Year: 2021
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Matthew Dunlap vacates the office of Maine State Auditor
The office of the Maine State Auditor became vacant on Oct. 1 when former auditor Matthew Dunlap (D) stepped down. The Maine Legislature elected Dunlap as state auditor on December 2, 2020, effective January 4, 2021. Under Maine law, he was required to have certification as a public accountant, internal auditor, or information systems auditor…
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Three Sequim candidates complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey
Three city council candidates in Sequim, Wa., completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey in recent weeks. Sequim is located in Clallam County, in the northwestern corner of the state. Ballotpedia is covering municipal elections on Nov. 2 in Clallam County’s three cities—Port Angeles, Sequim, and Forks. In Sequim, eleven offices are up for election, including seats…
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Fifteen states have issued a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers
Since August 2021, 15 states have announced vaccine requirements for healthcare workers. Thirteen states have a Democratic trifecta. In Maryland and Massachusetts, the governor is a Republican but the state legislature is controlled by Democrats. Eleven states do not allow healthcare workers to choose between getting a vaccine and getting regularly tested. Delaware, Maryland, and…
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California becomes eighth state to implement universal, automatic mail-in voting
On Sept. 27, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed AB37 into law, making California the eighth state to provide for universal, automatic mail-in voting in all future elections. Under the law as enacted, local election officials must automatically deliver mail-in ballots to all registered voters. In addition, AB37 modified the mail-in ballot return deadline: ballots…
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Cincinnati city council fixes error that would have made Issue 3 increase city council salaries instead of decrease them
On Sept. 30, the Cincinnati City Council passed an emergency ordinance to fix an error in the legal text of Issue 3 on the Nov. 2 ballot. The error would have made Issue 3 increase city council pay instead of decreasing it. Issue 3, a citizen initiative, was designed to decrease city council pay to…
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Redistricting timeline updates: Georgia, North Dakota, and Oklahoma announce special sessions to tackle redistricting
Here’s a summary of recent redistricting timeline updates from Arkansas, Georgia, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and West Virginia. Arkansas: The Arkansas General Assembly reconvened at the start of a state legislative special session to consider congressional map proposals on Sept. 29. The state’s Board of Appropriation will begin work on redistricting…
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Indiana adopts new congressional, legislative district boundaries
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) signed new congressional and state legislative district maps into law on Oct. 4, 2021. The Indiana General Assembly approved the new maps on Oct. 1. The Indiana state Senate approved the final congressional and legislative district boundaries on Oct. 1 by a vote of 36-12, with all votes to approve…
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Two of the five Virginia House districts with the lowest total donations this cycle are 2019 rematches
Elections for all 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates are taking place on November 2, 2021. Democrats hold 55 seats and Republicans hold 45 seats. There are 93 districts with both a Democratic and Republican candidate on the ballot. This is the first election cycle since 1999 with Democrats defending a majority in…
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Three of the top five fundraisers to lose a Virginia House primary this cycle were incumbent Democrats
Elections for all 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates are taking place on November 2, 2021. Primaries were held on June 8, though party committees could also choose to hold conventions instead of primaries. Top fundraisers with unsuccessful primary campaigns The Democratic candidates who raised the most money and lost their primary were:…