BallotReady

This past Tuesday featured a shocking local election upset. A Democrat won a special election for State Senate seat in Pennsylvania in a district where Donald Trump just won by 16 points last November. The seat had been held by a Republican for decades. The victory is being credited to trends in national politics including by new DNC chair Ken Martin who said Democrats "continue to over-perform as voters join us in fighting back against the Trump-Musk agenda." Another difference? Democrats ran a candidate. According to our data, Democrats didn't contest this seat the last time it was on the ballot in 2022. Contesting local races mean more visibility, more voter engagement – and more potential for political upsets.

The media often paints politics as a fight between Democrats and Republicans - but that's not the whole story. Next Tuesday alone, Illinois voters will decide on 10,000 completely nonpartisan positions. Nationwide, there are roughly 70,000 such seats on ballots this year. No party labels. No D or R next to names. These nonpartisan positions allow candidates to focus on local governance rather than national political battles (in theory, though not always in practice). But they also create a real challenge for voters who can't rely on the familiar shortcut of party affiliation. Voting down party lines simply isn't an option here – which is why voters need resources to prepare ahead of time. Check out our preview of nonpartisan seats on the 2025 ballot using the link below ??

Tired of partisan politics but still want to be involved? Boy, do we have the solution for you ?? Believe it or not, 65% of the open seats on the ballot in 2025 are "nonpartisan". For most states, all of the open seats up this year are nonpartisan races (see map). In other words, candidates for these seats can't directly associate with a political party and won't appear with party labels on the ballot ?? Most of these nonpartisan positions are in local government where (hypothetically) the roles are focused on delivering for the people as opposed to for the party. There are over 70,000 such seats on the ballot this year. Voting down party lines won't work – voters needs tools like BallotReady to prepare ahead of time. See our preview on nonpartisan seats on the ballot in 2025 using the link in the comments ??

Since taking office, Donald Trump has signed 89 executive orders, the most by a president in his first 100 days in 40 years?? The scope & power of the federal government is changing at a dizzying pace. Traditionally, executive orders were a tool to manage the staff and resources of the federal government's executive branch. Thus far, many have been written to enforce specific policies or viewpoints, including ending birthright citizenship, establishing English as the official national language, and ending covid vaccine mandates in public schools. So, what do these executive orders really mean for the people? Are they being enforced? Well, don't look at me.. ?? Look at the local lawmakers and federal officials who are the ones tasked with answering those questions across our government. Elected judges, governors, mayors, and even school board members have their hands full trying to interpret these actions, follow the law, and properly serve their districts. It's no wonder that constituents of both parties are flooding them with calls and emails. Giving people the information they need to make those calls and draft those emails is a bigger project than most might assume. But it's one we are proud to offer through BallotReady (see more in comments) ?

The most expensive court race in U.S. history? It's happening right now ?? Less than a month away on Tuesday, April 1st, Wisconsin voters will head to the polls to fill a seat on their State Supreme Court. This pivotal swing seat will be the determining factor on a number of issues such as abortion, voter access, and redistricting. It's technically a nonpartisan election, but with significant partisan implications. But that's not all Wisconsin voters need to prepare for ?? There are over 1200 open seats on the ballot including 70 mayors, 211 city councilors, 168 school board seats, and a critical statewide Superintendent of Schools race ? Subscribe using the link in the comments to see our latest research updates on the upcoming Wisconsin election.

Two years ago, I started a newsletter on behalf of BallotReady so that I could try out some election puns, offer some snarky political commentary, and most importantly, share out the latest insights from our Research team ?? Today, that newsletter has over 45k subscribers including election experts, union leaders, major CEOs, and social media influencers. I haven't spent a single cent on advertising or promotion ?? We got here by providing VALUE that no one else in the local election space can including groundbreaking analyses on uncontested races, candidate issue stances, and upcoming school board elections. What excites me the most is that I know for a fact the best is yet to come, and that we have a bunch of novel analyses currently in the pipeline. So, join me on this journey by signing up for the newsletter today (link in comments). Plus, feel free to comment or DM me with topics you'd like us to cover next! ??

9 years ago, our Research team added our first ever candidacy for office to our database - John Farney for Champaign County, Illinois Auditor (who has served on that county board ever since). Today, we celebrate the addition of our one MILLIONTH candidacy to the BallotReady database - Robert Weller for Scottville Township board in Illinois ?? While these two districts are separated by only 136 miles, for our Research team the difference is a million different data entries covering candidacies across the country for our down ballot voter guide. Time will only tell where the next million candidacies will take place. Until then, to the 333 residents of Scottville, IL - you're up!

For the first time, people can go to BallotReady.org and see opportunities to run for office in their local communities ?? All you need to do is enter your address and hit "Run for office". There, you will see: positions you are eligible to run for the filing requirements a number of partner organizations to help you get started & answer questions It's such a neat tool, that I am tempted to run for office myself ?? Check it out ??

70% of local races went uncontested last November. That means thousands of critical decisions—on schools, housing, public safety, and infrastructure—were left in the hands of a single candidate, or worse, an empty seat. The challenge isn’t just getting people to vote—it’s ensuring they have real choices on the ballot. That’s why we built Recruitment Engine—a first-of-its-kind tool that makes it easier than ever to run for office. Now, anyone can: ?? Find open seats they’re eligible for ?? Access filing deadlines and requirements ?? Connect with training and support networks 2025 will bring more open seats than 2024, and by 2026, tens of thousands of local offices will be up for election. The time to build the next generation of leaders is now.

We've been banging the drum a lot at BallotReady about the importance of 2025 and now we've synthesized our research into one fact sheet. The truth is, there are no "off years." Coming off of a presidential election, organizations have the opportunity to continue their momentum, test new ideas for 2026, and most importantly make a difference in the 100,000 seats up for election. And if you already know this and want to bang the drum too, we're hoping this one-pager helps others to make the case to stakeholders, funders, and loved ones too. There are no “off” years in protecting and strengthening our democratic institutions ?? ?? ?? https://lnkd.in/d_Redkqg