Month: May 2020
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Maryland courts set tentative reopen date
On May 7, Chief Justice for the Maryland Court of Appeals Ellen Barbera announced that courts in the state could begin to reopen on June 8. Barbera told lawmakers during a Maryland State Senate hearing, per an article from, “Even if that day holds, I can assure you, this does not mean that Monday, June…
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Coronavirus Daily Update: May 7th, 2020
As part of Ballotpedia’s coverage on the coronavirus pandemic, we are compiling a daily summary of major changes in the world of politics, government, and elections happening each day. Here is the summary of changes for May 7, 2020. State stay-at-home orders Read more: States with lockdown and stay-at-home orders in response to the coronavirus…
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Candidate filing period for state-level races to end in Washington
The statewide filing deadline to run for elected office in Washington is on May 15, 2020. Prospective candidates may file for the following state-level offices: State executive Governor Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Secretary of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Commissioner of Public Lands Treasurer Auditor Commissioner of Insurance State legislative Washington State Senate (25 seats)…
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Filing period for congressional candidates to end in Washington state
The filing deadline to run for elected office in Washington is on May 15, 2020. In Washington, prospective candidates may file for all 10 of the state’s U.S. House seats. The primary is scheduled for August 4, and the general election is scheduled for November 3, 2020. Washington’s statewide filing deadline is the 38th to…
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Proponents of North Dakota ranked-choice voting and redistricting initiative file lawsuit to collect signatures electronically
North Dakota Voters First, proponents of the North Dakota Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting, Redistricting, and Election Process Changes Initiative filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota Eastern Division on May 6, 2020. Plaintiffs argued that North Dakota’s requirement that petitioners physically witness each signature and that each petition be signed by a…
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Delaware postpones presidential preference primary a second time
On May 7, Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) announced a further postponement of the state’s presidential primary, this time to July 7. The presidential primary, which was originally scheduled to take place on April 28, was first postponed to June 2. Carney also announced that the state would mail absentee ballot applications automatically to all…
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SCOTUS declines to take up challenge against Pennsylvania order curtailing non-essential business operations
On May 6, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to intervene in a lawsuit over a Pennsylvania order curtailing the operations of non-essential businesses, allowing the state supreme court’s ruling, which upheld the order, to stand. On March 24, the plaintiffs (a number of Pennsylvania businesses) petitioned the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to vacate Governor Tom Wolf’s (D) March…