Welcome to the Friday, October 1, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- 2021 voter registration deadline roundup
- Recall elections scheduled for four Wisconsin school board members
- #FridayTrivia: By this date in 2011, how many states had enacted congressional district maps?
Quick reminder: This is my last day writing the Daily Brew as I begin to help drive and facilitate Ballotpedia’s coverage of the once-a-decade redistricting process. My team members will be taking the reins from here. You can expect them in your inbox at the same time each morning, but the email will be delivered from Ballotpedia instead of Dave Beaudoin.
Thank you for all the kind words this week. It has been an honor to be part of your morning news routine. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you around Ballotpedia.
Sincerely,
Dave
2021 voter registration deadline roundup
With 32 days until the Nov. 2 general election, we are beginning to see voter registration deadlines approaching. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of those deadlines.
Texas: the voter registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 4. Voters can check their registration status here.
- Ballot measures: Voters in Texas will decide eight statewide ballot measures at the general election. All eight measures are constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by the Texas State Legislature.
Virginia: the voter registration deadline is Oct. 11. Voters can check their registration status here.
- State executives: Three state executive offices are on the statewide ballot this year: governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Democrats currently hold all three positions but only one incumbent—Atty. Gen. Mark Herring (D)—is seeking re-election, leaving the other two offices open.
- State legislative: All 100 seats of the Virginia House of Delegates are also up for election making this the first election cycle since 1999 with Democrats defending a majority in the chamber.
New Jersey: the voter registration deadline is Oct. 12. Voters can check their registration status here.
- State executive: Voters will cast their ballots for governor and lieutenant governor as incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy (D) faces former state Assm. Jack Ciattarelli (R) and three others. In New Jersey, the outcome of the gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election defines the rest of the executive branch: the offices—elected on a joint ticket—are the only directly-elected executive officials in the state, with the remainder being appointed by the governor.
- State legislative: All state legislative seats in the state Senate and General Assembly are also up for election. Democrats currently hold majorities in both chambers.
- Ballot measures: Voters will also decide two statewide ballot measures, both of which are constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by the legislature.
Pennsylvania: the voter registration deadline is Oct. 18. Voters can check their registration status here.
- State courts: Pennsylvanians will elect a new state supreme court justice. Justice Thomas Saylor (R) could not seek re-election due to reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Voters will decide his replacement between Maria McLaughlin (D), a judge of the Pennsylvania Superior Court, and Kevin Brobson (R), a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court judge. In addition to the supreme court election, seven positions on the state’s intermediate appellate courts are also up for election. Three of those are partisan elections while the other four are retention elections.
- Ballot measures: Voters will also decide four statewide ballot measures, three of which are constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by the legislature. The fourth measure is a legislatively referred state statute.
Washington: the voter registration deadline is Oct. 25. Voters can check their registration status here.
- State courts: Two positions on the Washington Court of Appeals are up for election to six-year terms. In both races, the incumbent judges—James Verellen and Bernard Veljacic—are running unopposed.
- Ballot measures: Voters will also decide three statewide ballot measures, all of which are advisory questions.
Recall elections scheduled for four Wisconsin school board members
Recall elections seeking to remove four of the seven members on the Mequon-Thiensville School District Board of Education in Wisconsin will be held on Nov. 2, 2021. Board members Wendy Francour, Erik Hollander, Akram Khan, and Chris Schultz are on the ballot. The three remaining board members were not eligible for recall as they had not served in office for at least one year.
Recall supporters said they began the process due to concerns about the school district’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the topic of race in education, and a decline in academic performance metrics.
A spokeswoman for the district said, “MTSD’s focus remains on advancing our vision and planning for a robust learning experience for all students for the 2021-2022 school year.”
To get the recall on the ballot, supporters had to collect around 4,200 signatures per board member in 60 days. Supporters submitted more than 4,400 signatures on Aug. 23. All four members named in the recall petitions filed challenges on Sept. 2. On Sept. 21, the petitions were found to be sufficient, allowing the recall elections to be scheduled.
Ballotpedia has tracked 70 school board recall efforts against 182 board members so far in 2021—the highest number of school board recall efforts we have tracked in one year since beginning this coverage in 2010. The next-highest year was in 2010 with 38 recall efforts against 91 school board members.
In addition to the recalls in the Mequon-Thiensville School District, Ballotpedia is tracking four other recall elections on Nov. 2: a school board recall in Kansas and three city official recalls in Michigan, Missouri, and Colorado.
#FridayTrivia: By this date in 2011, how many states had enacted new congressional district maps?
In Thursday’s Brew, we took a look at Oregon, which, on Sept. 27, became the first state in the 2020 redistricting cycle to enact redrawn congressional district maps. By this date—Oct. 1—in 2011, following the 2010 census, how many states had enacted congressional district maps?
Correction: At this point in the 2018 election cycle, 65% of members of Congress who did not run for re-election did so in order to seek another office, a larger percentage than in this cycle. The lead story in Wednesday’s Brew misstated this figure.