March reminded us of something important: elections don’t just happen in November, and they’re rarely as predictable as they look on paper.
Across Arkansas, North Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, and Illinois, we saw a few clear patterns emerge.
In multiple states, crowded primaries pushed key races into runoffs, especially where no candidate could break the state’s threshold for a declared winner. That matters because runoffs tend to have lower turnout, which means a smaller group of voters will decide high-impact races!
We also saw unexpected performances: candidates outperforming polling, incumbents getting challenged more seriously than anticipated, and in some cases, political newcomers forcing second rounds or reshaping what were supposed to be “safe” contests. Translation: voter assumptions didn’t always match voter behavior.
And that’s exactly the point!
Because when outcomes shift, when races tighten, when unexpected candidates rise, it exposes a gap. Not just in polling, but in what voters actually know going in.
Too often, campaigns are driven by messaging, headlines, or name recognition. But once someone is in office, the real story isn’t what they say…it’s how they vote.
That’s the receipt.
Legislative voting records tell you:
Who consistently shows up;
What policies they actually support; and
Where they align, or don’t, with what they campaign on
And in races where margins are thin or heading to runoffs, that information isn’t just helpful, it’s decisive!
That’s why we’re building Elect Better the way we are.
Not to add more noise.
Not to tell you what to think.
But to make sure that when you walk into a voting booth or fill out a ballot, you’re not guessing.
You’re informed.
Because knowing the receipts doesn’t just make you a better voter.
It makes the system work the way it’s supposed to!
Before April 7th, take two minutes to check your representatives’ receipts.
~ Josh, CEO & Co-Founder
Upcoming elections
Tuesday, April 7
Mississippi
Runoff info: A runoff election is a second round of voting triggered when no candidate earns a majority (defined in Mississippi as over 50%) in the primary, where the top two candidates face off, and the winner becomes the party nominee.
Elect Better Mississippi Election and Voting Digest
About our organization: Elect Better makes civic intelligence accessible, engaging, and accurate so communities across America can stay civically fluent without partisan noise.