Year: 2022

  • Number of open U.S. House seats in Oregon reaches decade high

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    The filing deadline for candidates running for state or federal office in Oregon was March 8, 2022. This year, 46 candidates are running in Oregon's six U.S. House districts, including 26 Democrats, 19 Republicans, and one independent. That's 7.7 candidates per district, down from 9.2 candidates per district in 2020 and 8.4 in 2018. Here…

  • Kansas Department of Labor announces unemployment insurance modernization contract

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    The Kansas Department of Labor (KDL) announced on April 5 that the state chose Tata Consultancy Services to update the current IT system for processing unemployment insurance claims. The KDL said the project would take multiple years to complete, but the state had not released a timeline or budget as of April 5. Kansas launched…

  • ICYMI: Top stories of the week

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    Milwaukee mayoral race headlined April 5 elections The race to fill out the remainder of former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s unexpired term was the only battleground among the races we covered on April 5. Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson defeated Robert Donovan. Although the race is officially nonpartisan, Johnson has said he is a Democrat. Donovan…

  • Lawsuit claiming public-sector employees must be informed of Janus rights dismissed

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    U.S. district judge dismisses Illinois teacher’s claim that public-sector unions must inform employees of Janus rights    On March 28, Judge John F. Kness of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois dismissed an Illinois teacher’s lawsuit claiming that, under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, public-sector unions are…

  • St. Louis voters approve a capital improvements bond issue and an initiative on redistricting and elections on Tuesday

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    St. Louis voters approved both measures on their ballots on Tuesday. According to final election night results, 84% of voters approved Proposition 1, a $50 million bond issue, and 69% of voters approved Proposition R, a citizen initiative concerning election law, redistricting, and conflicts of interest. Proposition 1 required a two-thirds (66.67%) majority, and Proposition…

  • Kansas City voters approve all three measures on their April 5 ballots

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    The Kansas City Council referred all three measures to the April 5 ballot. According to final election night results, voters approved all three measures by over 70%. Voters approved Question 1 by 79.5% to 20.5%. Question 1 authorized the city to issue $750 million in revenue bonds for expanding, improving, and rehabilitating the city's sanitary…

  • Jefferson City voters approve $44 million in sewer bonds on April 5

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    Jefferson City voters approved the only question on their ballot by 85% to 15% on April 5. The measure authorized the city to issue $44 million in revenue bonds for sewer system improvements, maintenance, and operations. The Jefferson City Council referred a bond measure to the ballot. A municipal revenue bond is debt security used…

  • Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed, will be sworn in this summer

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    By: Douglas Kronaizl Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court Five candidates file for U.S. House in Maine creating one contested primary Join the Ballotpedia Society to help us bring more neutral, reliable coverage to the local level Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed,…

  • Calvin Smyre, longest-serving member, resigns from Georgia state House

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    Image of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia.

    Calvin Smyre (D) announced on April 4, 2022, that he would resign from the Georgia House of Representatives, after being appointed ambassador to the Dominican Republic by President Joe Biden (D). Smyre has served since 1975, most recently in District 135. Smyre was elected to the state House in 1974. He is the longest-serving Georgia…

  • D.C. voters to decide whether to increase the minimum wage for tipped workers in November

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    On April 6, the D.C. Board of Elections announced that the campaign behind Initiative 82, which would increase the minimum wage for tipped workers, submitted 27,026 valid signatures—enough to qualify for the ballot. The campaign had originally targeted the June primary ballot, but with a delay during the signature verification process the board missed the…