The aftermath of 2004 elections.(EDITOR'S NOTE: Aftermath of 2004 Elections)

Contrary to what many election experts had predicted and the post-election controversies in a few states notwithstanding, the 2004 elections turned out to be one of the most orderly-held elections in recent decades. Although states could have done more and better under the federal Help American Vote Act, election experts look at last year's elections as "a dramatic improvement" as does Doug Lewis of The Election Center.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

When 2005 sessions began in most states in January, there were no noticeable partisan changes in the composition of the three branches of state government. Overall, the rate of legislative turnover (19.6 percent) in the 2004 elections was well below the 2002 average (26.3 percent) even though a total of 257 legislators in 12 term limit states were prohibited from seeking reelection. In the next two years, as in the previous two years, 20 state legislatures will be controlled by Republicans, and 19 will be dominated by Democrats. Ten state legislatures are split between the two parties with neither party controlling both chambers.

The 2004 gubernatorial elections brought no shifts in party line-ups among governors. Republicans continue to hold a 28 to 22 edge among the governors of the 50 states. Going into the 2004 gubernatorial elections, there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors. Broken down by region, 10 of the 16 governors in the Southern region are Republicans. In 2004, nine lieutenant governors, including five of the six incumbents, faced election. As in the case of governors, more Republicans will continue to hold the office of lieutenant governor than Democrats in the next two years.

There appear to be two continuing trends in state judicial elections as reflected in the 2004 elections: increasingly expensive election campaigns and non-partisan elections. Last year, candidates for state high courts spent more than $39 million on 44 races in 20 states. In addition, many of them received large contributions from non-judicial organizations. As many as ...