Election Eve: What is on the line for voters besides the presidency?

Washington DC - It's not just the Harris-Trump show: US voters this November 5 will cast ballots for members of Congress, tens of thousands of state and local officials, and in multiple referendums on topics including hot-button issues like abortion.

What are voters voting on this Election Day 2024 besides president?
What are voters voting on this Election Day 2024 besides president?  © Unsplash/Phillip Goldsberry

We all know the battle for president between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris is at full scale, as the two remain neck and neck and trading barbs on Election Eve.

Plus, the pressure from third party candidates is keeping things interesting.

But what is up for a vote beyond the position of president? A lot!

Trump's pick for press secretary Karoline Leavitt deleted posts condemning January 6 Capitol attack
Donald Trump Trump's pick for press secretary Karoline Leavitt deleted posts condemning January 6 Capitol attack

Read on for what else is being decided on by voters nationwide on Tuesday.

Who else are voters voting for on Election Day?

A news conference to protect Federal voting rights registration held outside the US Capitol in September in Washington DC, where members of Congress, Ssnators, and voting rights advocates from around the country gathered to speak about voting reform ahead of the 2024 election.
A news conference to protect Federal voting rights registration held outside the US Capitol in September in Washington DC, where members of Congress, Ssnators, and voting rights advocates from around the country gathered to speak about voting reform ahead of the 2024 election.  © Tom Brenner / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Congress

In addition to choosing a president, millions of voters will decide the fate of Congress: both in the House of Representatives – where all seats are up for grabs – and the Senate, where one-third are.

The House of Representatives has 435 members, with each representing a Congressional district and elected for a two-year term. Republicans presently hold the House by a small margin, with the election so tight, it's a true toss-up for who will win control.

Trump cites Hunter Biden pardon as he pushes for hush money case dismissal
Donald Trump Trump cites Hunter Biden pardon as he pushes for hush money case dismissal

Thirty-four of the Senate's 100 seats are in play. The Senate consists of two senators from every state, who hold six-year terms. Democrats are in control now, but Republicans may well flip the chamber by a razor-thin margin.

If the same party were to win the presidency and both houses of Congress, it would have the power to push through the president's agenda without support from opposition lawmakers.

Governors

Gubernatorial elections will occur in 11 of the 50 states, with key races in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Indiana and Washington state.

The governor is the top political executive at the state level, where most powers that do not belong to the federal government lie.

What else are voters voting on this Election Day?

A voter drops off ballots at an official ballot drop box on Election Eve in San Francisco, California.
A voter drops off ballots at an official ballot drop box on Election Eve in San Francisco, California.  © CreditLoren Elliott / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Referendums

Since the federal right to an abortion was overturned in 2022 by the Supreme Court, the issue has been omnipresent on the political landscape.

Many Democrats are trying to use the debate over reproductive rights to dissuade women voters from casting ballots for Republicans.

Abortion rights will be the subject of referendums in some 10 states, including Montana, Missouri, Arizona, and Nevada. Voters in Nebraska will even vote on two competing abortion referendums - one prohibiting it after 12 weeks and another allowing it until fetal viability.

In dozens of states, voters are being asked to decide on a variety of other issues, too.

In Colorado, for example, voters will decide whether to ban "trophy hunting" of the mountain lion, bobcat, and lynx.

In the country's largest city, New York, six ballot measures are up for a vote to determine how much power to give to the mayor's office, and a state Equal Rights Amendment to enshrine transgender equality and abortion access in the state constitution.

And in Maine, voters will decide if they want to change their state flag.

Local elections

Thousands of local offices will also be up for election, including state-level lawmakers, judges, mayors, city council members, county officials, sheriffs and others.

With so much at stake this Election Day, Happy Voting!

Cover photo: Unsplash/Phillip Goldsberry

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