Author: Ethan Rice
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Redistricting timeline updates: Virginia Supreme Court selects special masters and Washington commission misses deadline
Here’s a summary of recent redistricting updates from Virginia and Washington. Virginia: On Nov. 19, 2021, the Virginia Supreme Court unanimously approved two nominees for special master: Sean Trende, the Republican special master nominee, and Bernard Grofman, the Democratic nominee. Each party in the legislature was required to nominate three special masters, and the court…
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Utah enacts new legislative maps
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed new state legislative district maps for both chambers into law on Nov. 16, 2021. After Cox called a special session to begin on Nov. 9, the Utah legislature voted to approve the House and Senate district maps on Nov. 10. The House passed a proposed map of their own…
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Nevada and Utah hold special legislative sessions for redistricting
Here’s a summary of recent redistricting updates from Nevada and Utah. Nevada: On Nov. 11, 2021, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) announced a special session to address redistricting would begin on Nov. 12. Legislators are expected to debate the congressional and state legislative maps released on Nov. 9. Utah: The Utah legislature began its special session…
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Utah enacts new congressional districts
Utah enacted new congressional districts on Nov. 12, 2021, after Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed a map approved by the House and the Senate. The enacted map was drafted by the legislature and differed from a proposal the Utah Independent Redistricting Commission released on Nov. 5. The congressional map passed the Utah House 50-22 on…
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South Dakota enacts new state legislative district maps
South Dakota enacted new state legislative and congressional districts after the legislature approved a compromise between two competing proposals. Both chambers voted to approve the final proposal, known as the Sparrow map, on Nov. 10, 2021. The House approved the new districts in a 37-31 vote and the Senate by a vote of 30-2. Gov.…
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Congressional redistricting authority passes to Virginia Supreme Court, legislators nominate special masters
The Virginia Supreme Court will now have the authority to draft new congressional maps in the state after the Virginia Redistricting Commission did not meet the Nov. 8, 2021, deadline to submit a plan for U.S. House districts. Under the constitutional amendment that established the commission, party leaders of the House of Delegates and Senate…
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Redistricting timeline update: Georgia begins special session, New Hampshire and Ohio redistricting efforts delayed
Here’s a summary of recent redistricting updates from Georgia, New Hampshire, and Ohio. Georgia: The Georgia State Legislature convened for a special session focused on redistricting on Nov. 3, 2021. Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan (R) said he expected the legislature to agree on and pass state legislative maps quicker than congressional maps. “[State legislative…
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Davison declared winner in Seattle city attorney race
Ann Davison defeated Nicole Thomas-Kennedy in the general election for city attorney of Seattle, Washington, on Nov. 2, 2021. According to King County’s unofficial election results updated on Nov. 4, Davison received 55.1% of the vote to Thomas-Kennedy’s 44.1%. Crosscut, a nonprofit Seattle news site, said the race was “one of clear contrasts and highlights…
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Five incumbents defeated in Minneapolis city council elections
The city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, held general elections for all 13 of its city council seats on Nov. 2, 2021. Fifty-eight candidates—including eleven incumbents—ran in the elections. Minneapolis used ranked-choice voting in the election, which allowed voters to rank up to three candidates on the ballot. Of the eleven incumbents running for city council, five…
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Two Atlanta Public Schools races head to runoff election
Nine seats on the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) school board in Georgia—three at-large and six by-district seats—were up for general election on Nov. 2. Districts 1, 4, 5, and 6 and At-Large Districts 8 and 9 were decided in the general election, but District 2 and At-Large District 7 will go to a runoff election…