86% of last September’s elections were uncontested

Throughout September, Ballotpedia covered 1,312 elections in 12 states, 86% of which were uncontested.

That’s up from August, when 79% of the 11,320 covered were uncontested.

Ballotpedia defines an uncontested election as one where the number of candidates running is less than or equal to the number of seats up for election. This analysis does not account for write-in candidates.

Ballotpedia covered more than 400 elections in two states, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, throughout September. Ninety-one percent of elections were uncontested in Massachusetts, while 87% were uncontested in New Hampshire.

September’s rate of uncontested elections was greater than the 58% average rate identified between 2018 and 2023.

It also brings the year-to-date rate of uncontested elections to 75%.

For comparison, since 2018, each year has had more elections uncontested than contested except for one, in 2021, when 50.4% of the elections Ballotpedia covered were contested.

Click on the link below to learn more about uncontested elections nationwide last month and in all previous months through 2024.