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Each week, The Weekly Brew brings you a collection of the most viewed stories from The Daily Brew, condensed. If you like this newsletter, sign up to The Daily Brew with one click to wake up and learn something new each day.
Here are the top stories from the week of September 1 - September 5. |
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Utah ordered to redraw congressional districts ahead of the 2026 elections
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On Aug. 25, a federal judge ordered Utah to redraw its congressional map, making Utah one of 13 states where congressional district boundaries may change before the 2026 elections. Most notably, on Aug. 29, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a new congressional map into law that is meant to gain five Republican U.S. House seats. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) set a Nov. 4, 2025, special election for a constitutional amendment to redraw the state's congressional district boundaries through 2030.
Three of the 13 states that could have new congressional districts ahead of the 2026 elections may change their maps as a result of litigation: Georgia, Louisiana, and Utah. |
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Democrats outperform 2024 presidential margins in 2025 special elections
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So far this year, 29 of the 34 (85%) special state legislative elections resulted in the Democratic candidate running ahead of Kamala Harris' (D) performance in those districts in the 2024 presidential election.
Fourteen of the 25 (56%) special elections during this period in 2021 resulted in the Republican candidate running ahead of Trump's performance in those districts in the 2020 presidential election. |
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We spoke to school board members nationwide about their roles—access the report
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In 2024 and 2025, Ballotpedia staff spoke with 100 school board members in 33 states about their motivations for running for elected office and their experiences managing their districts.
The goal of these wide-ranging, hour-long conversations was to learn more about the people who occupy these positions of community trust to ensure our coverage of their elections serves their communities.
The resulting 43-page report details board member perspectives on conflict resolution, academic oversight, community engagement, and governance effectiveness. It includes statistical analysis, thematic findings, and direct quotes from interviews.
You can read the full report at the link below. |
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Thirty-eight states have confirmed dates for their 2026 statewide primaries
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Thirty-eight states, Guam, and the District of Columbia have confirmed the dates of their 2026 statewide primaries. Thirty of the 38 states have published materials confirming filing deadlines for primary candidates.
So far, Wisconsin has confirmed the earliest 2026 statewide primary date, Feb. 17, for its spring election (the state's fall primary is scheduled for Aug. 11). The first confirmed primaries for the Nov. 3 election will be held on March 3 in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas. Louisiana will hold the first round of its majority-vote system elections on Nov. 3 to close out the 2026 primaries. In 2024, the last even-year election, Alabama, Arkansas, California, North Carolina, and Texas all shared the earliest 2024 statewide primary date—March 5—due to presidential primaries. The first round of Louisiana's 2024 statewide election happened on Nov. 5. |
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Ballotpedia's trusted, nonpartisan information reaches millions of voters at no cost—but it's not free to produce. Every article we write, every ballot measure we explain, and every candidate profile we publish is made possible by supporters like you.
Your tax-deductible gift helps us expand our coverage to every election in the U.S., including local elections, and you can be assured we're good stewards of your investment with our Platinum GuideStar seal. |
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