Although the election returns for 2018 are far from complete, it is possible to know now that the minor party and independent vote for the top office in each state this year is only 2.8%. This is the lowest percentage since 1982, when it was only 1.8%. The highest percentage since World War II was 2010, when it was 5.4%.

“Top office” means the most important office in each state. Governor is deemed to be the most important office in each state, if that state held a gubernatorial election. For states without gubernatorial elections, U.S. Senate is considered the top office. For the handful of states that had neither office up, the top office is the statewide office that is closest to the top of the ballot. Kentucky was the only state with no statewide offices up, so for Kentucky, U.S. House is considered the most important office.

Here is a link to the unofficial Tennessee gubernatorial election returns. As noted earlier, there were 25 candidates on the ballot with the label “independent.” Their votes ranged from 5,172 to 493.

North Carolina elected a State Supreme Court Justice on November 7. The Republican-majority legislature had earlier restored partisan nominations for judicial races, but in 2017 that legislature passed a bill saying that for 2018 only, there would be no party primaries, and candidates for judicial office would simply file for the November election. Their party label in November would match the party in which they were registered.

Two Republicans and one Democrat filed for the 2018 race. When the legislature observed that, it quickly passed a bill saying that a judicial candidate who had not been a member of a particular party for at least three months before filing could not have any party label on the ballot. But Christopher Anglin, one of the two Republicans, who was injured by that law, sued in state court and won. So, he did have “Republican” next to his name.

The results: the Democrat, Anita Earle, won the election with 49.45% of the vote. Republican Anglin got 16.40%, and the other Republican, Barbara Jackson, got 34.15%. So Democrats won the seat even though more votes were cast for Republicans.