Voting began in the 2021 election, a collection of races that political prognosticators will be watching for clues about themes that could define the crucial 2022 midterm.
Voters will choose new governors in Virginia and New Jersey, new congressional representatives in two Ohio districts, and new mayors in some of the nation’s largest cities.
Polling stations opened early Tuesday, but early voting has been going on for weeks in some states.
The results will be dissected for any idea what they can tell us about 2022, when Republicans attempt to regain control of Congress from a slim Democratic majority.
Democrats have an eight-seat advantage in the House and control the divided Senate. The 435 House seats will stand for election in 2022, along with 34 Senate seats.
Read more:5 things that could decide the Virginia election (& 2022): Biden, Trump, the Culture Wars and more
Ohio special election tests presidential approvals
Ohio’s 15th Congressional District could be another litmus test for the approval of the top two political party leaders.
President Joe Biden embarked on the district’s special election with a last-minute endorsement from Democratic State Representative Allison Russo on Monday. Former President Donald Trump previously backed Republican Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist.
Both candidates are running in a district that favors the GOP to replace former Rep. Steve Stivers, a Republican who has resigned to take a position in the private sector.
Carey also received a boost from National Republican groups and a campaign visit from former Vice President Mike Pence, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
– Rick Rouan
High turnout in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley
In a riding in Augusta County, Va., Chief Electoral Officer Lesley Piner said she had to ask the county for more ballots before lunchtime, being sold out by 11 a.m.
Piner said the county only gave the precinct about 300 ballots for the day. They had passed that by noon.
“We have been very stable… more than I expected,” she said.
About 50 people in the precinct chose to vote early and more than 300 of a total of 1,000 registered voters had voted in the morning – a number that shocked Piner.
“Normally I would have thought we would have 350 people for the whole day,” she said. “We’re going to get past that, and it’s not even noon.”
Virginia polling stations close at 7 p.m.
– Laura Peters, Staunton News Manager
Likely runoff in Atlanta mayoral race
ATLANTA – Former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is trying to return for a third term and City Council President Felicia Moore is looking to climb to the top spot as the vote ends Tuesday in the race for the town hall.
Tackling growing crime has been a major focus, but candidates have also addressed concerns about affordable housing, bolstering struggling city services and preventing the affluent Buckhead neighborhood from seceding. The attacks on Reed for corruption in his administration have been a major subplot, although Reed says the federal investigation into him was closed without charge.
With a total of 14 candidates in the non-partisan race, a runoff on November 30 is likely. Other leading candidates include lawyer Sharon Gay and board members Andre Dickens and Antonio Brown, with large numbers of voters undecided.
Meanwhile, Republicans are watching for any mistakes in Atlanta that could justify a state takeover of elections in strongly Democratic Fulton County, under sweeping new state law approved amid allegations of unproven fraud of former President Donald Trump and his allies.
The race was rocked when Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced in May that she would not run for a second term. Bottoms shattered a decades-long tradition of mayors serving eight-year sentences, saying she was not interested in running for re-election. The last Atlanta mayor who served only one term was Sam Massell, who lost to Maynard Jackson in 1973 when African Americans seized power in the city government.
– Associated Press
Study: Voters with Disabilities Show ‘Big Gains’ in Turnout
Voters with disabilities are enjoying a new era of political relevance on Election Day thanks to the COVID pandemic – both the reforms it sparked and the inequalities it exposed.
People with disabilities showed ‘big gains’ in voter turnout in 2020, said Steve Flamisch of Rutgers University’s Disability Research Program, referring to a report from the university and the Commission American Election Assistance.
Turnout rose to 17.7 million, from 16 million in 2016, thanks to postal votes and other initiatives, according to the group, which examined national data.
– Gene Myers, NorthJersey.com
Democrat favorite to win New York mayoral race
Eric Adams, a Democrat considered the frontrunner to win New York City’s municipal election, would be the second black mayor in city history if elected on Tuesday.
Adams is running against Republican Curtis Sliwa as the highest elected official in America’s most populous city. Democrats outnumber Republicans in New York 7-1.
Adams is a former police captain and state senator. Sliwa founded a subway security patrol group.
– Rick Rouan
Voting law changes tested in first election since 2020 presidential
Election day is the first test for some of the hundreds of new election laws passed during the year since the 2020 election.
USA TODAY analyzed 254 new laws in 45 states passed since voters voted last year in the highest-turnout election in American history. The analysis reveals changes, visible and invisible, in the way we vote.
These laws include changes to the number of days available for early voting and the hours available to vote on polling day.
Learn more about the changes here.
Boston to elect woman of color as mayor
In Boston, the contest between city council members Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu means whoever wins will become the city’s first woman and first person of color to be elected mayor.
The candidates, both Democrats in a non-partisan race, mainly clashed over issues such as affordable housing, public education and transportation. But differences on police and crime also emerged.
Wu, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants and patron of Liberal Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, called for major police reforms. Prior to running for office, Wu joined with other city council members to demand a 10% cut in the police department’s budget.
Essaibi George, who describes herself as an Arab-Polish American, opposed the reallocation of the money and called for the hiring of several hundred additional police officers. It was approved by former Boston Police Commissioner William Gross.
– Associated Press
Florida narrow-field primary for the seat of Congress
Voters in Florida’s 20th Congressional District on Tuesday will narrow the wide range of primary candidates vying for the seat previously held by Democratic Representative Alcee Hastings, who died in April.
Eleven Democrats, two Republicans and a handful of other candidates are running in the South Florida District.
Special general elections are scheduled for January 11.
– Rick Rouan
Races to follow on election day
While the Virginia governor’s race has garnered much national attention as Election Day approaches, other elections could also tell us more about what to expect in the mid-election. mandate of 2022.
Tighter-than-expected races for the governor of New Jersey and the 15th Congressional District of Ohio could give some clues as to where the political vane will go in 2022. Democrats will try to hang on to their slim majority in the race. Room next year.
Learn more about which races to watch on Election Day.
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