Election 2022
A record-setting number of women will serve in state legislatures in 2023
WASHINGTON — A record number of women will soon serve in state legislatures, breaking the previous cap of female lawmakers by at least 69 seats and bringing total representation to more than 32%, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. States will have at least 2,376 female lawmakers in 2023, including both women […]
Alaska certifies final election results, but three state House races face further hurdles
The Alaska Division of Elections uneventfully certified the results of the state’s Nov. 8 general election on Wednesday, becoming the 26th state to finalize its election. None of Alaska’s 62 legislative and statewide races changed leaders as members of the multipartisan state review board examined unofficial results for accuracy, then signed an oath on Tuesday. […]
In new bipartisan Alaska Senate majority of 17, members vow compromise and consensus
Seventeen of Alaska’s 20 state senators and senator-elects have banded together to form a bipartisan majority coalition that members promise will be moderate and consensus-focused. Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican and veteran lawmaker known as a moderate, will be president, returning to the role he held from 2009 to 2012. “It’s a pleasure for me […]
Republicans hold majority in Alaska House after two candidates benefit from ranked choice voting
Republicans hold 21 of the 40 seats in the Alaska House of Representatives after the first full run of Alaska’s new ranked choice voting system, but their ability to form a governing majority isn’t certain. The 21-person total includes two candidates who had been trailing before votes were tabulated Wednesday evening. Incumbent Republican Rep. Tom […]
Murkowski, Peltola and Dunleavy projected to win Alaska elections
All three incumbents likely clinched final victory in Alaska’s statewide elections Friday, as the Alaska Division of Elections updated results with thousands of additional absentee, questioned and early ballots from this fall’s general election. Final unofficial results will not be available until 4 p.m. Wednesday, when the division implements the state’s new ranked choice sorting […]
Judge dismisses eligibility lawsuit against Anchorage Democrat, but the suit may return
Anchorage Superior Court Judge Herman Walker on Friday dismissed a lawsuit challenging the eligibility of Democratic state House candidate Jennie Armstrong, citing the timing of the lawsuit. The dismissal may be temporary: Walker said the suit — which questioned whether Armstrong lived in Alaska long enough before she registered as a candidate — may be […]
A Facebook campaign and dividend memories influenced Alaska’s closest legislative election
As votes are slowly counted in Alaska’s 59 legislative elections, no race is closer than the head-to-head election in far-west House District 39. In the Uruguay-sized area that includes Nome and the Bering Sea coast, Democratic Rep. Neal Foster, D-Nome, leads Alaskan Independence Party candidate Tyler Ivanoff by just 10 votes out of 3,317 cast, […]
Republicans win control of the U.S. House with 218th seat
Republicans clinched a majority in the U.S. House on Wednesday night after a Republican won reelection to a California seat that put the GOP over the top, according to Associated Press projections. Though not as decisive a victory as GOP leaders had hoped, Republican candidates flipped key seats in New York, Virginia, Oregon and Arizona […]
With more votes counted, Alaska House races are split 20-20 between Republicans and others
Democratic candidate Donna Mears overtook Republican candidate Forrest Wolfe in a closely watched Alaska House race as the Alaska Division of Elections counted 27,178 early, absentee and questioned ballots, about three-fifths of the number outstanding from the Nov. 8 general election. Additional absentee ballots are expected to arrive in the coming days, and the Division […]
In first nationwide election since Roe was overturned, voters opt to protect abortion access
The first major election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade saw abortion rights on the ballot in a record number of states. The outcomes of these initiatives suggest that when Kansas voters in August 2022 rejected a proposed constitutional amendment declaring there is no state right to abortion, it was not a fluke. […]
Congress heads back to D.C. for a hectic lame-duck session
WASHINGTON — Congress returns to Capitol Hill and a lengthy to-do list next week, following a six-week midterm elections break that saw Democrats outperform expectations and Republicans barely inch toward the U.S. House majority. On the agenda are same-sex marriage legislation, a huge defense bill, changes in how presidential electoral votes are counted and more. […]
Young Black and Latino voters seen as key in turning back midterm ‘red wave’
WASHINGTON — Young Black and Latino voters were critical in holding off the Republican “red wave” in several battleground states for U.S. Senate seats and in tight U.S. House races in the midterm elections, according to analyses by researchers and grassroot organizations. Young, diverse voters between the ages of 18 and 29 had the second-highest […]