Democracy is on the ballot this fall.
It may not be an even-numbered year, but when voters head to the polls this November, the stakes for the future of our democracy will be high — especially with attacks coming from the federal level.
In states across the country, voters will weigh in on issues and candidates that will help determine who gets to vote, whether Republicans can rig the fight for control of Congress, and whether a key state court will have a pro-democracy majority.
Virginia’s gubernatorial race
Virginia’s race for governor between U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) could determine whether the state will continue to let a single executive decide who can vote.
More than 300,000 Virginians remain disenfranchised because of prior felony convictions, including one in eight Black residents. Virginia is one of only three states where voting rights are not automatically restored once a sentence is complete. Instead, formerly incarcerated people must petition and await individual approval — on a case-by-case basis — from the governor. That process has become slower and more selective under Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who has rejected the more streamlined approach of his Democratic predecessors.
Democrats in the legislature have advanced the first step of a constitutional amendment to guarantee automatic voting rights restoration. But it must pass again in 2026 before going to voters.
The final step in Virginia’s amendment process is a statewide referendum, and the next governor must approve the bill authorizing the ballot question. That means whoever wins in November could decide whether the proposal ever reaches voters.
Spanberger, who is leading in the polls, has come out clearly in support of the constitutional amendment.
“Virginians who’ve served their time and paid their debts to society deserve the dignity of participating in the conversation about our Commonwealth’s future,” Spanberger said in a statement earlier this year. “What Virginians do not deserve is living with the worry that politicians in Richmond might roll back their rights.”
Earle-Sears hasn’t revealed her stance on the issue. That means that whether voting in the Commonwealth remains a privilege granted or a right guaranteed could hinge on the outcome in November.
New Jersey’s gubernatorial race
New Jersey voters will decide whether Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) or Republican Jack Ciattarelli succeeds Gov. Phil Murphy (D). Their choice could help shape how open and fair elections can be in a state long shaped by partisan gatekeepers.
New Jersey’s primary contests have historically been shaped by the “county line” — a peculiar system that gave party leaders the power to push their preferred candidates to the most prominent spot on the ballot. Candidates who weren’t backed by party leaders were pushed to obscure columns, making it much harder for them to compete. Last year, a federal court struck down the system in part, and Murphy signed a bill ending the practice altogether in May.
The change drew praise from voting advocates who saw it as a step toward fairer representation, especially for grassroots candidates.
New Jersey Republicans have suggested bringing the county line back. If a Republican succeeds Murphy, that could open the door to legislative efforts or rule-changes that weaken the reform or influence how strictly the law is enforced.
That issue aside, voters will also be choosing whether their state will resist or embrace President Donald Trump’s authoritarian push to undermine democratic rights.
Ciattarelli, who has been endorsed by Trump, has pledged to end New Jersey’s sanctuary status, designed to protect immigrant communities and keep local law enforcement focused on public safety rather than carrying out potentially unconstitutional federal orders. He’s also promised to appoint an attorney general who won’t challenge federal actions in court.
Sherrill, who is leading in the polls, has focused on protecting reproductive rights and opposing Trump.
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court election
When Pennsylvania voters cast their ballots in November, they’ll have a rare and powerful chance to influence the state’s highest court.
Three sitting justices — Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht, all elected as Democrats — face a retention election, in which voters will be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on whether to keep them on the bench. A “no” vote for all three could lead to their seats being open until 2027, leaving the court with a 2-2 partisan deadlock.
Anti-voting activists aligned with the Republican State Leadership Committee are already investing heavily in digital ads pressuring voters to reject the justices, labeling them “radical liberal judges.”
It’s no surprise that national Republicans are interested in the contests. Pennsylvania’s highest court is perhaps the most important state court in the country. The commonwealth last year saw more litigation over voting issues than any other state.
And in a major win for voting rights, the court recently upheld the counting of mail ballots that have missing or incorrect dates. In addition, the three Democrats struck down the GOP’s congressional gerrymander in 2018, and the court could again be called on to settle redistricting disputes this cycle.
California’s redistricting ballot measure
In California, voters will be asked to let their legislature temporarily redraw congressional maps, bypassing the state’s independent commission, in response to Republican power grabs in other states.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Democratic lawmakers put Proposition 50 on the ballot after Texas Republicans, pressured by Trump, gerrymandered five new GOP-leaning districts in August. The California map could give Democrats five new House seats of their own.
“That is not my preference, but we cannot unilaterally allow one of the two major parties to rig the game,” Newsom said after calling a special election to put the measure on November’s ballot. “California is one of the states that has the capacity to offset a large state like Texas.”
Democracy advocates see Prop 50 as a way to protect fair representation on a national scale. With Congress closely divided, the maps drawn in Texas, Missouri and potentially other GOP-led states could secure GOP control of the U.S. House for the rest of the decade — sidelining the will of voters.
Polls suggest nearly half of likely voters back Prop 50, with support rising as the stakes for control of Congress come into sharper focus. California voters will have the chance to show that democracy is worth defending and signal that the state won’t allow national representation to be skewed by GOP gerrymanders.
Maine’s anti-voting ballot measure
Maine has one of the highest voter participation rates in the country, largely due to its accessible and straightforward voting system. But now that could be at risk.
Question 1 on the November ballot would impose strict photo ID requirements not only for in-person voting but also for absentee ballots. It would also level an attack on mail voting by banning prepaid postage on mail ballots, preventing family members from returning ballots on behalf of others, and limiting towns to a single drop box. And it would significantly cut back early voting opportunities.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D), who oversees Maine’s elections, warned the measure would directly harm the groups who most depend on accessible voting.
“Scaling back absentee voting will be harmful for working people and folks who are just living busy lives and are accustomed to Maine’s flexibility with being able to vote in person the week before the election,” Bellows told Democracy Docket. “We have a lot of seniors and a lot of folks who live in rural areas who have difficulty accessing transportation. Ongoing absentee voting has been very popular and a huge way that seniors have been able to participate.”
Anti-voting activists frame the proposal as a matter of election security. The campaign was launched by State Rep. Laurel Libby (R) and her Dinner Table PAC, who argue that narrowing ballot access will somehow boost public confidence in the system.
But pro-voting advocates emphasize that Maine has no history of widespread fraud, and that the proposal would only burden voters.
“Maine has free, safe, and secure elections with multiple checks and balances at every step of the process,” Bellows added. “It’s insulting and absolutely false that scaling back absentee voting will change our safe and secure elections.”
November’s ballot measure will test whether Maine will continue to be a model for voting access or follow the path of states that have made voting harder to appease conspiracy theorists.
Texas’ noncitizen voting amendment
Texans will be asked to vote on an amendment adding language to the state constitution that only U.S. citizens may vote in state elections. But the state already requires citizens to attest to their status when registering, and noncitizen voting in state and federal elections remains illegal.
Critics argue this wasteful measure is in response to a fabricated crisis and offers no tangible benefit to election administration.
While the measure is mostly symbolic, it aims to preempt any Texas municipality from experimenting with noncitizen voting, as some local governments in other states have.