Welcome to the Thursday, April 18, Brew.
By: Mercedes Yanora
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Kentucky is sixth state to ban ranked-choice voting (RCV), Missouri voters may decide on amendment to prohibit RCV
- Incumbent William Timmons (R) and Adam Morgan (R) are running in the Republican primary for South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District
- Learn what the REINS Act is in the latest episode of On the Ballot, our weekly podcast
*Correction: In yesterday’s Brew, we said the signature deadline for Missouri’s abortion ballot initiative was May 1. The signature deadline is six months before the general election, which is May 5.
Kentucky is sixth state to ban ranked-choice voting (RCV), Missouri voters may decide on amendment to prohibit RCV
So far this year, state legislators across the nation have introduced 69 bills that would expand ranked-choice voting (RCV) and 39 bills that would ban or prohibit it. Click here to read our last RCV update. And now, let’s look at some RCV news from Kentucky and Missouri.
Kentucky: On April 12, Kentucky legislators overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) veto of House Bill 44 (HB 44), which prohibits ranked-choice voting (RCV). The bill changes several areas of election law, mostly related to voter list maintenance. Legislators added the portion of the bill that bans RCV as a Senate amendment, prohibiting the use of RCV for local, state, and federal elected offices.
The final version of HB 44 passed the Kentucky Senate 28-8 on March 27. All Democrats in the chamber voted ”no,” and all but one Republican present voted “yes.” It passed the Kentucky House 75-18 the next day with all but one Democrat voting “no,” and every Republican in the chamber voting “yes.”
Beshear vetoed the legislation on April 5. He did not mention the bill’s RCV prohibition in his veto message.
Lawmakers overrode the veto on April 12, voting 79-20 in the lower chamber and 24-8 in the upper chamber. Kentucky law requires a simple majority in both chambers to override a veto. Kentucky is one of four states where one party has a veto proof-majority in the legislature but a governor from the opposite party.
The new law makes Kentucky the sixth state to ban RCV. Kentucky is the first state to adopt such a law with a divided government. The other five states had Republican trifectas when they banned RCV.
Florida and Tennessee were the first states to ban RCV, doing so in 2022. Idaho, Montana, and South Dakota banned RCV last year. Active legislation in 20 other states would ban RCV, including bills in seven states (Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma) that have passed one chamber. Republicans control the legislature in each of these seven states.
Missouri: The Missouri House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment to make election and voting-related changes to the state constitution, including prohibiting RCV and noncitizen voting. If the Senate passes the resolution, it will go on the Nov. 5 ballot.
The amendment was introduced as House Joint Resolution 104 (HJR 104), and passed the House 102-44 on April 15. All 102 “Yes” votes were from Republicans, and all 44 “No” votes were from Democrats. HJR 104 would restrict voting to U.S. citizens, prohibit RCV, and require partisan primaries and a plurality voting system. It would also require that voting machines be tested and certified as meeting federal security standards before each election. The amendment would also allow paper ballots to be used alongside any other mechanical voting method.
Representative Ben Baker (R) supported HJR 104, saying, “Like many other initiative petitions in recent years, the RCV idea has often been funded by deep pockets outside of our state, and this particular idea is really just a new scheme to get more Democrats elected in red states like Missouri. This measure comes as a response to the growing concerns about the potential impact of RCV on voter confidence, election integrity, and the efficiency of the electoral process.”
The Missouri Voter Protection Coalition submitted testimony opposing HJR 104, saying, “This is duplicative and unnecessary—given that only citizens are eligible to vote—and designed to confuse voters. … The proposed resolution would further undermine the voices of Missourians by prohibiting their ability to consider alternative forms of voting such as ranked choice or approval voting …”
In order for the amendment to be placed on the November ballot, it will need to pass the Missouri Senate by a simple majority, or a minimum of 18 votes. The Missouri Senate also approved a constitutional amendment (Senate Joint Resolution 78) to ban noncitizen and RCV voting. The Missouri House will need to pass it by a minimum of 82 votes.
RCV is used in Alaska and Maine for federal and statewide elections, while Hawaii uses RCV for certain statewide elections. Fourteen states contain localities that either use or are scheduled to begin using RCV in municipal elections, while six states have enacted legislation prohibiting the use of RCV in any elections. This year, Alaska voters may decide on a ballot initiative that would eliminate RCV in the state.
Incumbent William Timmons (R) and Adam Morgan (R) are running in the Republican primary for South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District
Throughout the year, we’ll bring you coverage of the most compelling elections — the battlegrounds we expect to have a meaningful effect on the balance of power in governments or to be particularly competitive.
Today, we’re looking at the June 11 Republican primary for South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District. Incumbent William Timmons (R) and Adam Morgan (R) are running.
Both Timmons and Morgan describe themselves as conservatives. Heritage Action—a nonprofit that issues conservative scorecards for members of Congress—gave Timmons a 95% lifetime score and a 100% congressional score. Morgan is a co-founder of the South Carolina Freedom Caucus chapter. House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) has endorsed him.
Politico‘s Olivia Beavers wrote, “[p]rimary challenges from the right aren’t anything new for House Republicans. But Morgan is making a new implication among conservatives more explicit: it’s not enough to back the right flank’s priorities anymore, you also have to be willing to rebel against party leadership.” In an interview with the outlet, Morgan criticized Timmons’ support of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). He said, “On the fight in January, William was completely absent. He wasn’t with the Freedom Caucus. He was with McCarthy. And that’s a huge stain on his record.”
Timmons defended his conservative record, saying, “You’re hard pressed to find someone more conservative. You might find someone louder, but you’re not gonna find somebody more conservative. … Adam’s greatest ‘legislative accomplishments’ are filing a lawsuit and abandoning the Republican Party to form a third-party caucus [the South Carolina Freedom Caucus chapter] that shrank in size under his ‘leadership.’”
Former President Donald Trump (R) has endorsed Timmons. This is the second time Trump endorsed him, the first being in 2022. In that race, Timmons won the primary with 53% of the vote, while challengers Mark Burns (R), Michael LaPierre (R), and George Abuzeid (R) earned 24%, 17%, and 6%, respectively.
Voters first elected Timmons to the U.S. House in 2018. Timmons said, “I will keep fighting against the radical Democrats in Washington, to secure our disastrous southern border, to hold Joe Biden and his failing administration accountable, and to put America first.”
Morgan represents District 20 in the South Carolina House of Representatives and was first elected in 2018. Morgan said, “People know my record in South Carolina. I’m frank, I will fight the left, and I will even stand up to members in my own party to actually effect change. We need that in Washington…you need people who will jump in the ring and recognize it’s a battle and will fight for every inch.”
This is one of 31 Republican primaries we are covering as a congressional battleground. Only one Republican incumbent has been defeated in a battleground so far: Rep. Jerry Carl in Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
As of April 2024, 42 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election.
Learn what the REINS Act is in the latest episode of On the Ballot, our weekly podcast
In today’s episode of On the Ballot, Ballotpedia’s weekly podcast, we take a look at some developments related to the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act, also known as the REINS Act.
The REINS Act is a federal legislative proposal — with state-level counterparts — that increases legislative oversight of administrative agency rulemaking. The Act requires legislative approval of agency regulations with certain financial or economic outcomes before the regulations become effective.
Ballotpedia Staff Writer Molly Byrne joins On the Ballot Host Victoria Rose to discuss the history of the REINS Act, arguments in favor and in opposition, what to expect if Congress passes the act, and state-level equivalents (Florida and Wisconsin).
Remember that new episodes of On the Ballot drop every Thursday afternoon. If you’re reading this on the morning of April 18, there’s still time to subscribe to On the Ballot on your preferred podcast app and catch this episode on the REINS Act!