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Let’s hit the go button, America. It’s Election Day 2023.
At this point in the four-year election cycle, there is no presidential election, no regular congressional races and just a few gubernatorial elections.
READ MORE: Takeaways from election night 2023 as Democrats notch early wins in Kentucky and Ohio
But every election tells us something.
Read below to see why we are fascinated by Tuesday’s races.
Two major governor races
Signs in support of Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on display in Starkville, Mississippi, ahead of Tuesday’s election. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Mississippi governor
Democrats believe they have a shot at the governor’s mansion in this bright red state. Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, who is socially conservative, pledges to expand Medicaid, has native author John Grisham in his corner and is, also, a cousin of Elvis Presley. Incumbent Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has stumbled in fundraising and popularity recently. There’s a multimillion dollar welfare scandal that has followed the governor, something Reeves has denied and Presley has featured in his campaign ads. Reeves has denied any wrongdoing, and he is still the GOP candidate in a GOP state. Heads up: It may not be decided by tonight and could go to a Nov. 28 runoff.
Kentucky governor
READ MORE: Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear reelected to second term in Kentucky, overcoming state’s GOP dominance
Another test of Democrats in red states. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter gives incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear the advantage over Republican challenger and state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, but notes that the endorsement of former President Donald Trump in the race could motivate the GOP base. If Cameron is elected, he will be the first Black Republican governor since Reconstruction.
Abortion on the ballot
An abortion rights canvasser leaves a pamphlet in a door of a Columbus, Ohio, neighborhood ahead of the state’s vote on a ballot measure over abortion access. Photo by Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images
Ohio votes on abortion in a nationally watched election
READ MORE: Ohio voters enshrine abortion access in constitution in latest win for reproductive rights
Ohioans have a direct test of abortion views, voting on an amendment to the state Constitution that would codify “an individual right to one’s own reproductive medical treatment.” That would include decisions involving abortion, contraception, fertility treatment and miscarriage care. The measure, known as Issue 1, would in particular allow abortions up to the point at which a fetus is viable outside the womb, as determined by the physician charged with care. This has sparked an intense battle and a number of false claims about the proposed amendment. If voters approve the measure, it will add to the series of wins for advocates seeking to enshrine abortion rights into state constitutions following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in summer 2022.
The race for control of the Virginia legislature
Control of both chambers in Richmond is up for grabs, and the battle has become a national test for both parties on abortion. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s 2021 win provided the GOP with a blueprint on the issue. Now he aims to flip the state’s Democratic senate and gain GOP control of state government. Tidal waves of money have been raised and spent in the state, with dueling ads on which party is out of step on abortion.
An open seat on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court
The Keystone State will vote on an open seat on its Supreme Court. This race won’t change the overall tilt of the court, which at the moment is composed of four Democrats and two Republicans. But it could open up the possibility of that happening in a future election. The state’s Supreme Court has long been a key arbiter of abortion limits, and this has become one of the most expensive high court races in state history.
Also on the ballot
Age. Texans will vote on a proposed state constitutional amendment to raise the mandatory retirement age of state judges from 75 to 79.
Marijuana. Ohio voters will decide if they want to legalize recreational marijuana.
READ MORE: Ohio votes to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, becoming 24th state to do so
The race for mayor of Uvalde, Texas. More than a year after a gunman murdered 19 students and two teachers there, the city of Uvalde, Texas, will choose a new mayor. The three candidates include the mother of one of the students killed, but the massacre and ideas for moving forward remain divisive there.
READ MORE: Mother whose daughter was killed in Uvalde shooting loses bid for mayor
School boards. Around the country, cultural and education debates will collide in races to fill vacant school board spots. We are especially watching a few in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.
The special congressional election in Rhode Island. The state’s 1st District is open thanks to the retirement of David Cicilline. This is a Democrat-leaning district and theirs to lose. The candidates? Democrat Gabe Amo, a former Obama and Biden White House aide, who would be the first person of color from Rhode Island in Congress if he wins, and Republican Gerry Leonard, who is a moderate and a retired Marine.
READ MORE: Democrat Gabe Amo becomes Rhode Island’s first Black candidate elected to Congress