9 Rules That Govern Automatic Recounts, Requested Recounts and Ballot Audits
How state election codes, deposit rules, risk-limiting audits, and the Electoral Count Reform Act govern recounts and ballot verification across the U.S.
Why Some States Count Ballots in Hours While Others Take Days
State election laws dictate ballot counting speed. Here are the six statutory rules—from pre-processing bans to postmark windows—that determine return times.
How Media Decision Desks Project Winners Before Official State Tallies
How media decision desks use statistical models to project election winners, and how those calls differ from official state canvassing and certification.
The front index
166 stories in the archive
10 Historical Patterns in Midterm Elections From 1862 to the 21st Century
Between 1862 and 2022, the president's party lost House seats in 37 of 41 midterm elections. Explore 10 historical patterns shaping congressional…
What Happens When You Cast a Provisional Ballot Under Federal Law?
Learn the 6 federal rules governing provisional ballots under the Help America Vote Act of 2002, from precinct eligibility affidavits to county…
Why Only One-Third of the U.S. Senate Is on the Ballot Every Two Years
Article I, Section 3 divides the U.S. Senate into three staggered classes. Here are the 7 constitutional and historical reasons one-third is…
8 Rules That Govern Early In-Person Voting Across the 50 States
Explore the 8 statutory rules governing early in-person voting across all 50 states, from calendar windows and voter ID to ballot security…
9 Facts About Civil Rights Legislation Passed Between 1957 and 1968—And the Parliamentary Rules Used to Pass Them
How congressional leaders used Rule XIV, discharge petitions, cloture, and committee expansions to pass civil rights legislation between 1957 and 1968.
8 Common Myths About Foreign Aid and the U.S. Budget—Checked Against Treasury and Congressional Data
Voters routinely estimate foreign aid at 25% of the U.S. budget. Official Treasury and congressional records show it accounts for less than…
US Politics
36 stories- 8 Ways the National Security Act of 1947 Created the Modern Pentagon, Air Force, and CIA
- 8 Facts About How Labor Day Became a Federal Holiday in 1894 Amid a National Rail Strike
- 8 Facts About How the National Park Service Was Created in 1916—and How Federal Public Lands Are Managed
- 9 Ways Alaska and Hawaii Became the 49th and 50th States in 1959
Elections & Voting
29 stories- 9 Facts About How Vice Presidential Debates Started in 1976—and the Moments That Stood Out
- How Local Governments Recruit, Train, and Pay Election Day Poll Workers
- Why North Dakota Is the Only State Without Voter Registration
- 6 Ways Ballot Initiatives and Referendums Let Voters Bypass State Legislatures
Constitution & Congress
35 stories- 10 Facts About the 1787 Constitutional Convention—Including the Delegates Who Walked Out or Refused to Sign
- 7 Facts About the 9/11 Commission—and How Its 2004 Bipartisan Report Reshaped Washington
- Why Congress Takes an August Recess, and How Air Conditioning Changed Its Calendar
- Legal Rules Governing Congressional Subpoenas and Contempt Citations
Reality Check
36 stories- 7 Myths About Political Polls and ‘Margins of Error’—Checked Against Survey Methodology
- How the Social Security Act of 1935 Was Designed and How FICA Taxes Work
- 7 Myths About How Medicare and Medicaid Work—Checked Against the 1965 Social Security Amendments
- 9 Myths About the Federal Minimum Wage—Checked Against Labor Department Data
Politicians
32 stories- 7 Politicians Who Served in All Three Branches of the Federal Government
- 9 U.S. Politicians Who Served as Classroom Teachers Before Entering Congress
- 8 U.S. Politicians Who Competed in the Olympic Games Before (or After) Running for Office
- 8 Convention Keynote Speeches That Launched National Political Careers