On paper, Rhode Island does not share many characteristics with the ruby-red states of the South. Yet when it comes to one important measure of electoral democracy, Rhode Island feels very similar: Too many elections offer voters little or no meaningful choice.
After the primary on Wednesday, Sept. 9, many Rhode Islanders will already know who their next state representative or senator will be, two months before the general election. In some districts, the decisive election will have been the primary. In others, there will have been no contest at all.
Competitive elections are not simply about whether Democrats or Republicans win. They give voters choices, force candidates to make their case to the public, and give elected officials a reason to remain responsive to their constituents. A healthy democracy should not routinely be decided at the filing deadline.
The numbers paint a striking picture. In 2024, more than half of the seats in the Rhode Island Senate were uncontested in the general election, as were nearly two-thirds of the seats in the House of Representatives. Of the 38 Senate seats up for election, only two were competitive using a margin of 10 percentage points or less as the threshold. Among the contested Senate races, the average margin was around 22 percentage points. The long-term trend is also concerning: The number of competitive races has been declining since 2016. In 2014, around 16% of House races were competitive by our measure, whereas by 2024, this figure had fallen to around 10%…