Top Ten Things to Watch on Election Day 2014
The Lucy Burns Institute staff fills you in on key races up and down your ballot
The writers and researchers on Ballotpedia.org and Judgepedia.org have compiled a list of the top ten things to watch on November 4:
1. First things first: November 4 could be a historic day for women, African-Americans, Muslims, transgender people and openly gay individuals. Some potential Election Day firsts: Iowa could elect its first woman to Congress, Tim Scott could become the first African-American to win a Senate seat via popular election in the South, and the Republican Party could welcome its first openly gay congressman.
2. U.S. Senate toss-ups: 36 U.S. Senate seats are up for election on November 4. In order to gain control of the chamber, Republicans need to pick up six seats currently held by Democrats. Closely watched races include Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire and North Carolina.
3. State supreme court contests: Ten states have contested supreme court elections this year. On November 4, we'll be keeping a close eye on the partisan battles in Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas (both the Texas Supreme Court and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, as the state has two high courts).
4. State legislative battleground chambers: In 2014, 87 of the nation’s 99 state legislative chambers are holding elections. Using data on partisan balance, Ballotpedia.org has identified the 20 state legislative chambers with the greatest chance of flipping majority control.
5. Marijuana legalization stirs the pot: Colorado and Washington both legalized recreational marijuana via the ballot box in 2012. This year, voters in Alaska, Florida and Oregon will decide whether marijuana legalization efforts will keep rolling or if they’ll go up in smoke. Local ballots are also ablaze with marijuana-related measures.
6. U.S. House battleground districts: Although 435 U.S. House seats are up for election on November 4, only a handful of these races are truly competitive. Ballotpedia.org has identified what we believe to be the 26 most competitive U.S. House races of 2014.
7. Can Walker three-peat?: Scott Walker was elected Governor of Wisconsin in 2010. He weathered a brutal recall battle in 2012, ultimately retaining his position. On November 4, Wisconsin voters will decide whether to elect Walker for the third time in four years. Wisconsin is host to one of the ten most competitive gubernatorial races identified by Ballotpedia.org.
8. All politics is local, including these measures: While November 4 will feature a number of high profile statewide measures on the ballot, there are also plenty of notable local ballot measures. Municipalities in California, Ohio and Texas will all feature local measures seeking to ban fracking.
9. It's worth a shot: Washington voters will be faced with two contradictory gun-related measures this November. Initiative 591 would prevent the government from confiscating firearms without due process and implementing background checks unless a federal standard is established. Meanwhile, Initiative 594 would require background checks to be run on every person purchasing a gun in the state of Washington. Proponents of both measures are gunning for votes, but it remains to be seen if either (or both!) of the measures will hit their target.
10. Be true to your school board: In 2014, Ballotpedia.org is tracking 2,161 school board seats that are up for election in 37 states. At stake in these elections: the future of Common Core, state education policy, and the educational prospects of almost 17 million students.
About the Lucy Burns Institute
Ballotpedia is a project of the Lucy Burns Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The mission of the Lucy Burns Institute is to empower people to engage in democracy by delivering exceptionally high quality information that is easy to access. Toward that end, LBI publishes Ballotpedia, Judgepedia, and Public Policy, online resources that equip voter with the facts about local, state, and federal politics and policy. Since the organization’s founding in December 2006, LBI’s online articles have received nearly 400 million page views.
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