On the Ballot

On this episode: New York City voters head to the polls for the Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday, June 24 – with early voting totals already exceeding what the city saw in 2021. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo is attempting a political comeback, while Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani has gained traction with a progressive message and growing grassroots support. Annie McDonough, City Hall reporter f...

On this episode: For over 75 years, the American Bar Association has played a key role in evaluating the professional qualifications of federal judicial nominees. But its involvement has long been a source of debate—particularly among Republicans, with concerns about bias dating back to the Reagan administration. In this episode, University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias explains how the AB...

On this episode: New Jersey’s gubernatorial race is taking shape following a pair of high-profile primaries on June 10th that set the stage for one of 2025’s most closely watched elections. Democrat Mikie Sherrill secured her party’s nomination with broad statewide support, while Republican Jack Ciattarelli dominated his field with the backing of Donald Trump and institutional GOP support. The mat...

On this episode: Constitutional scholar Sai Prakash of the University of Virginia joins us to explore the origins, evolution, and modern realities of presidential power. Drawing on historical debates from the Constitutional Convention, Prakash outlines how early framers envisioned a limited executive—primarily tasked with enforcing laws—and how that vision has shifted over time.  Prakash and our H...

On this episode : House majorities have grown razor-thin in recent elections, with three cycles in a row decided by just a handful of seats. Kyle Kondik of Sabato’s Crystal Ball joins to explain how voter sorting, redistricting changes, and a shrinking battlefield are shaping the odds for 2026. He breaks down why historical midterm trends may be less reliable, how key states like New York, Ohio, a...

On this episode: As of May 6, 2025, fourteen members of Congress had announced they will not seek re-election in 2026. This group includes five senators—three Democrats and one Republican—and nine representatives, comprising four Democrats and five Republicans. Among the House members, one Democrat is retiring from public office, while the others are pursuing higher offices: four are running for t...

On this episode: As school districts adjust to the end of federal COVID relief funding and new policies under President Donald Trump’s administration, many are navigating budget shortfalls, shifting enrollment trends, and tough financial trade-offs.  Dr. Marguerite Roza — Director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University — joins the show to break down how education funding works, who makes ke...

On this episode: From local zoning laws to federal education funding, rules created by the administrative state shape daily life in more ways than most people realize. Amy Handlin — a new member of Ballotpedia’s Policy team — unpacks how the modern regulatory system developed in response to 20th-century corruption, how it expanded through citizen demand and federal policy, and how it continues to...

On this episode: Congress is once again turning to the powerful tool of budget reconciliation to try and pass major legislation — and with razor-thin majorities in both chambers, every vote counts for the Republican coalition trying to pass President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill.’ Michael Thorning, director of the Structural Democracy Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center, joins the show...

On this episode: Virginia may hold elections every year, but the 2025 contests are shaping up to be especially exciting. With races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and all 100 seats in the House of Delegates, the state is once again a key barometer for national political sentiment. The Virginia Scope’s Brandon Jarvis joins Ballotpedia’s new host, Norm Leahy, to unpack why thes...

On this episode: Oregon’s long and lively ballot measure history takes center stage as we explore how the state became a pioneer in direct democracy in the latest edition of our Monthly Historical Ballot Measures series. With more initiatives than nearly any other state, Oregon has tackled everything from salmon fishing rules and death penalty debates to psilocybin legalization and electoral refor...

On this episode: Cryptocurrency has evolved from a niche experiment into a disruptive force with global implications—and U.S. financial institutions, lawmakers, and regulators are working to establish clear crypto-related policy. In this episode, we unpack the state of crypto policy in 2025: The political realignment around digital assets, the rapid growth of stablecoins, the future of tokenized s...

On this episode: President Trump has made his first judicial nomination since returning to office, selecting a candidate for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Most presidents make few judicial nominations in their first 100 days, and Trump’s current pace aligns with historical trends dating back to Reagan. While his first term (and former President Joe Biden’s) saw a record number o...

On this episode: What does it really take to track down local election information? On this episode of On the Ballot, Ballotpedia’s Thomas Grobben joins host Doug Kronaizl for a behind-the-scenes look at the quirky, persistent, and sometimes unexpected lengths our team goes to in order to gather candidate data from all corners of the country. From calling local newspapers and county treasurers to...

On this episode: States don’t all count ballots at the same speed, and the reasons why are more complicated than they might seem. In some places, unofficial election results are nearly complete by the end of Election Day. In others, it can take election officials days or even weeks to finish the count. Behind the scenes, policies around ballot deadlines, early voting, pre-processing rules, and ele...

On this episode: We explore how authority over public education is shifting across the country—starting with Ohio’s new “Parents' Bill of Rights” law. Axios Columbus reporter Alissa Widman Neese breaks down the law’s controversial provisions, reactions from educators and lawmakers, and where the debate might go next. Then, Ballotpedia staff writer Annalise Reinwald joins the show to explain ho...

On this episode: The 3rd installment of our Historical Ballot Measures Factbook series! A deep dive into the Golden State’s long and influential history with ballot measures. Former host and ballot measure expert Victoria Rose returns to help us explore how California became a national trendsetter in direct democracy—covering everything from Prop 65’s warning labels to the tax revolt sparked by Pr...

On this episode: In 2025, Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring English the official language of the United States. Around the same time, Idaho lawmakers approved a constitutional amendment to do the same at the state level—setting the stage for a 2026 ballot measure. But this push for English-only laws has a much longer history, one shaped by shifting politics, cultural identity debate...

On this episode: Breaking down the high-stakes April 1st elections, featuring two of the most closely watched contests since last November. First, Wisconsin Public Radio’s Anya van Wagtendonk joins us to unpack Judge Susan Crawford’s double-digit victory in the nation’s most expensive judicial race in history, what drove the record-breaking turnout, and how the results could shape abortion access,...

On this episode: With Incumbent Justice Ann Walsh Bradley retiring, the stakes in Wisconsin's April 1st election  to select her successor couldn’t be higher — determining whether the court maintains its current liberal majority or shifts to a conservative 4-3 split.  The candidates, former Republican Attorney General and current circuit court judge Brad Schimel, and Dane County circuit court j...

On this episode: With every state legislature in session this year, lawmakers have introduced thousands of bills aimed at reshaping how Americans vote. Some states are tightening voter registration requirements, while others are expanding mail-in voting and ranked-choice elections. Partisan control is driving many of these changes, but some surprising bipartisan efforts have emerged as well. Ballo...

On this episode: Ohio’s ballot measure history is shaped by constitutional debates, major policy shifts, and battles over direct democracy. The 1912 constitutional convention laid the foundation for the state's initiative and referendum process, fueling a surge in ballot activity. The 1919 referendum on Prohibition attempted to overturn the state legislature’s ratification of the 18th Amendmen...

On this episode: Legislators are in the midst of negotiating a bill to keep the federal government up and running through September. Key debates and votes are playing out over the course of this week, with a ‘partial’ government shutdown possibly starting as early as this Friday, March 14th, if Congress can’t agree on a path forward. From federal employee furloughs to impacts on essential services...

On this episode: As of March 2025, 15 states have enacted universal private school choice programs, allowing all students to access public funds for private schools, homeschooling, and other alternatives to traditional public education. These programs—ranging from education savings accounts (ESAs) to tax credit scholarships and vouchers—have become a defining feature of state-level education polic...

On this episode: On Monday, March 3, voters in the Town of Vernon, Ind., — population 236 — casted their ballots in the state’s ONLY regularly-scheduled election of the year. The reason Vernon is such an outlier is because it is the only town in the state still governed by a charter, which was enacted in 1851, rather than state law.  Here’s what Vernon voted on earlier this week, how some of their...