Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2023
Thousands of elections took place in 2023 across the United States, including primary and general elections at the state and local levels and special elections at the federal, state, and local levels. This page presents Ballotpedia's ongoing research and analysis on this year's elections in the United States, including:
- Coverage of federal special elections
- Coverage of state elections, including gubernatorial and state legislative races
- Coverage of local elections, including mayoral and other municipal elections
- Coverage of statewide ballot measures
Federal politics
Although there were no regularly-scheduled federal elections in 2023, there were federal special elections which took place.
As of January 2024, three special elections had been held to complete a term in the U.S. House, and there are three upcoming special elections scheduled to take place. The following special elections are upcoming:
- New York's 3rd Congressional District on February 13, 2024.
- California Senate on November 5, 2024.
- Nebraska Senate on November 5, 2024.
The following special elections already occurred:
- Utah’s 2nd Congressional District on November 21, 2023.
- Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District on November 7, 2023.
- Virginia's 4th Congressional District on February 21, 2023
Analysis
- Special elections to the 118th United States Congress (2023-2024)
- Party committee fundraising, 2023-2024
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 Elections to Watch, 2023
State politics
State legislative elections
- See also: State legislative elections, 2023
Eight of the country's 99 state legislative chambers held regularly-scheduled elections in 2023. Elections in those eight chambers represented 578 of the country's 7,386 state legislative seats (7.8%). This was the most seats up for election in an odd-numbered year since 2011.
- Democrats gained control of one state legislative chamber by winning partisan control of the Virginia House of Delegates. Democrats maintained control of the state Senate. Virginia's trifecta status remained divided.
- Republicans were guaranteed simple majorities in both Mississippi's House and Senate and Louisiana's House and Senate due to the number of districts where candidates from only one political party ran.
- Democrats maintained partisan control of both chambers of the New Jersey state legislature.
Analysis
- State legislative special elections
- Impact of term limits
- Primary competitiveness
- Incumbents defeated
- Contested primaries
- Open seats
- Incumbents in contested primaries
- Major party competition
- Annual report
- Veto-proof state legislatures and opposing party governors
- Rematches in 2023 general elections
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 Elections to Watch, 2023
- Election results, 2023: State legislative veto-proof majorities
- Uncontested races by state
- Incumbent win rates by state
- Minor-party candidates who won more than the margin of victory
State executive elections
- See also: State executive official elections, 2023
Analysis
- State executive official elections overview
- Gubernatorial elections
- Secretary of State elections
- Attorney General elections
- Historical and potential changes in trifectas
- Trifecta vulnerability
- State government trifectas
- States with multiple statewide offices up for election
- Impact of term limits
- Annual State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2023
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 Elections to Watch, 2023
- Uncontested races by state
- Incumbent win rates by state
State judicial elections
- See also: State judicial elections, 2023
A total of 15 state appellate court seats were up for election in 2023. This includes:
- 2 supreme court seats
- 13 intermediate appellate court seats.
The number of state supreme court and intermediate court elections is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
Ballotpedia provided coverage of supreme court and intermediate appellate court elections, as well as local trial court elections for judges within the 100 largest cities in the United States as measured by population.
Analysis
- State supreme court elections, 2023
- State judicial elections, 2023
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 Elections to Watch, 2023
- Uncontested races by state
- Incumbent win rates by state
State ballot measures
- See also: 2023 ballot measures
In 2023, 41 statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in eight states—Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. That's the highest number of state ballot measures for an odd-numbered year since 2007.
- Between March and August 2023, voters in three states decided on five ballot measures. Voters approved three and rejected two of these measures.
- On October 14, voters in Louisiana approved four constitutional amendments, including Amendment 1, which addressed private financing of election administration, and Amendment 2, which provided state constitutional rights regarding places of worship.
- On November 7, voters in five states decided on 28 ballot measures, including six citizen-initiated ballot measures (two in Ohio, and four in Maine). Voters approved 23 and rejected five ballot measures on November 7.
- On November 18, the last statewide ballot measure election of 2023, voters in Louisiana decided on an additional four constitutional amendments. Voters approved three and rejected one constitutional amendment.
Analysis
- Ballotpedia's top 10 ballot measures to watch, 2023
- Ballot measure campaign finance, 2023
- Ballotpedia: Analysis of the 2023 local ballot measures in the largest U.S. cities and state capitals
- Analysis of the 2023 local ballot measures in California
Local elections
- See also: United States municipal elections, 2023
Ballotpedia covered municipal elections in 29 counties and 77 cities, including 40 mayoral elections, in 2023. As of 2023, Ballotpedia's coverage scope for local elections included elections on the ballot in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population, as well as elections for mayors, city council members, and district attorneys in each state capital.
Analysis
- Election results, 2023: Partisan balance of mayors of the 100 largest cities by population
- Partisanship in United States municipal elections
- United States municipal elections overview
- School board elections
- Local trial court judicial elections
- Local ballot measure elections
- Ballotpedia's Mid-Year Recall Report (2023)
- Ballotpedia's 2023 Recall Analysis
- Rematches in 2023 general elections
- Endorsements in school board elections, 2023
- Ballotpedia's Top 15 Elections to Watch, 2023
- Uncontested races by state
- Incumbent win rates by state
- Minor-party candidates who won more than the margin of victory
Ballot measures
- See also: 2023 ballot measures
In 2023, 41 statewide ballot measures were certified for the ballot in eight states—Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. That's the highest number of state ballot measures for an odd-numbered year since 2007. Ballotpedia also covered local ballot measures in the localities within our coverage scope.
Analysis
- Campaign finance data for ballot measures
- Ballot Measure Scorecard
- Number of initiatives filed
- Ballotpedia's Tuesday Count for 2023
- Ballot measure readability scores, 2023
- Ballot measure signature costs, 2023
Election coverage by state
Click your state on the map below to navigate to relevant election information.
See also: Elections by state and year.
Election resources
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Footnotes
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