Election Polls

• Voters in Alaska, Florida, Wyoming, and California’s 14th District are heading to the polls for various election contests. • In Florida, voters are determining which candidates will appear on the November ballot to succeed Governor Ron DeSantis. • In Texas, Democratic candidate James Talarico has hired Jacob Smith, a former deputy legislative director for Senator John Cornyn, to aid his tight race against Attorney General Ken Paxton.

• Voters in Alaska, Florida, Wyoming, and California’s 14th District are heading to the polls for various election contests. • In Florida, voters are determining which candidates will appear on the November ballot to succeed Governor Ron DeSantis. • In a separate development, Democratic candidate James Talarico hired Jacob Smith, a former deputy legislative director for Republican Senator Cornyn, to aid his campaign against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The Reform UK leader resigned as the MP for Clacton at the start of July and forced a byelectionGood morning. In the media, August is known as the “silly season”. With parliament not sitting and many people on holiday, there is less proper news than normal, which means the nonsense stories get (even) more attention than usual. We are almost slap bang in the middle of the month, and today we’ve got a silly season classic in Clacton, where Nigel Farage, the Reform UK candidate, is fighting a byelection in which his main opponent is a joke candidate who dresses up as a dustbin.Farage is not inherently silly. Few politicians have been more consequential over the past quarter of a century (because he did more than any other single individual to make the Brexit referendum happen); for most of the past 16 months his party has had a big poll lead and he has a very realistic chance of being the next PM; and even if he doesn’t become PM, his hard-right, anti-migrant, crass, crypto-friendly populism will have changed British politics significantly.POLITICO analysis of the Reform UK leader’s digital campaign messages shows that Farage has run a twin-track strategy in the seaside seat as polls open Thursday. The two key themes of the digital air war have been painting Farage as a champion for local residents — as well as an insurgent leader harried by the “establishment” machine.Farage and his party have spent more than £10,000 pushing those messages via ads on Meta’s platforms — which include Facebook and Instagram — in the campaign so far.Almost £1,000 has been spent on videos of Farage urging local supporters to request the party deliver and install an “I’m with Nigel” garden sign. Meanwhile, around £500 went to ads asking voters to return their postal votes and “send a message to the establishment.”The largest single sum — between £4,000-£4,500 — was spent on an almost five-minute campaign video in which Farage waxes lyrical about the connection he’s made with local constituents, while claiming his party’s surging success has resulted in the powers-that-be using “foul means” to hamper him. Continue reading...

• Voters in Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Virginia, and Washington state participated in primary elections to determine candidates for upcoming congressional races. • Polls have officially closed in Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, and Virginia, marking the conclusion of the voting process in those specific states. • These contests are critical as they shape the party nominations and the overall battle for control of Congress in the next general election.

• India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has dismissed local elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) as a "farce," accusing Islamabad of using the polls to mask a violent crackdown on dissent. • The MEA alleges that Pakistani security forces have killed at least 90 civilians since June during clashes with protesters led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). • The unrest stems from accusations of political interference and electoral manipulation by Pakistan, while the Pakistani government denies targeting civilians and defends its security measures.

• The Jammu Kashmir Awami Conference (JAAC) protest group has urged residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to boycott upcoming elections, labeling the process as "fraud at gunpoint." • JAAC leaders claim that any government formed through these polls will lack legitimacy and have called for supporters to join demonstrations in Muzaffarabad instead of voting. • This movement highlights significant political instability and a lack of trust in the electoral process within the region.

Labour’s Bev Craig expected to win contest that lost column inches to Andy Burnham’s ascent and Reform UK leader’s self-imposed Clacton voteVoting has begun in the biggest byelection in British political history, with more than 2 million people eligible to choose Andy Burnham’s successor as Greater Manchester mayor.In normal times, such a large and politically significant byelection would have dominated the headlines for weeks, particularly as senior Labour figures only weeks ago feared losing the prize mayoralty to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Continue reading...

• Political analysts are evaluating the landscape for Israel's 2026 elections, noting that major blocs are currently separated by only a few seats in most polls. • The outcome may depend less on shifts between Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud and Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar, and more on which smaller parties can surpass the 3.25% electoral threshold. • Internal tensions are rising as United Torah Judaism’s Moshe Gafni demands concrete action on Torah-study legislation, while figures like Edelstein, Illouz, and Haskel have broken with the government over draft policies.

Incumbent Carlos Vila Nova hopes to defeat his former party and secure second term as independentVoters in São Tomé and Príncipe go to the polls for a presidential election on Sunday as one of Africa’s least populous countries seeks to burnish its democratic credentials.According to the National Election Commission, about 142,000 people are registered to vote in the tiny African state’s elections, approximately 15% of whom live in the diaspora. Continue reading...

• Imran Khan's PTI party has announced a boycott of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) Assembly elections scheduled for July 27. • The decision follows ongoing JAAC-led protests and a prolonged sit-in in Rawalakot, where demonstrators are rejecting Islamabad's control. • PTI stated the boycott is a show of solidarity with Kashmiris and a demand for a more independent, just, and peaceful political environment.

Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor hopes a win over Reform UK will help force the prime minister to step asideGood evening, and welcome to the Guardian’s Makerfield byelection live blog. The polls have just closed and we may have to wait until around dawn (quite early in the summer, of course) until we get a result. But, as the votes are counted, it should become clear well before then who is going to win. Andy Burnham, the Labour former cabinet minister, current mayor of Greater Manchester, and potential future prime minister, is widely expected to be the new MP, but at this point no one knows for sure.Here is our latest story about what has been happening today, and what may unfold in the hours to come.At the time of going to print, Op Makerfield is not a totally done deal. Two of Burnham’s top team parrot the same line: ‘It’s closer than you think.’ But those advising the Manchester mayor think the scale of any win will determine the speed of events. ‘If he wins by low single digits, Keir Starmer digs in and says: “You can’t come for me until after the Manchester mayoral election on 30 July,” and it’s bloody trench warfare,’ one says. ‘If it’s a comfortable, single-digits win, the soft left will try to take power through a conversation, but they will probably discover that power has to be taken by force. If Andy gets more than Reform plus Restore combined, start the clock. There will be an avalanche.’ Continue reading...

Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor predicted to beat Reform but Keir Starmer is unlikely to easily step asideMakerfield byelection – latest updatesPolls have closed in Makerfield, Aberdeen South, and Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, with the result in the north-west of England constituency byelection poised to decide the future of UK politics.The population of Makerfield, a constituency sitting just outside Wigan, has found itself at the centre of the British political world in recent weeks after Andy Burnham quit as mayor of Greater Manchester to contest the seat that he hoped would lead him not only to Westminster, but to the front door of 10 Downing Street. Continue reading...

Andy Burnham hopes a successful byelection will mean he can encourage Keir Starmer to step aside as prime ministerReform UK’s candidate Robert Kenyon has visited St Aidan’s Parish Centre in Wigan, accompanied by party leader Nigel Farage, to cast his vote in today’s byelection.Kenyon was pictured wearing a replica England shirt (looks like Italia 90 to me, most closely associated with Gazza blubbing at the end of a hard-fought contest…), following last night’s World Cup win for Thomas Tuchel’s men. Continue reading...

All eyes on US Senate race as Graham Platner, embroiled in controversy, is set to advance as Democratic nomineeVoters in Maine head to the polls on Tuesday for one of the most closely watched primary elections in the country. The US Senate race has become a national fixation as Democrats try to unseat a longtime Republican with a political newcomer who has spent months under fire.Graham Platner, 41, is set to advance as the Democratic nominee for the Senate, after his primary rival – the state’s two-term governor, Janet Mills – suspended her campaign in April. The primary result will likely set up a months-long run-up between Platner, an oysterman and marine veteran with a groundswell of popularity and a mounting list of scandals, and Susan Collins, a 73-year-old Republican senator who has held the seat for nearly three decades. Continue reading...

• Exit polls from Wednesday's mayoral and local elections in South Korea suggest a landslide victory for the ruling liberal party. • The projected win would provide President Lee Jae Myung with a significantly stronger political mandate to push forward his legislative and policy agenda. • These results are critical as they reflect public support for the current administration's direction and its ability to govern effectively.

• South Korean citizens began casting their ballots early Wednesday morning in critical nationwide local elections. • The elections serve as the first major referendum on the progressive administration of President Lee Jae Myung. • International and regional experts are closely monitoring the results to gauge public support for the current government's policies.

• The Spanish government is implementing comprehensive labor and social security reforms in 2026 to create a more transparent and future-proof job market. • Key changes include a modernized pension calculation system featuring a longer reference period and an increase in social security contributions. • New regulations for interns and apprentices will be introduced to prevent the misuse of these roles within the workforce.

Ballots are being cast in the first round of the South American nation’s presidential electionsColombians are casting ballots in the first round of the South American nation’s presidential election, choosing between candidates with radically diverging visions for the future of peace in a country haunted by decades of armed conflict.The vote on Sunday, seen as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policies, comes 10 years after Colombia signed a historic peace pact with guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). Continue reading...

• France is collaborating with Germany and Italy to advocate for a stricter European Union migration policy. • Key demands include the implementation of more rigorous border controls, accelerated deportation processes, and enhanced measures to combat illegal migration. • Domestically, France has tightened integration requirements, such as introducing mandatory civics exams for those seeking long-term residence permits.

Sunday’s presidential vote is contest between left and right – and between contradictory proposals for dealing with the decades-long armed conflictMateo Pérez Rueda was one internship away from completing a degree in political science. The 24-year-old also worked as a bicycle delivery rider and sold fruit salads and juice to finance his passion: the Colombian independent digital magazine El Confidente.On 4 May he travelled to Briceño, in the western province of Antioquia, to report on the long-running conflict between the army, paramilitaries and dissidents of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). Continue reading...

• PolitPro has launched as a leading European platform dedicated to aggregating election trends, public opinion research, and scientific political datasets. • The service provides users with essential tools, including current opinion polls, historical data, and coalition calculators to analyze potential government formations. • By synthesizing expert analyses and statistics, the platform aims to make complex political developments across Europe transparent and accessible to the general public.

Results of elections for councils in England, the Senedd in Wales and the Scottish parliament could transform Great Britain’s political landscapePolls have closed across England, Scotland and Wales for local, mayoral and parliamentary elections, with the first results to be announced within hours.More than 30 million people across Britain were given the opportunity to vote on Thursday in what is widely seen as the biggest test for Keir Starmer since the 2024 general election. Results across three nations could fundamentally change the political landscape and could have repercussions for the prime minister. Continue reading...

Local, mayoral and parliamentary contests could upend political landscape as Reform, Greens and Lib Dems surgePolling has opened across England, Scotland and Wales in a series of local, mayoral and parliamentary contests – the biggest electoral test Keir Starmer and the Labour government have faced since the 2024 general election.As millions of people across Great Britain go to the polls on Thursday, party leaders are poised for a set of results that could fundamentally change the political landscape nationally in Scotland and Wales, and across local authorities in England. Continue reading...

State expected to play major role in deciding whether Republicans maintain control of Congress in his final two yearsVoters in Ohio on Tuesday are selecting candidates ahead of November’s midterm elections. The state is expected to play a major role in deciding whether Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans maintain control of Congress for the final two years of his term.The race with the highest national profile is Ohio’s Senate special election, in which Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, is vying to unseat the Republican incumbent, Jon Husted, and return to the chamber after failing to win re-election in 2024. The winner will serve the final two years of the term JD Vance won in 2022, before he became vice-president last year. Continue reading...

Prime minister has been trailing in the polls to Péter Magyar in race that could have repercussions for Europe, the US and RussiaHello from Budapest where Hungarians are voting in a closely contested election that could oust Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power and potentially reshape the central European country’s relations with the EU, Moscow and Washington.Pre-election day polls appeared to suggest that Péter Magyar of the centre-right Tisza party could be on course to win the election, ending Orbán’s era, much criticised for weakening the rule of law and civil liberties, and raising hopes of a more pro-European government in Budapest. Continue reading...

Former Viktor Orbán loyalist and his Tisza party have enjoyed meteoric rise as opposition movement growsAs a child growing up in Budapest, Péter Magyar had a poster of Viktor Orbán – at the time a leading figure in the country’s pro-democracy movement – hanging above his bed. Orbán was one of several political figures that adorned his bedroom, Magyar told a podcast last year, hinting at his excitement over the changes sweeping the country after the collapse of communism.Now Magyar, 45, is the driving force behind what could be another momentous political change in Hungary: the ousting of Orbán, whose 16 years in power has transformed the country into a “petri dish for illiberalism”. Continue reading...

PM’s party forecast to win most votes, but another centrist or centre-right coalition appears likelyMette Frederiksen’s Social Democrats and Denmark’s other left-leaning parties appear to have failed to win enough votes to gain a clear mandate to form a government in an election fought amid geopolitical tensions with the US over Greenland.According to two exit polls released shortly after voting stopped on Tuesday evening, the prime minister’s party looked to have won the most votes but still performed worse than expected, with an estimated 19%-21% of the vote. Continue reading...

Incumbent Mette Frederiksen widely predicted to continue as PM but neither bloc expected to be able to form majorityDenmark election: far right has slowed under Frederiksen – but at what cost?After votes in France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia over the weekend, it’s now time for Denmark, as Danes go to the polls today amid the backdrop of (waves arms) everything, everywhere, all at once.As our Nordic correspondent Miranda Bryant explains, the incumbent, Mette Frederiksen, has been widely predicted to continue as prime minister after the election. Continue reading...