'Down-ballot' are the Senators, Representatives, and Govenors of the states. In other words, every office below the presidency.

Thanks,Angela!)

Hi, In the US, we don't just vote for president. We vote for president, senators, congressmen, governors, state senators & congressmen, state offices, county officers, and city officers all at once. For example, in my area, I will vote on 25 different offices. The president comes first (at the top of the ballot). The rest of the offices are listed after that (or further down on the ballot). So everything other than president is a "down ballot" race.

intellectual masturbation :)

In case anyone is wondering, this is a fake story. It's the New Yorker's version of humor.