Each week, we bring you a collection of the most viewed stories from The Daily Brew, condensed.
Here are the top stories from the week of February 5-February 9.
Just in time for Super Tuesday – announcing Ballotpedia’s new Sample Ballot Lookup Tool
Our free Sample Ballot Lookup Tool is central to our mission to solve the ballot information problem—helping millions of voters find meaningful information about the candidates and measures on their ballots.
Using the tool is as simple as plugging in your address. We don’t store or retain your information. You can safely and securely learn about what will be on your ballot.
Bookmark the link and come back anytime you are getting ready to vote.
Click here to see what’s on your ballot
10 Oregon state senators may not run for re-election, according to state supreme court
On Feb. 1, the Oregon Supreme Court upheld Measure 113 — a 2022 ballot initiative that makes legislators ineligible for re-election to a subsequent term if they accrue 10 or more unexcused absences. As a result, 10 senators, including nine Republicans and one independent, are ineligible to run for re-election in 2024 or 2026, depending on when they are next up for re-election.
The Senators participated in a 43 day walkout in 2023 that prevented the chamber from conducting official business. Oregon is one of four states requiring two-thirds of its members to be present to do so.
Minority Leader Tim Knopp (R) said his party walked out because Democrats broke chamber rules on the plain wording of bills. “When the majority of bill summaries written demand a post-graduate degree to understand what the bills do, we disenfranchise Oregonians across the state and violate the law in the process,” he said.
Majority Leader Kate Lieber (D) said Republicans walked out because of the content of the bills. “It is no coincidence that Republicans are employing these embarrassing antics as the Senate is about to vote on bills that protect reproductive health freedom and establish common sense gun safety laws,” she said.
Candidate filing deadlines in four states this month
Four states have statewide filing deadlines in February: Indiana, Maryland, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania.
New Mexico’s filing deadline for candidates seeking pre-primary designation Feb. 6. Indiana and Maryland’s filing deadline for all statewide and congressional candidates is Feb. 9, while Pennsylvania’s is Feb. 13.
Additionally, the deadline for incumbents running for re-election in Nebraska is Feb. 15. Non-incumbents must file by March 1st.