Last Updated: November 07, 2023 08:40 AM
Published: November 06, 2023 04:03 PM
Off-year elections will decide governors in Kentucky and Mississippi, the fate of abortion and marijuana amendments in Ohio, legislative control in Virginia and mayoral races in two of the nation’s biggest cities.
Polls begin to open on Election Day
Polls have begun to open in a few states for off-year elections that could give hints of voter sentiment ahead of next year’s critical presidential contest.
In Kentucky, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear is hoping that his support of abortion rights will persuade voters in his Republican-leaning state to look past their skepticism of the national party and give him another term in office.
Ohio is the only state to consider a statewide abortion rights question this year. Voters there will decide whether to pass a constitutional amendment guaranteeing an individual right to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care.
In Virginia, party control of the state legislature is up for grabs in what Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is calling the “most important elections in America.” The results will determine whether Republicans are empowered with full state government control or Democrats can continue serving as a bulwark against Youngkin’s agenda.
Her daughter was killed in the Robb Elementary shooting. Now she’s running for mayor of Uvalde
Uvalde mayoral candidate Kimberly Mata-Rubio, left, canvasses a neighborhood. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Kimberly Mata-Rubio’s 10-year-old daughter was one of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the May 24, 2022, shooting in Uvalde, Texas. After a year of advocating for gun control and school safety at the state and federal level, Mata-Rubio is getting her start in politics at the local level by running to become Uvalde’s first female mayor.
The election set for Tuesday will test how the town chooses to move forward from a tragedy that some residents are ready to put behind them while others demand answers.
Mississippi has a history of voter suppression. Many see signs of change as Black voters reengage
Mississippi’s long history of voter suppression has created widespread voter fatigue among Black residents in a state where they account for nearly 40% of the population. But this year’s elections have given reason for renewed optimism.
The governor’s race appears competitive and is attracting national attention. Tuesday’s election also happens to be the first one to be held without the burden of an unusual post-Reconstruction constitutional provision that had made it virtually impossible for Black candidates to win on a statewide basis.
Five Black candidates are running for statewide office and are hoping to become the first Black Mississippians to win one of those posts.