Today in the UK there were a lot of local council elections....I am not sure what the equivalent is across the pond, but local councils are the authorities responsible for running local services (maintaining highways, schools, libraries, emptying trash and suchlike). the elections typically involve one third of the council being contested.

It's a bit complex to be honest and I'm damned if I understand it all myself. Some councils elect a third, others elect the whole council, others aren't having elections at all.

We should know the overall result by Friday afternoon.

It makes no difference to national government but it does give an indication of how well the main parties are doing.