Supreme Court considers limits on mail-in voting grace period
The Supreme Court will review whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, a change that could affect voters across the country.
The high-stakes election season begins.
Americans are scheduled to vote in four states in April, and while there are few primaries this month ahead of the busy month of May, two states will hold special elections that will send new members to the U.S. House of Representatives.
President Donald Trump wants Republicans to maintain control of Congress and secure policy slots for a second term through the 2026 mid-term cycle, while Democrats pursue opportunities for restabilization.
Here’s a look at the races to expect in April and why these unicorn elections are important for the midterm elections.
georgia
The April election begins after Easter weekend, with Georgia’s special runoff elections taking place on April 7th. The winner of the race will immediately replace former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene as representing Georgia’s 14th District in Washington.
Since no candidate received more than 50% of the votes in the March 10 primary, the election moved to a runoff.
Two candidates, Democrat Sean Harris and Trump-backed Republican Clayton Fuller, will face off on April 7th.
According to CNN and the Associated Press, Harris received 37.3% of the vote in the primary, the most of any Democrat by a wide margin. Fuller, backed by President Trump, received 34.9% of the vote, ahead of Republicans Colton Moore and Brian Stover.
Harris has led Fuller in campaign fundraising, but Fuller’s victory over Republicans could show that Trump’s support remains important in the minds of voters in the district.
The winner of this race would immediately become a member of Congress, and if Harris were to win and flip the vote blue, it could be a narrow blow to the House’s Republican majority.
wisconsin
A number of local jobs will be up for grabs in Wisconsin on April 7, but perhaps the most notable statewide race will be for state supreme court. The April 7 election, known as the spring election, is not a primary. Wisconsin will not hold primary elections for Congress or governor until August 11th.
Two candidates for the state Supreme Court currently serve on the state Court of Appeals, the USA TODAY Network’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Conservative Judge Maria Lazar, who served as assistant attorney general in former Gov. Scott Walker’s administration, will face off against Judge Chris Taylor, a former Democratic state representative who served as policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. The two men are scheduled to hold a debate on April 2nd.
Unlike the hotly contested 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, the outcome will not change the court’s political makeup. No matter what happens on April 7th, liberals will remain in control of the court.
new jersey
New Jersey will hold a special general election on April 16 to fill the vacant seat in the state’s 11th Congressional District. This seat became vacant when current New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill resigned to run for governor in November 2025.
The winner of the Feb. 5 primary, Democrat Analilia Mejia, and Republican Joe Hathaway are scheduled to hold a debate on April 1 ahead of the election, according to NorthJersey.com, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Mejia, a labor and political organizer who served as national political director for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, defeated long odds on February 10 in a primary field of 12 candidates, including former New Jersey Congressman Tom Malinowski and former Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way. Hathaway won the Republican primary unopposed.
virginia
Virginia’s April 21 special election is asking voters to consider a proposed constitutional amendment. The measure would give state legislatures the power to redraw congressional maps ahead of November’s midterm elections, potentially paving the way for Democrats to pick up as many as four seats in Washington.
Voters will be asked one specific question: Should the Virginia Constitution be amended to ensure that Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting processes after the 2030 Census, while allowing the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new House districts to restore fairness in the next election?
According to a report in Politico, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a newly sworn-in Democrat, supported the redistricting measure. But Republican turnout in early voting has remained steady, and Spanberger’s recent victory in the state does not guarantee passage of the bill.
Why are these elections important?
Although runoff elections and special elections are one-time events, they come in the midst of a busy election year for Americans. Efforts by both parties to win and retain seats in Washington show Democrats and Republicans in a close race, while President Trump faces declining approval ratings due to the Iran war and rising domestic prices.
