Voters in Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Virginia will vote in statewide elections on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Below is a guide to some of the most-watched races in this ‘off-year’ election.

Governors’ Races

The top races to watch this Election Day are governors’ races held in Kentucky and Mississippi. The nation’s most unpopular governor, Mississippi Gov Tate Reeves (R), may be forced into a runoff as his approval ratings expose his inability to court majority support amongst voters. Meanwhile, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), a rare red-state Democratic governor, has consistently polled above his Republican challenger Attorney Gen. Daniel Cameron. Most expect both governors to ultimately win re-election (even if Reeves is forced into a runoff to be held in late November.)

State Legislative Elections

Several states will hold elections for their state legislatures and many are keeping a close eye on the balance of power between local parties to gauge the national political environment heading into 2024. Excitement has ramped up in Virginia after Republicans made major gains in state government in 2021. This will be the first election to use Virginia’s new district lines after redistricting, adding increased uncertainty to an already tense election. Republicans currently hold a two-seat majority in the state House but many are predicting that it could flip back to Democrats.

Following Sen. Menendez’s sensational indictment, New Jersey’s state legislative elections have garnered increased attention. Republicans have already been growing their power in the NJ General Assembly as they have gained seats in the last three consecutive elections. While it’s unlikely they will flip the state House (Democrats currently hold a 12-seat majority), further Republican wins will set off alarm bells for Democrats heading into 2024.

In addition to Virginia and New Jersey, Mississippi and Louisiana are also holding state legislative elections but most expect these states to follow established trends and elect Republicans by wide margins.

Ballot Measures

Voters across several states will also be voting on ballot measures on a wide range of topics.

Ohio will be holding a highly anticipated vote on whether or not abortion rights should be codified into the state constitution. Naturally, this will be one of the focal points of the evening as results come in. Opponents of abortion rights have been hoping for Ohio, a state that’s taken a hard conservative turn in the last decade, to deliver them their first electoral win. Every state that has voted on abortion rights since the overturning of Roe v. Wade has voted to protect abortion and campaign activity in Ohio is suggesting that the state will follow established trends, rather than disrupt them. Ohioans will also vote on a ballot measure that would legalize marijuana and polling suggests that voters will ultimately approve it.

Maine voters will on eight different ballot measures on Election Day, the most controversial on the ballot asks voters if they would approve the creation of a public electric utility that would replace the state’s current investor-owned power companies. The controversy stems from the odd bedfellows in opposition to the measure. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills joined with most of Maine Republicans to veto legislation that would have created the public utility. Gov. Mills also has the backing of many Democratic lobbying firms who have spent tens of millions of dollars to defeat the ballot measure. Meanwhile, supporters of the public utility are mostly local advocacy groups and politicians who strive to stand-up to big money interests. Supporters of the ballot measure have struggled to match the fundraising backing investor-owned power companies, even despite receiving much needed support from Sen. Bernie Sanders. While Maine’s public electric utility ballot measure addresses an incredibly localized issue, don’t be surprised if the outcome of this election percolates into national media with the way the campaign has centered both economic populism and climate change.

Last but not least, Texas will be voting on a long list of fourteen possible amendments to their state constitution. The amendments span a plethora of topics including changes to property taxes, funding for parks, and teacher pay raises.