Author: Jerrick Adams

  • Louisiana postpones presidential preference primary to July 11, 2020

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    Louisiana has postponed its presidential preference primary to July 11, 2020. This marks the second postponement of the primary, which was first postponed to June 20, 2020. The original date of the primary was April 4, 2020. Louisiana joined Georgia and Puerto Rico in postponing its primaries a second time in response to the coronavirus…

  • Maryland, New Hampshire announce modifications to absentee voting procedures in upcoming elections

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    On April 10, officials in both Maryland and New Hampshire announced modifications to absentee voting procedures in upcoming elections. In Maryland, the June 2 primary election will be conducted predominantly by mail, with all eligible voters being mailed a ballot in advance of the election. There will be at least one in-person voting center per…

  • Missouri Supreme Court strikes down state law barring public-sector workers from picketing

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    On March 31, the Missouri Supreme Court affirmed a lower court’s decision striking down a state law barring public-sector workers from picketing. Picketing encompasses any form of protest against an employer, including, but not limited to, striking. Neither court’s decision had any bearing on Missouri’s prohibition against public-sector worker strikes. Who were the parties to…

  • How have state legislatures responded to the COVID-19 pandemic?

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    State lawmakers have responded to the coronavirus pandemic in at least two ways: by adjusting legislative session dates and by passing laws intended to deal with the crisis. Twenty-five state legislatures suspended their sessions, and 15 of them have either already resumed their sessions or are scheduled to do so sometime this month. California and…

  • Georgia postpones primary a second time, to June 9, 2020

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    Today, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) announced the postponement of Georgia’s statewide and presidential primary elections to June 9, 2020. The primary runoff has been postponed to August 11, 2020. The state had previously postponed its presidential primary to May 19, 2020, the original date of its statewide primary. To date, 20 states have postponed…

  • Utah, West Virginia enact bills barring public agencies from disclosing personal information about 501(c) donors

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    Last month, Utah and West Virginia enacted legislation restricting public agencies from disclosing identifying information about donors to select nonprofit groups. Utah SB171 SB171 prohibits a public agency from: Requiring an individual to provide the agency with personal information Requiring a tax-exempt entity under Section 501(c) of the federal Internal Revenue Code to provide the…

  • New Jersey, Virginia postpone primary elections

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    On April 8, 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) issued executive orders postponing their states’ respective primary elections. The New Jersey primary, originally scheduled for June 2, 2020, has been postponed to July 7, 2020. The Virginia primary, originally scheduled for June 9, 2020, has been postponed to…

  • Ballot Bulletin: The latest on election policy in the midst of COVID-19

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    In recent weeks, policymakers across the country have postponed elections and otherwise modified their election procedures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. In order to chart these developments with greater precision, we will, beginning this week, publish The Ballot Bulletin on a biweekly basis.  Elections in the midst of a pandemic: four experts speak to…

  • Wisconsin Supreme Court enjoins governor’s order postponing the election, allowing voting to continue as scheduled April 7

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    On April 6, 2020, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court voted 4-2 to enjoin an executive order issued earlier in the day by Governor Tony Evers (D) postponing in-person voting in the spring election, scheduled for April 7, 2020, to June 9, 2020. As a result, in-person voting is expected to take place as scheduled on…

  • Wisconsin governor postpones in-person, absentee voting in April 7 election to June 9

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    On April 6, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) issued an executive order postponing in-person voting in the spring election, originally scheduled for April 7, to June 9. The order also extended the receipt deadline for absentee ballots to June 9. Evers called on the legislature to convene in a special session at 2:00 p.m. Central…