels of government is a key element of Ballotpedia. Since the founding of the encyclopedia in 2007, Ballotpedia's election coverage has expanded. We now cover elections across the nation for the various types of offices listed below. Click here for more information about Ballotpedia's coverage approach for primaries in particular.
Ballotpedia's coverage extends to all elections on the federal level, all gubernatorial, state legislative, statewide ballot measure, and statewide judicial elections, as well as many other types of state executive offices. Ballotpedia also covers all elections in the U.S. territories, but not elections in other countries.
Local election coverage includes comprehensive ballot coverage for municipal and judicial elections in the top 100 cities by population and races for the large counties that overlap them. In the state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities, it includes coverage of mayoral, city council, and district attorney elections. It also includes school board elections in the top 200 largest school districts by enrollment, all California local ballot measures, and notable local ballot measures from across the nation.
Please note that Ballotpedia's election coverage does not encompass all local offices. Election information is not published in a timely manner for many local offices, which makes it infeasible to gather the necessary data given our limited resources. However, Ballotpedia's coverage scope for local elections continues to grow, and you can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what local elections we are covering in your area.
Election coverage
Federal
- Presidential election
- Congressional races for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, including special elections
State
- State executive offices
- State legislative elections, including special elections
- State supreme court elections and intermediate appellate court elections
- Statewide ballot measures
Local
- Comprehensive ballot coverage for municipal elections in the top 100 U.S. cities by population, including races for the large counties that overlap them, as well as coverage of mayoral, city council, and district attorney elections in state capitals outside of the top 100 cities
- Comprehensive ballot coverage for mayoral elections in the top 100 U.S. cities by population and all state capitals
- Coverage of school board elections in 475 school districts, which includes all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment
- Local trial courts with jurisdictions overlapping the top 100 cities by population
- All local ballot measures in California, as well as ballot measures within the top 100 cities by population
Expanded local coverage
Ballotpedia is currently expanding its local election coverage on a state-by-state basis to provide information on the more than 500,000 local elected offices nationwide. This expansion included 18,974 elections in 2022, 12,624 in 2023 and 37,036 in 2024 with a goal of 30,000 in 2025, across the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Click here for current-year coverage.
This expanded coverage of local elections beyond the scope described above includes:
- Election dates
- Office names
- Lists of candidates
- Additional information as available
This expanded coverage does not include election results unless otherwise specified. Additionally, this expanded coverage does not follow candidates after the election as officeholders and instead focuses on providing information to voters about the candidates on their ballots.
You can use Ballotpedia's sample ballot tool to see what local elections we are covering in your area.
Other
- Territorial elections
- Recall elections (various types)
- Election Policy
- Voting, ballot access, redistricting, etc.
Search by state
See also
Questions? You can email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
