Why These 5 States Hold Odd-Year Elections, Bucking The Trend

If you follow politics, you're probably inundated by news of the 2020 presidential race by now. But did you know that 2019 is an election year too? This month, five states will hold big general elections.

Voters in Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia will elect either a whole slew of state lawmakers or a governor and other statewide executives. Or, in the case of Louisiana and Mississippi, all of the above.

These races do get national attention. President Trump has been to nearly every one of the states in the past couple of months. Vice President Pence and several of the Democratic presidential contenders have held events with candidates, too.

But why do just five of the 50 states have elections in years when there is no presidential or congressional election, and what does it mean for state political power and voter turnout?

We wanted to know, so some of our political reporters in those places waded into archives, combed state constitutions and spoke to political scientists to figure out why their state has bucked the trend and holds elections in odd-numbered years.

Below we'll share in even years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday is a relatively new one.