by David J. Toscano
(This column was first published in Fights of Our Lives!)
Halloween is right around the corner and many Americans are considering whether skeletons and hobgoglins should adorn their homes and how their children will dress for this spookiest of holidays. But other scary events are also upon us, in the form of critical elections in several states on November 7. While this is neither a presidential nor a midterm election, the results will nonetheless reverberate across the nation.
Statewide elections are now underway in Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, New Jersey, and, most importantly, in Virginia. Key ballot initiatives are before voters in Ohio and Maine, and several contests for state Supreme Court Judgeships are up for grabs. Reproductive rights figure to play a key role, and could make a difference in Virginia, where Republicans are aiming to flip the State Senate and have declared their intentions to institute a 15-week ban on the procedure if they do.
The fall’s election will likely provide more evidence of the increasing nationalization of state politics, as voters continue to vote based on who is serving in White House rather than the unique qualities and positions of candidates. And these elections will further display the partisan divides in the nation, and a growing political schism in the nation. Continue reading
