1. Analyzing campaign finance data for state legislative races in nine states
2. Explore Indiana elections
3. Explore Pennsylvania elections

Analyzing campaign finance data for state legislative races in nine states

We partnered with Transparency USA to take a closer look at 2018 and 2020 campaign finance data for Democratic and Republican legislative candidates in nine states—Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. 

Based on semiannual fundraising reports through June 30, overall contributions favored Republican candidates in five states—Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas—and Democratic candidates in three states—Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. In Wisconsin, Democratic and Republican candidates are nearly tied in contributions, both in the aggregate and per candidate.

As part of our analysis, we recorded the number and average size of donations to Democratic and Republican legislative candidates in each state to see how they changed between 2018 and 2020. We also measured donations to the official PACs of the state branches of the Democratic and Republican parties.

Here's a look at data for a few of these states:

Florida: Republican candidates for the state legislature had raised $20.6 million while Democrats had raised $9.8 million. Per candidate, Republican candidates had raised an average of $108,514, while Democratic candidates had raised $37,424. 

Pennsylvania: Democratic state legislative candidates had raised $22.8 million, while Republican candidates had raised $14.4 million. Per candidate, Democrats had raised an average of $86,702, while Republicans had raised $64,587.

There’s lots of data to analyze and there’s a full report with maps and charts for each of the nine states so you can review the data in detail. This is some really interesting stuff—go ahead and check it out!

For instance, see the regional contrast in fundraising between Democratic and Republican candidates for Ohio State Senate:

Learn more

       

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Explore Indiana elections 

On the ballot in Indiana

At the federal level, Indiana voters will elect 11 presidential electors and nine U.S. Representatives. At the state level, the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general are on the ballot along with 25 state Senate seats, 100 state House districts, one state supreme court seat, and six intermediate appellate court seats. Ballotpedia is tracking local elections taking place in Allen County, Marion County, and 13 school districts.

Partisan balance in Indiana

• In 2016, Donald Trump (R) defeated Hillary Clinton (D) 57% to 38% in Indiana. In the past 10 presidential elections, Barack Obama was the only Democrat to win Indiana in 2008.
• Five of Indiana’s 92 counties are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and Donald Trump (R) in 2016.
• Both of Indiana’s U.S. Senators—Mike Braun and Todd C. Young—are Republicans.
• Republicans represent 7 of Indiana’s U.S. House districts and Democrats represent 2.
• Indiana’s governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all Republicans, meaning it is one of 19 states with a Republican triplex. It has held this status since 2005.
• Republicans hold a 40-10 majority in the state Senate and a 67-33 majority in the state House. Because the governor is also a Republican, Indiana is one of 21 states with a Republican trifecta. Republicans gained a trifecta in 2010 when they won a majority in the state House.

Battleground races in Indiana

Here is one battleground race in Indiana this year:

• Indiana’s 5th Congressional District: Christina Hale (D), Victoria Spartz (R), Ken Tucker (L), and write-in Ellen Kizik (I) are running in the general election for Indiana's 5th Congressional District. Retiring incumbent Rep. Susan Brooks (R) defeated Dee Thornton (D), 57% to 43%, in 2018.

Ballot measures in Indiana

• There are no statewide ballot measures on the Nov. 3 ballot in Indiana.

Voting in Indiana

• In Indiana, only voters meeting certain criteria are eligible to vote absentee or via mail-in ballot. Click here for information about the state's eligibility criteria.
• Indiana does not require witnesses or notaries to sign absentee/mail-in ballots.
• Absentee/mail-in ballots can be returned in person or by mail. If returned in person, the ballot must be received by Nov. 3. If mailed in, the ballot must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 13. Click here to check the status of your absentee/mail-in ballot.
• Indiana requires all voters to present photo identification at the polls. For information about voter ID requirements in Indiana, click here.
• Indiana election law states that votes can be counted starting on Nov. 3 at noon.
• In 2018, mail-in ballots were 25.6% of the total votes cast.
• Early voting in Indiana opens on Oct. 6 and closes on Nov. 2.
• Polls in Indiana are open from 6 a.m to 6 p.m. local time on Election Day. Indiana is split between the Eastern and Central time zones.

Explore Pennsylvania elections

On the ballot in Pennsylvania

At the federal level, Pennsylvania voters will elect 20 presidential electors and 18 U.S. Representatives. At the state level, the offices of attorney general, auditor, and treasurer are on the ballot along with 25 state Senate seats and 203 state House districts. Ballotpedia is tracking local ballot measure elections taking place in Allegheny County and Philadelphia County.

Partisan balance in Pennsylvania

• In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) defeated Hillary Clinton (D) 48.2% to 47.5% in Pennsylvania. Democrats won all presidential elections in the state from 1992 to 2012.
• Pennsylvania is one of 34 states with at least one Pivot County. Pivot Counties voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012, then voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Pennsylvania has three such counties.
• Pennsylvania's senior U.S. Senator, Bob Casey Jr., is a Democrat. Its junior Senator, Pat Toomey, is a Republican.
• Democrats and Republicans each represent nine of the state's U.S. House districts.
• Pennsylvania's governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are Democrats. This means the state is one of 17 with a Democratic triplex. It has held this status since 2015.
• Republicans hold a 28-21 majority in the state Senate and a 109-93 majority in the state House of Representatives. Since the governor is a Democrat, the state is one of 14 with a divided government. Republicans lost trifecta status when Tom Wolf (D) became governor in 2015.

Battleground races in Pennsylvania

Here is one battleground election in Pennsylvania in 2020:

• Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District: Incumbent Conor Lamb (D) and Sean Parnell (R) are running. Lamb was first elected in the March 13, 2018, special election to fill the remainder of Tim Murphy's (R) term in the 18th Congressional District. Lamb defeated Rick Saccone (R) 49.9% to 49.5%. Following court-ordered redistricting in 2018, Lamb was elected to the 17th District, defeating Keith Rothfus (R) 56.3% to 43.7%. This district is one of 30 Democratic-held U.S. House districts that Trump won in the 2016 presidential election.

Ballot measures in Pennsylvania

• There are no statewide ballot measures on the Nov. 3 ballot in Pennsylvania.
• Click here to see Ballotpedia’s coverage of local ballot measures in Pennsylvania.

Voting in Pennsylvania

• All Pennsylvania voters may cast mail-in ballots.
• Witnesses or notaries are not required to sign mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania. 
• Mail-in ballots can be returned in person or by mail. If returned in person, ballots must be received by Nov. 3. If returned by mail, ballots must be postmarked on or before Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 6. Click here to check the status of your mail-in ballot.
• Pennsylvania election law states that votes can be counted starting on Nov. 3 at 7:00 a.m.
• In 2018, mail-in ballots were 3.7% of the total votes cast.
• Pennsylvania does not require all voters to present ID at the polls. Select voters, however, may be required to present ID at the polls (e.g., first-time voters who registered by mail without submitting identification). For more information, click here.
• Pennsylvania offers early voting in the form of in-person mail-in voting. The early voting period opens on Oct. 20, at the latest, and closes on Oct. 27.
• In Pennsylvania, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Pennsylvania is in the Eastern time zone. 

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