For all you political junkies out there, here’s Bolts Magazine’s fantastic Super Tuesday breakdown of important races:
2024 is starting off fast: Tuesday, March 5 is one of the busiest election days on the calendar this entire year. It’s just the first with non-presidential primaries on the ballot, but it’ll take care of roughly 25 percent of all House districts, in one fell swoop!
That’s because California and Texas, the two most populous states, are holding all their primaries, as are Alabama, Arkansas and North Carolina. Across these five states, millions of voters will decide critical state and local offices, referendums and bond measures. Plus, Vermont municipalities are holding their town hall days. (And that’s not all: Ten other states hold their presidential primaries, but voters will have to head back to the polls later this year for down ballot offices.)
So buckle up for a crowded election day.
To help you, Bolts has identified more than 50 items to watch on Super Tuesday, and why they matter, including key races for supreme courts, governors, DAs, mayors, and lawmakers, plus referendums.
On the menu? Hotly contested judicial openings; prosecutor races in two of the nation’s three largest counties, Los Angeles County and Harris County; school boards that are deciding the rights of LGBTQ+ students; and partisan control of the nation’s fifth most populous county, San Diego County.
Voters will also take the first step in choosing the successor of California Senator Diane Feinstein. They’ll decide on the comeback bid of Alex Villanueva, LA’s scandal-plagued former sheriff. They’ll settle the latest conflict between a reform DA and police unions in Austin. They’ll arbitrate the Texas governor and attorney general’s revenge tours against GOP officials who defied them. And in Vermont, noncitizen residents of Burlington will get to weigh in on local elections for the first time after a 2023 reform.
Be sure to return to this page on election night, and on subsequent days, to check the results. Note that this guide is not exhaustive; it is Bolts’ selection of important races to monitor.
I know the presidential race is pre-ordained but there are other races that are not and we should pay attention. Bolts is the best resource for the state and local races we need to be aware of.