Year: 2021
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SCOTUS issues opinion, adds no new cases to merits docket
On January 25, 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued one opinion in a case argued during its October 2020-2021 term, the twelfth opinion to date for the term. In the case Henry Schein Inc. v. Archer and White Sales Inc., the court issued a per curiam opinion—a ruling given collectively by…
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Californians to vote on flavored tobacco ban referendum in 2022
In 2022, Californians will vote on a veto referendum to uphold or repeal a bill to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products. On January 22, 2020, the secretary of state’s office confirmed that referendum petitioners submitted more signatures than the minimum requirement of 623,212. SB 793 was written to go into effect on January…
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Governor’s appointment shifts New Mexico Supreme Court partisan balance
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) appointed Julie Vargas (D) to the New Mexico Supreme Court on December 19, 2020. Vargas succeeds Justice Judith Nakamura (R) who retired on Dec. 1. Vargas was Gov. Lujan Grisham’s third nominee to the five-member supreme court. Her appointment shifted the partisan balance on the New Mexico Supreme…
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Pennsylvania state Senator David Arnold (R) dies
On Jan. 17, Pennsylvania state Senator David Arnold (R) died from brain cancer. Arnold won election to the 48th District seat in a special election on Jan. 14, 2020. The seat became vacant after Mike Folmer (R) resigned on Sep. 18, 2019, after being charged with possession of child pornography. Prior to serving in the…
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Filing deadline passes for special election in Virginia state Senate
Candidates interested in running in the special election for District 38 of the Virginia State Senate had until January 22, 2021, to file. Former Radford City Councilwoman Laurie Buchwald (D) is facing Tazewell County Supervisor Travis Hackworth (R) in the general election scheduled for March 23. The seat became vacant after the death of A.…
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SCOTUS announces oral arguments to be heard via teleconference for February sitting
On January 22, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would conduct oral arguments via teleconference during its February sitting, following the same format that was used during its October, November, December, and January sittings. The court also announced that the oral arguments will be provided to the public via live audio stream. The…
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Ballotpedia’s 2020 Candidate Connection report: 16.4% of candidates completed surveys this election cycle
For the third year in a row, Ballotpedia invited candidates to take part in our Candidate Connection initiative. The survey was open to the 29,002 federal, state, and local candidates that Ballotpedia covered in 2020. Ballotpedia received submissions from 4,745 candidates—or 16.4%—who were running for seats across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.…
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Analyzing Georgia runoff vote margins, turnout compared to prior years
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) certified the state’s Jan. 5 runoff election results on Jan. 19, and election winners Jon Ossoff (D) and Raphael Warnock (D) were sworn into the Senate on Jan. 20. This was the third year Georgia has held a runoff election for U.S. Senate. The state also held Senate…
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What ballot measures will voters decide in 2021?
As of January 21, 2021, nine statewide ballot measures were certified for the 2021 ballot in three states. Seven bond questions are certified for the March 2 ballot in Rhode Island. One bond issue is certified for the Nov. 2 ballot in Colorado. A constitutional amendment concerning redistricting is certified for the Nov. 2 ballot in New…
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Signatures filed for Maine initiative regarding electric transmission
In Maine, the campaign No CMP Corridor reported filing more than 100,000 signatures for a ballot initiative to prohibit the construction of electric transmission lines in the Upper Kennebec Region and require a two-thirds vote of each state legislative chamber to approve high-impact electric transmission lines. The ballot initiative would apply retroactively to September 16, 2020, and apply…