Author: Jerrick Adams

  • Public-sector unions contributed $159.8 million to federal, state, and local candidates in 2018

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    In 2018, public-sector unions contributed $159.8 million to candidates for federal, state, or local office, according to resources available through campaign finance reporting requirements at both the federal and state levels.   The five states in which political candidates received the most money in contributions from public-sector unions were: California, where unions contributed $74.1 million,…

  • IRS proposes donor disclosure exemptions for select nonprofit groups

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    On September 10, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of the Treasury published a proposed regulation that would exempt some nonprofit groups from existing donor disclosure requirements. In July, a federal judge struck down a similar rule issued in 2018, finding that federal agencies had failed to follow proper procedures in enacting the…

  • Ballotpedia releases research on public-sector union political spending

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    Our research project analyzing public-sector union membership, finances, and political spending is now complete. In last week’s edition, we shared our key findings on union finances. This week, let’s turn our attention to political spending. MethodologyCampaign finance reporting requirements at both the federal and state levels enable us to report comprehensively on political spending by…

  • Federal judge temporarily blocks enforcement of California law requiring presidential candidates to disclose tax returns

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    On September 19, 2019, U.S. District Court Judge Morrison C. England, Jr., issued a temporary injunction barring enforcement of SB 27, a California law requiring presidential and gubernatorial candidates to disclose their last five federal income tax returns in order to qualify for placement on the primary ballot. England, appointed to the bench by President…

  • Ballotpedia’s research into public-sector union finances

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    Our research project analyzing public-sector union membership, finances, and political spending is now complete. In last week’s edition, we shared our key findings on membership figures. This week, let’s turn our attention to finances. MethodologyUnder federal law, unions representing public-sector employees exclusively are not required to file financial reports with the U.S. Department of Labor.…

  • There are 224 state-level, ballot-qualified political parties in the U.S. How does that compare with prior years?

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    Although there are dozens of political parties in the United States, only certain parties qualify to have the names of their candidates for office printed on ballots. In fact, in 2019, there are 224 ballot-qualified, state-level political parties in the 50 states and Washington D.C..   Of these, 51 are Democratic Party affiliates and 52…

  • Ballotpedia completes research into public-sector union membership

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    Our research project analyzing public-sector union membership, finances, and political spending is complete. We will be sharing our key findings with you in upcoming editions of our weekly newsletter, Union Station. This week, let’s turn our attention to membership totals.   Methodology: Because it is all but impossible to collect comprehensive data on public-sector union…

  • Ballotpedia completes research into public-sector union membership

    Posted on

    Our research project analyzing public-sector union membership, finances, and political spending is now complete. We will be sharing our key findings with you in upcoming editions of Union Station. This week, let’s turn our attention to membership totals. Methodology Because it is all but impossible to collect comprehensive data on public-sector union membership, we took…

  • North Carolina’s map struck down

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    North Carolina court strikes down state legislative maps as partisan gerrymanders On Sept. 3, a North Carolina court struck down the state’s legislative district plan as an impermissible partisan gerrymander under the state constitution. The plaintiffs, which included Common Cause and the Democratic Party of North Carolina, alleged that the district maps the North Carolina…

  • New Jersey court rules school district cannot pay salaries of union representatives

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    In a unanimous decision issued Aug. 21, a New Jersey appellate court ruled the Jersey City Board of Education cannot use public funds to pay the salaries of union representatives. Who are the parties to the suit? Plaintiffs Moshe Rozenblit and Won Kyu Rim reside within the Jersey City school district. They were represented by…