Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

Beyond the Virginia governor's race, here's what's on the Nov. 2 ballot

New York City voters

Voters in New York City cast their ballots early for the Nov. 2 general elections for mayor and city council.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

While most of the national attention will be on Virginia's gubernatorial election next week, many other states will also be holding key elections on Nov. 2.

The tight race between Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who is seeking a second, non-consecutive term in Virginia's Executive Mansion, is seen by many political prognosticators as a sign of what's to come in next year's midterm congressional elections. And the Democratic-led General Assembly could be up for grabs as well.

But there's also a governor's race in New Jersey. Democrat Phil Murphy is running for a second term against Republican Jack Ciattarelli, while down-ballot races will fill out the Legislature.

Here are other local and statewide elections taking place across the country next week:


    • In Arizona, there will be votes on ballot initiatives in Chandler, Scottsdale and Gilbert, and a municipal election in Tucson.
    • California has several localities with ballot measure elections, as well as candidate races in Los Angeles County and other jurisdictions.
    • Colorado has elections for statewide ballot measures, as well as some local ballot initiatives.
    • In Florida, there are municipal elections in Miami, St. Petersburg and Orlando, as well as a special primary for the state's 20th congressional district.
    • Georgia's capital, Atlanta, has municipal elections and Fulton, the most populous county, has a ballot initiative election. There's also a special election for a state House seat.
    • Iowa's capital, Des Moines, has municipal elections.
    • Idaho has municipal elections in its capital, Boise, as well as local school board and ballot measure elections.
    • In Kansas, Wichita and Topeka have municipal elections. Several other jurisdictions have school board elections.
    • Kentucky has three special elections for seats in the General Assembly.
    • Massachusetts' capital, Boston, has a municipal election and there's a special election for a state House seat.
    • In Maryland, the cities of Annapolis and Greenbelt have municipal elections.
    • In Maine, there are municipal elections in Portland and Bangor, as well as statewide initiatives on the ballot.
    • In Michigan, Detroit and Lansing have municipal elections. There are also special elections for two state Senate seats.
    • In Minnesota, there's a high-profile race for mayor of Minneapolis. Also, St. Paul has a municipal election and two other jurisdictions have school board contests.
    • Mississippi has two special elections for state Senate seats.
    • In Montana, there's a municipal election in Helena.
    • Durham, N.C., has a municipal election.
    • In New Hampshire, there's a municipal election in Concord and a school board election in Manchester.
    • In New Mexico, there are municipal and school board elections in Albuquerque and municipal elections in Santa Fe.
    • New York City has its general election for mayor and city council. Elsewhere in the state, there are local elections in Albany and Erie County.
    • Ohio has a statewide ballot initiative election. The cities of Toledo, Cincinnati and Cleveland have municipal elections, and there are special elections to represent the 11th and 15th congressional districts. Several other jurisdictions have school board elections.
    • Pennsylvania has statewide elections for district attorney, city controller and several judges, as well as ballot initiatives. There are also special elections in Philadelphia and for two state House seats.
    • Rhode Island has a special election for a state Senate seat.
    • Columbia, S.C., has municipal elections.
    • Several jurisdictions in Texas have special elections for school districts and local measures on the ballot. There's also a runoff election for a state House seat.
    • Salt Lake City, Utah, has municipal elections.
    • Washington has municipal elections in Seattle and Tacoma, as well as a statewide ballot measure.
    • Wyoming has local elections in Laramie County.

    Read More

    A young man holding a smartphone to his ear.

    A California church models civil political dialogue through Living Room Conversations, showing how curiosity and listening can bridge divides and strengthen relationships.

    Getty Images, Cultura Creative

    A Conversation You’ve Been Putting Off?

    The Episcopal church in Placerville, California, is not an obvious candidate for political harmony. Its congregation is roughly half conservative and half progressive — a split that, over the past decade, has torn apart faith communities across the country. But this one held together through the pandemic. Through two bruising election cycles and everything else, the congregation’s priest, Debra Sabino, managed to keep their core values front and center. And recently, its members decided they wanted to do more.

    Start with what everyone already agrees on

    Ken Futernick, co-lead of Bridging Divides El Dorado, was asked to facilitate an event after a recent Sunday service. He began with a simple exercise. He asked people to think about the most important things in their lives — and then to tell the person next to them where their relationships with friends and family ranked on that list.

    Keep ReadingShow less
    Democracy Isn’t Eroding. It’s Evolving. The Question Is: Toward What?
    a group of flags

    Democracy Isn’t Eroding. It’s Evolving. The Question Is: Toward What?

    I fell in love with democracy before I fully understood it.

    In high school civics classes in the 1990s, I learned about a system that was imperfect in its origins but evolving toward something better. I believed in that evolution. I believed that democracy, if nurtured, could become more inclusive than the one it started as.

    Keep ReadingShow less
    Macbeth’s Warning: How Ambition and Power Threaten Our Democracy

    Engraving of three witches around a bubbling cauldron in a cave summoning an apparition of a rising demon in the background recalling a scene from Shakespeare's Macbeth..Image found in an 1881 book: "Zig Zag Journeys in the Orient" Published by John Wilson & Son, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

    Getty Images, KenWiedemann

    Macbeth’s Warning: How Ambition and Power Threaten Our Democracy

    “Something wicked this way comes…” chant the three witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, hailing the former general, now the new king of Scotland.

    And indeed, something wicked this way has come to us, in the threat that we are facing to our democracy.

    Keep ReadingShow less
    The American Dream Now Comes with a Higher Price Tag

    People protest for "family affordable Housing"

    Photo provided

    The American Dream Now Comes with a Higher Price Tag

    Basma Ahmad leaves her apartment in Arlington, Va., just after 7 a.m., walking a few blocks to a Metro station before catching the train into Washington. By the time she reaches her office downtown, the commute has taken close to an hour.

    Ahmad, 25, moved to the United States from Pakistan last year to work in policy research. She shares a three-bedroom apartment with two roommates, and her portion of the rent is about $1,100 a month.

    Keep ReadingShow less