On the Ballot

On The Ballot is a podcast presented by Ballotpedia that connects people to politics.

Each week, Ballotpedia's election experts will unpack the week's top political stories. Ballotpedia's here to give you the facts, so you can form your own opinion. Stream On the Ballot on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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LATEST EPISODE

Episode #151

Trump widens margin of victory in most pivot counties

On this episode: Pivot Counties are the 206 counties nationwide Ballotpedia identified as having voted for Barack Obama (D) in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections and Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Media and political observers sometimes refer to these counties as swing counties. Ballotpedia defined Pivot Counties Trump won in 2020 as Retained Pivot Counties and those Joe Biden (D) won as Boomerang Pivot Counties.

While vote totals are still being tabulated in some states, you can learn more about how the pivot counties voted in the 2024 presidential election here.

As of November 6th 2024, there were:

• 169 Pivot Counties across 27 states that Trump won in 2020 and 2024
• Two Pivot Counties—one each in Vermont and Connecticut—that Trump won in 2020 and Harris won in 2024
• 14 Pivot Counties across 10 states that voted for Trump in 2016, Biden in 2020, and Trump in 2024
• Seven Pivot Counties across six states that voted for Trump in 2016, Biden in 2020, and Harris in 2024
  

More from

On the Ballot (click to expand)

Ballot Measures

Ep. 150: 2024 Ballot measure results • Ep. 145: Top 15 ballot measures and trends to watch • Ep. 140: Are ballot measures getting less or more complicated? • Ep. 136: Bans on noncitizen voting coming to 8 more states? • Ep. 135: RCV’s big year at the ballot box • Ep. 130: Marijuana ballot measures and federally rescheduling the drug

Elections

Ep. 151: Trump widens margin of victor in most pivot counties • Ep. 149: 2024 state-level results • Ep. 148: Election night roundup • Ep. 147: Early voting with Michael McDonald • Ep. 146: Top 15 Elections to watch • Ep. 139: Shortlist of tight Senate races with The Cook Political Report • Ep. 138: The closest House races with The Cook Political Report • Ep. 134: VP Debate Recap • Ep. 133: Gubernatorial races to watch • Ep. 131: Swing state presidential polling update with Split Ticket

External Interviews

Ep. 147: Early voting with Michael McDonald • Ep. 142: Former Secretaries of State on the challenges of election administration • Ep. 139: Shortlist of tight Senate races with The Cook Political Report • Ep. 138: The closest House races with The Cook Political Report • Ep. 137: How abortion politics could impact the tightest races • Ep. 136: Bans on noncitizen voting coming to 8 more states? • Ep. 133: Gubernatorial races to watch • Ep 131: Swing state presidential polling update with Split Ticket • Ep. 130: Marijuana ballot measures and federally rescheduling the drug

Tools and Resources

Ep. 144: Hear directly from candidates with the Candidate Connection Survey • Ep. 143: How to spot bias in political coverage • Ep. 141: Ballotpedia founder Leslie Graves on engaging young voters • .

RECENT EPISODES

Episode #1502024 Ballot measure results (first look)

Voters in 41 states decided on 146 statewide ballot measures on November 5th, and as of the 7th at 12:00 PM ET, 87 (59.6%) statewide ballot measures were approved, 46 (31.5%) were defeated, and 13 (8.9%) remained uncalled. Ryan Byrne — the head of our ballot measures team — joins the show to share what we know so far, how the major trends played out, and what it might all mean for direct democracy in 2025.

Episode #149State-level results

Former president Donald Trump has won the race for the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris conceding earlier this afternoon. Republicans have won control of the Senate, while it still may be some time until we know the outcome of the House. With results rolling in, we take a closer look at what we know about state-level elections thus far, including state legislative chambers, state SCOTUS,’ and more.

Episode #148Election night roundup

A late night look at the results rolling in for presidential, congressional, state, and local elections, as well ballot measures. (This episode was recorded at 12am ET. Georgia was called for Trump immediately after we concluded recording, and other updates have likely arrived since publishing — so be sure to check out our site for the latest news!)

Episode #147Michael McDonald on early voting

Roughly 83 million people have voted early in this year's election. How does that compare to what we saw in 2020? And what can we learn from who’s choosing to vote early this time around? We welcome the University of Florida’s Michael McDonald—one of the country’s foremost experts on early voting—to the show to break down his analysis of early voting and key anecdotes of from swing states.

Episode #146Top 15 Election to watch

Our editorial department selected these elections based on past election results, unique election-specific circumstances, and election race ratings. The final selections include a mix of federal, state, and local races. Briana Ryan, Ethan Sorell, and Lara Bonatesta of our elections team join the show for a lightning round preview of the races that stick out most to them.

Episode #145Top 15 ballot measures to watch

Our ballot measures team joins the show to share insights on the top 15 measures and trends to keep an eye on across the country, which address issues like abortion, ranked-choice voting, non-citizen voting, criminal justice, wages, and drug-use policies.

Episode #142Two former Secretaries of State on the challenges of election administration

Democrat Kathy Boockvar and Republican Kim Wyman each served as secretary of state in Pennsylvania and Washington, respectively, during the 2020 presidential election. They’ve come together this year to help educate voters about the electoral process and share insights from their years of experience.

Episode #139Shortlist of tight Senate races w/ The Cook Political Report

34 of the 100 Senate seats are up for election, with control of the upper chamber of congress bound to come down to just a handful of tight races. Jessica Taylor, Senate and Governor’s editor for The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, joins the show to run through Cook’s current toss up Senate races, which have shifted lately and those that still could, and to take a deep dive into races for Democrat Jon Tester’s seat in Montana, Republican Ted Cruz’s seat in Texas, and more.  

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