5 Things to Watch on Election Night (Besides Trump vs. Harris)

I'll be watching for results from two House races and one key Senate race on Tuesday night, in addition to some important referendums in several states.

Americans and much of the world will be watching election results Tuesday night. Most of the attention will be on the presidential contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, which is expected to be close.

But there are several other votes taking place that are worth your attention. Here are five I’ll be watching.

1. Lily Tang Williams vs. Maggie Goodlander (NH-2)

In New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District, Democrat Maggie Goodlander and Republican Lily Tang Williams are competing for an open seat currently held by a Democrat.

Goodlander is expected to win, but polling suggests the race might be closer than many had anticipated.

Goodlander is the wife of Jake Sullivan, an attorney serving since 2021 as the U.S. National Security Advisor in the Biden Administration. She is wealthy and connected and (dare I say) privileged, but in debates Tang Williams has used that against her with some success (see below).

I don’t expect Tang Williams to pull out this race, but I’ll be watching for results of this David vs. Goliath matchup on Tuesday night with interest.

2. North Dakota Referendum to Ban Property Taxes

Of all the taxes on Americans, there are few I despise more than property taxes, which every year drive elderly Americans from their homes. Surveys show nearly 70% of Americans view property taxes and unfair, and North Dakota is looking to do something about it.

Via Vance Ginn in The Daily Economy:

On November 5, North Dakota will vote on Measure 4, a ballot measure that could make it the first state to eliminate property taxes. This decision isn’t just a local concern; it’s a critical moment that could shape the future of property tax reform nationwide. If successful, the measure will challenge the notion that property taxes are a permanent fixture, forcing us to reconsider the tax model that has held American homeowners in a perpetual cycle of payments to the government.

A lot of people worry about what the lost revenue will be replaced with if we abolish property taxes, but I think this is myopic thinking.

Instead of worrying about how municipalities and government institutions will replace the revenue, let them worry about how they’ll do something far more important: reduce and eliminate costly government services.

Americans don’t hate taxes nearly enough, even though, in the immortal words of Chief Justice John Marshall, they have the power to destroy.

3. Baldwin vs. Hovde (WI Senate)

Democrats have been in control of the Senate since picking up three seats in 2020, but power may soon shift back to the GOP, which is projected to pick up three seats.

One seat considered a toss up is the race in Wisconsin (the state in which I was born and raised), where incumbent Tammy Baldwin holds a narrow edge over Eric Hovde, an entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist.

Watch this race on Tuesday to get a sense of where the night is heading. A win for Hovde could signal a GOP blowout, while an early call for Baldwin could portend another failed “Red Wave,” like that in 2022.

4. Non-Citizen Voting Bans in Eight States

As ABC News notes, citizens in a number of states will be voting on ballot measures that will ban non US citizens from voting.

Via PolitiFact:

“U.S. citizenship is required to vote in federal, state and the vast majority of local elections. Only the District of Columbia and 18 cities in California, Maryland and Vermont allow noncitizens to vote in city council or school board elections.

Nevertheless, voters in Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin will consider ballot measures to amend their state constitutions’ language to further clarify that only U.S. citizens can vote in any election.”

Some are exasperated that these states are voting on a practice that is already technically unlawfully at the federal level, but this is a bigger issue than many want to admit.

A federal judge in Virginia recently blocked an effort by the state to remove 1,600 suspected non-citizens from voter rolls, prompting the Supreme Court to intervene.

The results in these states will shed light on how serious voters are about voter integrity initiatives that are designed to prevent voter fraud, including Voter ID laws that are supported by 8/10 Americans

5. Eugene Vindman vs Derrick Anderson (VA-7)

The candidates for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District are framing their campaigns as battles for the future of democracy.

Republican Derrick Anderson and Democrat Eugene Vindman, the incumbent, both argue that government has let down voters locally and nationally by veering into extreme politics. Both candidates stress that the stakes in this election are high.

Though Vindman led by 8-10 points for months, the race has narrowed in recent weeks and is now considered a tossup by RealClear Politics.

I’m paying attention to this race mostly because I can’t stand the Vindmans.

They are toxic family—the wife of Alex Vindman recently joked about Trump getting his ear shot off—who are supported by the worst elements in Washington, D.C. (I could say much more, but I’ll refrain.)

I expect Eugene Vindman to pull out a win, but I hope he loses and will be popping a bottle of something if he does.

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Author’s note: I hate politics and wish elections didn’t matter as much as they do. I’ll be explaining why in a post later this week.