Year: 2021
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Ruth Ruggero Hughs resigns as Texas Secretary of State
Ruth Ruggero Hughs resigned as Texas secretary of state effective May 31, after the Nominations Committee of the Texas State Senate did not take up her nomination for another term. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) appointed Hughs on August 19, 2019, to succeed David Whitley after he did not receive enough confirmation votes from the state…
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Noah Valenstein resigns as secretary of Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein stepped down from his position on June 4. He had led the agency for over four years since former Gov. Rick Scott (R) appointed him on May 23, 2017. Shawn Hamilton, the department’s deputy secretary for land and recreation, will take over as interim secretary. In his…
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May 2021 partisan composition of state legislative seats: 54.3% Republicans, 44.9% Democrats
Ballotpedia’s May partisan count of state legislative seats found that 54.30% of state legislators are Republicans and 44.93% are Democrats. At the end of every month, Ballotpedia tallies the partisan balance of state legislatures, which refers to which political party holds a majority of seats in each chamber. Republicans currently control 61 chambers, while Democrats…
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Colorado Legislature passes transportation funding bill that removes bond issue from 2021 ballot
On June 2, 2021, the Colorado State Legislature passed a transportation funding bill, Senate Bill 260. It included a provision to remove the bond issue that was set to appear on the 2021 ballot. Governor Jared Polis (D) is expected to sign the legislation. The bill was passed largely along party lines with Democrats in…
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Recall effort against supervisors in Shasta County, California, approved to circulate petitions
An effort to recall three of the five members of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in California has been approved to circulate petitions. District 1 representative Joe Chimenti, District 2 representative Leonard Moty, and District 3 representative Mary Rickert were named in the notices of intent to recall. Recall supporters have until Sept. 29…
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Texas voters will decide in November whether to allow counties to issue bonds to fund infrastructure in blighted areas
On May 28, the Texas State Legislature voted to refer a constitutional amendment that would add counties to the list of political subdivisions that may issue bonds to fund transportation and infrastructure projects in underdeveloped or blighted areas of the county. Currently, the Texas Constitution states that the legislature by general law may authorize incorporated…
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Voters have until June 8 to remove signatures from recall petitions of California Gov. Newsom
The next major deadline in the recall campaign against California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is June 8. Voters have until this date to request to have their signatures removed from the recall petitions. At that point, if at least 1,495,709 signatures remain, the recall election will be certified and proceed to a budgeting and scheduling…
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Voters to decide state legislative primaries in New Jersey, Virginia on June 8
Two states—New Jersey and Virginia—are holding state legislative elections this year. Democratic and Republican voters in each state will be selecting nominees for these races on June 8. In New Jersey, all 120 state legislative seats are up for election: 80 in the General Assembly and 40 in the state Senate. Ninety percent of incumbents,…
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Democrat Melanie Ann Stansbury wins special election in New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District
Melanie Ann Stansbury (D) defeated Mark Moores (R) and four other candidates in New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District special election. Stansbury received 63% of the vote to Moore’s 33%. The election took place after the U.S. Senate confirmed incumbent Debra Haaland (D) as secretary of the on March 15, 2021. Stansbury served in the New…