Ballotpedia Report Shows Highest Number of State Legislative Races Without Major Party Competition in 2023

MIDDLETON, Wis., Sept. 27, 2023  /PRNewswire/ -- Ballotpedia's new 2023 State Legislative Competitiveness Report shows that 336, or 58% of the 578 state legislative districts up for election this year have no major party competition.

This is the largest number of races with no major party competition in an odd year since Ballotpedia began gathering this data in 2011.

Out of the 336 uncontested races, Democrats are guaranteed to win 137 (24%), while Republicans are guaranteed 199 (34%). This is the highest number of guaranteed Republican seats in an odd year since at least 2011.

According to Ballotpedia's Editor-in-Chief, Geoff Pallay, "Despite the significant attention given to elections and the American political system, many voters in off-cycle or odd-year elections don't have a choice at the polls because so many races for legislative seats go uncontested."

About the State Legislative Competitiveness Report

Ballotpedia uses three criteria to determine state legislative competitiveness:

• Open seats, those in which no incumbents run
• Incumbents in contested primaries
• Races with major party competition – where Democrats and Republicans meet head-to-head in the general election

These figures are then averaged to produce a State Legislative Competitiveness Index. Each state is assigned a score ranging from zero (least competitive) to 100 (most competitive).

For More Information
Click here to read Ballotpedia's 2023 State Legislative Competitiveness Report.

About Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia is America's most trusted source of unbiased information on politics, elections and policy. Founded in 2007, Ballotpedia has grown from a small group of dedicated volunteers working on a handful of ballot measures to an essential resource for voters, media and researchers. Ballotpedia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the public interest in creating an educated, engaged electorate, and building a strong, healthy democracy. For free access to 420,000+ encyclopedic, professionally authored and curated articles, visit Ballotpedia.org.

SOURCE Ballotpedia