ICYMI: Top stories of the week


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A look at the higher education background of top state executives

Of the 192 officeholders currently occupying the top four executive positions in each state—governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state—184 have a bachelor’s degree, 58 have a master’s degree, and 93 have a law degree. Nine such officeholders have a Ph.D., and one has a medical degree. Eight state executives do not list holding a higher education degree in their official biography.

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Seattle voters approve Initiative 135, creating the Social Housing Developer

This citizen-initiated measure creates the Seattle Social Housing Developer, a public development organization that will own, develop, and maintain what the initiative describes as social housing. Under Initiative 135, the public developer’s housing units will be available to those with incomes up to 120% of the area median income of $120,907. Rent is limited to 30% of the household income.

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A look at Tuesday’s Wisconsin Supreme Court primary results

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz and former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly advanced from Tuesday’s primary, defeating Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow and Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell. Protasiewicz received 46.5% of the vote, and Kelly received 24.2%. 

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Update on this year’s and next year’s ballot measure certifications

As of Feb. 21, 2023, five statewide measures had been certified for the ballot in three states for elections in 2023. For 2024, 11 statewide measures have been certified in five states. Here’s an update on the latest ballot measure activity.

One new measure was certified for the ballot last week:

  1. Utah Elections of County Sheriffs Amendment

Signatures have been submitted and are pending verification for two initiatives in Maine and Michigan:

  1. Maine “Right to Repair Law” Vehicle Data Access Requirement Initiative (2023)
  2. Michigan $15 Minimum Wage Initiative (2024)

Signatures were verified for four indirect initiatives in Maine and Ohio, and the initiatives are now before legislators:

  1. Maine Creation of Pine Tree Power Company Initiative (2023)
  2. Maine Prohibit Foreign Spending in Elections Initiative (2023)
  3. Maine Voter Approval of Borrowing Above $1 Billion by State Entities and Electric Cooperatives Initiative (2023)
  4. Ohio Marijuana Legalization Initiative (2023)

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Learn everything you need to know about the school board primaries in Oklahoma (and more!) with On the Ballot

On the Ballot, our weekly podcast, takes a closer look at the week’s top political stories.

In this week’s episode, host Victoria Rose and Ballotpedia’s Marquee Staff Writer Doug Kronaizl talk about the school board primaries that just took place in Oklahoma, as well as results in the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary that took place on Feb. 21. 

Listen here