Author: James McAllister
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North Carolina releases new school reopening guidance
On Feb. 2, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) announced new school guidance and encouraged public K-12 schools to reopen for full-time in-person instruction. The guidance says elementary schools should reopen under Plan A, which does not require social distancing. Middle and high schools should reopen under Plan B, which does require social distancing. Districts…
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New Mexico, West Virginia allow schools to reopen after holiday closures
Starting Jan. 19, all public and private pre-K, elementary, and middle schools in West Virginia were required to resume full-time in-person or hybrid (at least two in-person days every week) instruction, regardless of their county’s coronavirus transmission rates. High schools were still required to close if located in counties the Department of Health and Human…
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30 state legislative races were decided by fewer than 100 votes in 2020
Thirty (0.5%) of the 5,875 state legislative races in 2020 were decided by fewer than 100 votes. Twenty-nine of the 30 races were in state houses, and one was in a state senate. Partisan control changed in 15 (50%) of the 30 races. Thirteen of the partisan changes (43.3% of the 30 races) were Republican…
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New York, Kentucky ease school restrictions, New Mexico, West Virginia start temporary school closures
On Jan. 4, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced schools could remain open in communities with 9% or greater positivity rates if positivity among students and school staff was lower than in the surrounding community. Previously, the state required schools to close in communities where the positivity rate was 9% or greater. The same…
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Wyoming becomes 38th state with an active mask requirement
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) issued an order, effective December 9, requiring face coverings in all businesses open to the public, on public transportation, at medical facilities (like hospitals, doctors offices, and veterinary clinics), and in non-federal government buildings. The order is scheduled to expire on Jan. 8. Thirty-eight states have active statewide orders requiring…
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How did political parties perform in races where the same candidates ran in 2018 and 2020?
In the 2020 general election, 402 elections in Ballotpedia’s coverage scope were rematches between the same candidates who ran for office in 2018. These rematches represented about 4.2% of all general election races in Ballotpedia’s coverage scope. Rematch elections in 2020 included: 56 races for the U.S. House. One state executive race. 342 state legislative…
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Republicans flip legislature and gain trifecta control in New Hampshire
Republicans are projected to flip control of New Hampshire’s state Senate and House to gain trifecta control of the state. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house in a state’s government. Heading into the election, New Hampshire had been under a…
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Incumbent Mitch McConnell (R) defeats Amy McGrath (D) in U.S. Senate election in Kentucky
Incumbent Mitch McConnell (R) defeated Amy McGrath (D), Brad Barron (L), and Randall Lee Teegarden (Unaffiliated) in the November 3, 2020, general election for U.S. Senate in Kentucky. As of Oct. 14, McGrath had raised $90 million—more than any other U.S. Senate candidate in the country other than Jamie Harrison (D). McConnell was sixth in…
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How much pension debt does your state have?
Unfunded liabilities refer to a pension fund’s debts—the payments owed to members of the pension fund that exceed its assets of current capital and their projected investment returns. This difference between assets and liabilities is monitored as an indicator of pension fund performance, management, and ability to pay retiree benefits. In the years between 2003-2018,…
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How much debt does your state’s government have per person?
The average per capita debt across all 50 states in 2018 was $3,600. Nineteen states were above this per-capita average, with 31 states below. In 2000, average state debt per capita was $1,942. In 2018, the states with the least debt per capita were: Tennessee ($929 per capita) Nebraska ($1,068) Nevada ($1,135) Georgia ($1,266) Florida…