Sep 26, 2018

Turnout surges among young voters in battleground states' primaries

Data: TargetSmart, The Cook Political Report ; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Young people traditionally stay home in droves on election day, but they are voting in much higher numbers in battleground state primaries this year, according to a new report.

Why it matters: In the state-by-state analysis, the Democratic data firm TargetSmart said young people 18-29 have the potential to decide control of Congress and affect competitive races for governor in key states on Nov. 6.

The report compared youth turnout in this year's primaries with the last midterms in 2014. Among the findings:

In North Dakota, where Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is one of the most vulnerable Democrats seeking re-election, turnout jumped to 11.7% of registered youth voters, from 4.8% previously.
California, a crucial state with a number of Republican-held “toss-up” seats this cycle, had a 9.3% increase.
Oklahoma turnout surged by almost 18%.
Montana turnout jumped 6%.

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Caitlin Owens

The political risk of overturning the ACA

Data: Urban Institute Health Policy Center; Note: Uninsured rate is among the nonelderly population. Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

Swing states and red states stand to lose the most if the courts ultimately throw out the Affordable Care Act, according to a new analysis by the Urban Institute.

Why it matters: President Trump and Republican attorneys general could pay a steep political price if they succeed in their quest to kill the law.

Go deeperDec 20, 2019 - Health

Ursula Perano

Wisconsin appeals court blocks order to purge 200,000 voters from election rolls

Photo: VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm/Getty Images

A Wisconsin appeals court on Tuesday blocked a judge's decision to immediately purge as many as 209,000 names from the state's voter registration rolls, the AP reports.

Why it matters: The ruling "effectively hit the pause button on the fast-moving case and means there will be no immediate change to the state’s voter registration rolls," AP notes. The ruling is considered a win for Democrats who are hoping to take back the battleground state in the 2020 elections. Candidate Donald Trump in 2016 carried Wisconsin by less than 23,000 votes, per the New York Times.

Go deeperJan 14, 2020

Stef W. Kight

Census data projects shift in states' congressional power

Data: Brookings analysis of U.S. Census data; Table: Naema Ahmed/Axios

California is projected to lose a congressional seat for the first time next year, while states President Trump won such as Texas and Florida will likely gain seats, according to an analysis of new Census data by the Brookings Institution's William Frey.

Why it matters: It only takes a handful of seats to shift a party's power in Congress for a decade. The new data underscores the need for an accurate 2020 Census count, especially with changing demographics in states with booming populations such as Florida, Texas and Arizona.

Go deeperUpdated Dec 30, 2019