Elections editorial approach
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| Ballotpedia's editorial approach documents |
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| Local government |
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| Influencers |
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| Elections |
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Election coverage at the federal, state, local, and territorial levels of government is a key element of Ballotpedia.
Facets of election coverage
Ballotpedia’s election coverage includes:
- Primaries, runoffs, special elections and general elections
- Profiles of incumbents and challengers from both major and minor parties who have filed for election
- Election results—winners and vote totals
- Analysis of key races, storylines and other data
- Election dates
- Election policy—including information about ballot access, redistricting and voting methods
The following types of information are also included for many of the races we cover, though there is variation with these depending on the type of election and the information available.
- Polls
- Campaign news
- Campaign finance
- Campaign themes and issues
- Candidate survey responses
Types of elections
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 18,946 elections in 2022 and 12,626 in 2023 with a goal of 25,000 in 2024.
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.
Timelines
Candidate profiles
Candidate profiles are written after a filing deadline passes. We also welcome email submissions from candidates. We will add information from emailed candidates with official paperwork within 5 to 10 business days.
Results / vote totals
We pride ourselves on updating Ballotpedia in a timely manner after an election, so results are posted as soon as possible. For federal and statewide offices, elections results updates will be completed within 24 hours of poll closing times. Vote totals for high-profile races are updated frequently throughout the election night. We make sure that all results, including local results, are updated by the end of the week at the latest, as long as results are available to us from the government election offices. We do not provide vote totals in local races beyond our regular coverage scope unless otherwise specified.
Priorities
At Ballotpedia, our high standard of neutrality extends to our election coverage. Specifically, we are committed to providing a balanced amount of information about candidates from both major parties, as well as for minor party and independent candidates.
To better inform our readers, we identify the most competitive or consequential races and designate those for more in-depth coverage. These are often referred to as battleground races, which require special attention in terms of updates and analysis. Similarly, we may provide more information on notable ballot measures (both state and local) based on widespread interest in the issues at stake and the sizes of the populations affected by the measures. Races for higher offices, such as state supreme court elections, are typically covered in more detail than races for lower-level offices, such as county judgeships. In the same way, candidates in a competitive election require more attention than a candidate who is unopposed.
Although we still provide full election coverage (as defined in the election coverage section) for all of the types of elections listed previously, some races require us to go more in-depth with our research in order to better inform our interested readers. Selecting these races is up to the editorial judgment of Ballotpedia staff, taking into account the competitiveness of the race, public interest and staff hours available.
Coverage of write-in candidates occurs at Ballotpedia's discretion. Write-in candidates will typically be covered if they are actively campaigning with substantive support, if they are running in a race with no official candidates on the ballot, or if they are included on the official candidate list issued by the election agency.
Scope of Ballotpedia
To read more about the scope of Ballotpedia as a whole, beyond just elections, see: Ballotpedia:Scope.
Contact information
For questions about our editorial approach or coverage areas, please contact editor@ballotpedia.org.
See also
- Elections
- Election results
- Elections by state and year
- Elections and events calendar
- State Poll Opening and Closing Times
- Voting laws by state
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