Ballotpedia Offering Special Election Night Coverage and Analysis of State Financial Officer Races

They are the CFOs, chief accountants, lead auditors and pension investment managers for multi-billion dollar enterprises. We're covering them all.

MIDDLETON, Wis., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Voters will be deciding tens of thousands of federal, state and local elections on Nov. 8. Most attention will focus on the marquee races for Congress or governor. Ballotpedia will be covering all of them. But we will also pay close attention to a class of statewide office that has largely gone unnoticed: Contests for statewide financial office (SFO).

SFO titles vary from state to state. They may be referred to as treasurers, controllers, auditors or comptrollers, to name a few. Regardless of their titles, collectively these officials are responsible for tens of billions of dollars in state government funds ? from collecting taxes and paying bills, to auditing public accounts and making investment decisions for state pension funds.

"These positions are more consequential and have received more attention than ever because of their fiduciary role in determining and managing state-level finances - including surrounding the issue of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG)," said Ballotpedia's Editor in Chief, Geoff Pallay.

"We're committed to helping voters and the media understand what these officials do, who the candidates are and, as quickly as possible after the polls close on Nov. 8, who voters pick to run these offices," continued Pallay. "We'll be here to analyze trends and to tell you everything you need to know ? who won, who lost, and which offices changed party hands ."

Here's what you need to know about these elections

• Next week, voters will decide 68 of the country's 105 state financial officers nationwide (65%).
• They will directly elect 50 of those statewide financial officers. The remainder are at-will gubernatorial or other appointees.
• Currently, Democrats and Republicans each hold 33 state financial officer positions. Two positions were appointed in a nonpartisan manner.

Here's the current partisan breakdown of state financial officers

• 42 SFOs who are Democrats or were Democratic appointees
• 56 SFOs who are Republicans or were Republican appointees
• Three SFOs were bipartisan appointees
• Four SFOs were non-elected appointees or multi-member board appointees

Ballotpedia's election teams will be publishing their reporting and analysis of state financial officer elections ? and all of the nation's election night results ? on Ballotpedia.org, in Ballotpedia's flagship newsletter, "The Daily Brew," and at our upcoming Election Analysis Hub.

Ballotpedia's data, tools and infographics are always available to use and publish, with attribution.

The Ballotpedia Bottom Line: We're covering more elections, covering more of the country, than at any time in our 15 year history. And there's more to come.

Ballotpedia ? the encyclopedia of American politics ? is America's most trusted source of unbiased information on politics, elections, and policy. Founded in 2007, Ballotpedia has grown from a small group of dedicated volunteers to an essential resource for voters, media, and researchers. Ballotpedia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the public interest in creating an educated, engaged electorate, and building a strong, healthy democracy. For free access to more than 380,000 professionally authored articles, visit Ballotpedia.org.

SOURCE Ballotpedia