Email from Vote Smart Your Weekly Briefing is Here! Dive into the Latest Updates Now. Vote Smart Weekly Digest | February 6, 2026 Legislation · Elections · Candidates · Civic Context 🤓 Read time: 3 minutes Dear engaged readers, Before we get started, we’re inviting you to act as social media ambassadors in the simplest way possible by sharing this week’s trivia. Our 55,000 Weekly Digest subscribers are in regular conversation here. Now we’re testing what happens when that community carries nonpartisan voter information beyond our inboxes and into the feed using easily shareable, gamified social content. Click below, then use the share button on the Facebook post. 📢 Share on Facebook Without further ado, here is the week, in brief. Issues Affecting Voters This Week Immigration Enforcement Activity Recent developments in federal immigration enforcement operations and agent deployment.  SOURCES: → Reuters → Associated Press → Washington Post → Fox News National Elections Monitoring White House clarifies federal agency presence at polling locations ahead of elections.  SOURCES: → Reuters → Yahoo News → Newsmax  Federal Government Shutdown Ends Congress passes funding bill to reopen federal agencies after brief shutdown.  SOURCES: → Associated Press → Reuters → CNN → Fox News  State Legislation Highlights Key Votes Viz by Region: West, South, Midwest, Northeast Indiana (IN) - House Passed HB 1343 Authorizes the Indiana National Guard to Establish a Military Police Force Washington (WA) - Senate Passed SB 5855 Prohibits Local, State, and Federal Law Enforcement From Wearing Face Coverings  West Virginia (WV) - Senate Passed SB 4 Requires Bystanders to Remain at Least 30 Feet Away From First Responders Following a Verbal Warning For full details on legislation, visit our Vote Smart Issue Summary page. Biographies & Elections Texas State Senate District 9 - Special General Election Runoff Democrat Taylor Rehmet won his special general election runoff on Saturday, January 31, 2026, for Texas State Senate District 9. Senator-elect Rehmet defeated Republican challenger Leigh Wambsganss by a final margin of 57.2% to 42.8%, with a total final vote count of 94,880. Republicans currently hold an 18-11 majority in the State Senate and are not in session again until the state legislature reconvenes in 2027.  District 9, located in Tarrant County and including parts of Fort Worth, has not been held by a Democrat for over 50 years, and became vacant after former Senator Kelly Hancock resigned to become the Acting Texas State Comptroller in July 2025. These results show a 31% increase in support for state democrats after President Trump won this district by 17% in the 2024 Presidential Election. With the candidate filing deadline having already passed in Texas, these two candidates will face off again in the General Election scheduled for November 3, 2026. Alabama State House District 38 - Special General Election  Republican Kristin Nelson won her special general election on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, to represent Alabama State House District 38. Representative Elect Nelson defeated Democratic challenger Hazel Floyd by a final margin of 84.9% to 15.1%, with a total final vote count of 2,191. Former Representative Debbie Hamby Wood resigned from this seat in July 2025. The district extends from east of Auburn to the Georgia border. Alabama House members serve a four-year term, with Republicans currently holding a large 75-29 majority. The next general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026.    Other Special Elections This Week: Texas Special General Election Runoff, State Senate District 9 Texas Special General Election Runoff, United States House District 18 Alabama Special General Election, State House District 38 Arkansas Special Republican Primary Election Runoff, State Senate District 26 Massachusetts Special Democratic Primary Election, State Senate 1st Middlesex Michigan Special Primary Election, State Senate District 35 New Jersey Special Democratic Primary, United States House District 11 New York Special Primary Elections, State Assembly Districts 36 and 74, State Senate Districts 47 and 61 Civic Context "WTF" VIDEO: Executive Director Dr. Kyle Dell breaks down the words making headlines this week  Vote Smart Civic Trivia VIDEO: 10 questions crafted by our research team & pulled from topics in last week's digest. You have 90 seconds to test your knowledge!  Government 101 RESOURCES: For students and teachers looking for nonpartisan educational materials Vote Smart | 1153 24TH ST | DES MOINES, IA 50311-4308 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice