Real democracy involves two or more candidates squaring off in elections giving voters a real choice for office. And yet, throughout the United States thousands of elections go uncontested, leaving voters with no choice other than to vote for the one candidate on the ballot, or not vote at all.
Ballotpedia, which tracks elections nationwide says that between 2018-2023, 58% of the races it follows had just one candidate. Here in California, more than 200 elections in 2022 featured just one candidate for local offices ranging from District Attorney to school board member.
The progressive non-profit Contest Every Race says Republicans more likely to run uncontested. The organization is trying to change that by recruiting and financing Democrats to run for office, especially in battleground states.
Lauren Gepford, executive director of Contest Every Race, joins Scott to talk about what uncontested races mean for America.