When to add candidates to the election data is always an interesting question. You definitely don’t want to preempt the voters, so filling in candidates on the General Election ballot ahead of the official results from the Primary is a precarious place to be. Alternatively, to be a timely resource you really do need stay ahead of “old news” status.
Here’s how I did it for the 2024 General Election:
- DECEMBER 2023: Races with one or two candidates filing will be included after the Certified List of Candidates has been posted (December 28, 2023)
- FEBRUARY 2024: Races with one candidate filed and either zero or one write-in candidates filed after the Certified List of Write-in Candidates has been posted (February 23, 2024)
- MARCH 2024: Races which had three or more candidates file will be have included after it becomes clear which candidates were the Top Two winners of the Primary (March 5 to March 26, 2024)
- APRIL 2024: Candidates who qualify for the General Election as write-ins in contests with multiple write-in candidates will be added after the Primary Statement of Vote is released (April 12, 2024)
- MAY to AUGUST 2024: Presidential candidates will be competing for delegates in the primary elections and one will likely cross the threshold for “presumptive nominee” somewhere between March 12th and 19th. The candidates will become their party’s official presidential nominees after their party nominating conventions:
Peace and Freedom Convention: ? (?)
Libertarian Convention: May 24-26 (Washington, DC)
Green Party Convention: July 11-14 (Virtual event)
Republican Convention: July 15-18 (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Democratic Convention: August 19-22 (Chicago, Illinois)
