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Tier 3 · Published every February

The Empty Ballot List

Every local race in our territory at risk of going unopposed. Published every February. Shortened by every May.

What this is

Each February, our chapters compile every local seat coming up for election in their county — from the county elections office, which is public information — and flag the ones that have gone uncontested before or currently have no announced challenger.

Then we publish the whole list. Names of offices, not names of people. What the seat does, what it pays, what it costs to file, and when.

It is the least glamorous document we produce — and exactly the kind of document local press picks up.

This year’s list

Filterable list — connect to your live data Columns: County · Office · Seat · Annual pay · Filing fee · Status
Important

What it is not

Not a hit list

We do not name incumbents, characterize them, or suggest anyone should be replaced. A good officeholder running unopposed is still an election without a choice. The problem is the empty side of the ballot, not the filled one.

Not a target list for one side

Every name on our email list gets the same list on the same day. Any person of any persuasion may use it.

Not an endorsement of running

Some of these seats are hard, thankless, and time-consuming. We’ll tell you honestly which ones.

The number we publish in May

One line, and we stand behind it.

[X] races in our territory were headed for no contest. [Y] now have a choice. Published every year — whether that’s forty-one and seventeen, or forty-one and three.

A civic organization that only reports its good years isn’t reporting.

If you’re thinking about running

Find your district, see what’s open, and come to the April filing clinic.

Find my district

If you know somebody who should run

Send them the row. That’s how most of this works — research consistently finds that being asked is among the strongest predictors that a person runs.

Send this list to someone

If you’re press

The underlying data, methodology, and county sources are available on request, and we’ll walk you through them.

Press inquiries