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Each week, we bring you a collection of the most viewed stories from The Daily Brew, condensed. If you like this newsletter, sign up with one click to wake up and learn something new each day.
Here are the top stories from the week of January 13 - January 17. |
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77 officials were recalled in 2024—higher than the 10-year average
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Seventy-seven officials were removed from office through recall elections in 2024. Ballotpedia followed 246 recall efforts, targeting 383 officials in 2024. The 77 officials removed from office through recall elections represent about 20% of those targeted. This is the third-highest percentage of officials removed since Ballotpedia began tracking recall data in 2012.
Ballotpedia publishes annual mid and year-end recall reports containing national and state-level recall statistics and summaries of notable recalls. |
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Coalition of Democratic and Republican members select Texas House Speaker
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On Jan. 14, a coalition of Democrats and Republicans elected Rep. Dustin Burrows (R) to serve as speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Burrows defeated Reps. Ana-Maria Ramos (D) and David Cook (R) for the speakership. Rep. Dade Phelan (R)—who was elected to the position in January 2021—did not run for another term.
As a result of the 2024 general elections, Republicans have an 88-62 majority in the House. A candidate needed 76 votes to reach the majority threshold to be elected speaker. Since no candidate met the 76-vote majority threshold, the election went to a runoff between Burrows and Cook—the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round.
Local political observers said the race was the latest example of a factional divide that has existed in the chamber's Republican caucus for decades. The full story is available in Thursday’s Brew. |
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Voter ID measure on the ballot in Wisconsin on April 1
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On April 1, Wisconsin voters will decide on a constitutional amendment to require photo identification to vote. The Legislature voted to send the amendment to voters on Jan. 14.
While Wisconsin state law has required voters to show photo ID since 2011, this measure would add the requirement to the state’s constitution.
As of November 2024, 35 states required voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day, but many states provide for exceptions to these rules. Of these states, 23 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, with certain exceptions, and 12 states did not explicitly require photo identification. The remaining 15 states did not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. |
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Thirty-five state legislative chambers have or will select new leaders in 2025
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As state legislatures around the country convene for their 2025 sessions, lawmakers are determining who their legislative leaders will be. Ballotpedia identified 35 anticipated and implemented leadership changes across both chambers.
These include changes in senate presidents, senate president pro tempore, majority leaders, and house speakers. |
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