Your Hour-By-Hour Midterm Guide to Key Congressional, Governor, and Ballot Races
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Wondering when you need to start drinking/smoking/putting sugar on those feelings? Countable’s got you covered.
We’ll have a live blog as the results start coming in. But in order to plan your distractions and relaxations, here’s an hour-by-hour (Eastern Time) breakdown of the congressional and gubernatorial races, and ballot measure results, you won’t want to avoid tonight…
7 p.m. – Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia
Races we’re watching: Georgia’s governor race; Indiana’s Senate race; House races in Virginia and Kentucky.
Why? In Georgia, Democrat Stacey Abrams is vying to be the first African American woman ever elected governor in the country. She’s running against Secretary of State Brian Kemp in an election marred by controversy.
Indiana Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly is one of the party’s most vulnerable incumbents, and his fate could be a predictor of whether the Democrats will take control of the upper chamber or Republicans will expand their 51-49 majority.
Props we’re watching:
Georgia
Amendment 4: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights.
Indiana
Public Question 1: Adopting a balanced budget amendment to the constitution.
Kentucky
Marsy’s Law Crime Victims RIghts Amendment: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights.
7:30 p.m. – North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia
Races we’re watching: Toss-up House races in North Carolina and Ohio; West Virginia’s Senate race.
Why? West Virginia’s Sen. Joe Manchin was one of the few Democrats who voted in favor of confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. He’s expected to hold his seat, but West Virginia voted for Trump in 2016 by 42 percentage points.
Props we’re watching:
North Carolina
Voter ID Amendment: Requiring voters to present a photo ID to vote in person.
Income Tax Cap Amendment: Lowering the state’s maximum income tax.
Marsy’s Law Crime Victims Rights Amendment: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights.
8 p.m. – Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee
Races we’re watching: 30(!) competitive House races; five competitive Senate races; seven major governor races, including Florida's.
Why? Florida is the state to watch this hour, throughout its ballot. At the top: Democrat Andrew Gillum is running against Ron DeSantis to become the Sunshine State’s first African-American governor. Gillum has attracted a grassroots following of young voters and minorities while DeSantis has tied himself closely to Trump.
(D)s are hoping the turnout for Gillum will boost the numbers of incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who’s locked in a head-to-head race with outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Scott. On the House side, there are a few competitive races where the Democrats hope to pick up seats.
Following Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court-ordered redistricting, Democrats could nab as many as four or five House seats in the state.
New Jersey’s Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez has been dogged by ethics complaints. Though the state leans to the left, the GOP is looking to bump him with businessman Bob Hugin.
Missouri’s Sen. Claire McCaskill is another endangered upper-chamber Democrat.
Props we’re watching:
Alabama
Amendment 1: Allowing the display of the Ten Commandments on public land.
Amendment 2: Declaring that the state’s policy is to support the “right to life” for unborn children.
Florida
Amendment 5: Requiring a two-thirds, supermajority vote of the legislature to raise taxes.
Amendment 6: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights, raising the judicial retirement age, and prohibiting state courts from deferring to administrative agencies’ statutory interpretations.
Amendment 9: Prohibiting offshore drilling for oil or natural gas, and banning vaping in offices.
Maryland
Question 2: Allowing for same-day voter registration.
Massachusetts
Question 2: Establishing a citizens’ commission to call for the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision to be reversed.
Question 3: Upholding the state law prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity.
New Hampshire
Question 1: Giving taxpayers the constitutional right to sue state & local government for improper use of public funds.
Question 2: Adding a constitutional “right to live free” from government privacy intrusions.
Oklahoma
State Question 794: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights.
8:30 p.m. – Arkansas
Races we're watching: none.
Props we’re watching:
Arkansas
Issue 2: Requiring voters to provide valid photo ID to cast non-provisional ballots or vote absentee.
Issue 5: Raising the minimum wage to $11 in 2021.
9 p.m. – Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Races we’re watching: Senate races in Texas, Arizona, and North Dakota; two dozen House races.
Why? You’ve likely heard about Texas’ Senate race: Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke vs. Tea Party darling Sen. Ted Cruz. Can a (D) beat an (R) in a deeply red state?
In North Dakota, Democrats are prepping for Sen. Heidi Heitkamp to lose her seat—she’s widely considered the most-vulnerable incumbent senator.
In the Midwest, Democrats are hoping to flip the governor’s mansion in Michigan and Wisconsin—the latter is currently occupied by Gov. Scott Walker.
Props we’re watching:
Arizona
Proposition 126: Prohibiting new or increased taxes on personal services by state & local government.
Proposition 127: Increasing the state’s renewable energy mandate to 50% of electricity generation in 2030.
Colorado
Amendment 73: Adopting a progressive income tax system.
Amendment Y: Establishing an independent redistricting commission.
Louisiana
Amendment 1: Prohibiting convicted felons (unless pardoned) from running for or holding public office until five years after the completion of their sentence.
Amendment 2: Requiring unanimous jury verdicts for felony trials.
Michigan
Proposal 1: Legalizing the recreational use and possession of marijuana for adults over 21.
Proposal 2: Establishing an independent redistricting commission.
Proposal 3: Adding eight voting policies to the state constitution.
Missouri
Amendment 2: Legalizing medical marijuana and taxing it 4% to fund veterans services.
Amendment 3: Legalizing medical marijuana and taxing it 15% to fund medical research.
Proposition B: Raising the minimum wage to $12 in 2023.
Proposition C: Legalizing medical marijuana and taxing it 2%.
Nebraska
Initiative 427: Requiring the state to develop a Medicaid expansion plan under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).
North Dakota
Measure 2: Amending the state constitution to clarify that only U.S. citizens can vote.
Measure 3: Legalizing recreational marijuana for people 21 years of age or older.
10 p.m. – Iowa, Montana, Nevada, Utah
Races we’re watching: Senate races in Montana and Nevada; Iowa’s House race.
Why? Nevada is a “must-win” for Democrats to take control of the Senate—Hillary Clinton carried it in 2016 with a GOP Senate incumbent.
Trump won Montana by 20 points in 2016, though Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is still slightly ahead in the polls.
Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King has been criticized of late for racially offensive comments and ties to white supremacist organizations.
Props we’re watching:
Montana
I-185: Extending the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and raising tobacco taxes to help fund it.
LR-129: Banning ballot harvesting.
Nevada
Question 1: Providing crime victims with constitutional rights.
Question 2: Exempting feminine hygiene products from sales taxes.
Question 3: Requiring the elimination of monopolies in the energy market.
Question 4: Exempting medical equipment from sales taxes.
Question 5: Providing for automatic voter registration at the DMV.
Question 6: Increasing the state renewable energy mandate to 50% of electricity generation by 2030.
Utah
Proposition 2: Legalizing medical marijuana.
Proposition 3: Expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and raising sales taxes.
Proposition 4: Establishing an independent redistricting commission.
11 p.m. – California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
Races we’re watching: California’s House races; Oregon’s governor race.
Why? There are seven in-play House races in California that could mean more blue than red in the lower chamber. Most are in Orange Country, in Southern California. The OC had been a GOP stronghold, but it flipped to Clinton in 2016.
Oregon could elect its first GOP governor in 36 years.
Props we’re watching:
California
Proposition 6: Repealing the gas and diesel tax increases enacted in 2017 and requiring voter approval for future gas tax hikes.
Proposition 7: Establishing permanent, year-round daylight saving time (DST).
Proposition 12: Establishing minimum requirements for confining animals and banning the sale of meat and eggs from improperly confined animals.
Hawaii
Constitutional Convention Question: Asking voters whether a convention to explore possible constitutional changes should be held.
Idaho
Proposition 2: Expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).
Oregon
Measure 103: Banning grocery taxes under the state constitution.
Measure 104: Requiring a legislative supermajority to modify tax exemptions, credits, and deductions in ways that increase tax revenue.
Measure 105: Repealing the sanctuary state law.
Measure 106: Restricting taxpayer funding for abortion.
Washington
Initiative 940: Reducing the burden of proof for prosecuting police in use of force cases.
Initiative 1631: Enacting a carbon tax.
Initiative 1634: Prohibiting local taxes on groceries.
Initiative 1639: Raising the age to buy ‘assault rifles’ to 21 and requiring a 10 day wait period.
Any Senate, House, or ballot-measure races we missed? Let us know.
—Josh Herman
(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / Sergio Lacueva )
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