Author

Tyler King

Tyler King is a staff writer at Ballotpedia. Contact us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell Challenges Lowered Signature Requirement in Recall Effort

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D) filed two lawsuits on March 14, 2023, to challenge a consent judgment that was agreed upon by Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin (R) and the organizers of the recall effort against Cantrell. The consent judgment, announced by Ardoin on March 1, 2023, revises the number of registered voters in the Orleans Parish down to 224,876 for the purpose of the recall effort. That lowers the requirement to put the recall election on the ballot to 44,975 signatures, down from 49,975.

Cantrell’s attorneys argue in the first lawsuit, filed with the Orleans Parish Civil District Court, that Ardoin lacked the authority to retroactively lower the signature threshold for a recall petition that had already been submitted. The lawsuit also states that Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Jennifer Medley, who approved the consent judgment, had a vested interest in the outcome of the litigation, based on reports that Medley was a signatory to the recall petition.

Cantrell also filed a petition with the 19th Judicial District Court for East Baton Rouge Parish seeking a Writ of Mandamus against Ardoin. If approved, that court order would direct Ardoin to show by what authority he negotiated the consent judgment.

The signature requirement for recalls in Louisiana is based on the number of people in the recall target’s district. For districts of 100,000 eligible voters or more, signatures equal to 20% of eligible voters are needed. Completed petitions must be submitted within 180 days of being filed with the Louisiana Secretary of State. Once signatures are handed in, the registrar of voters has 20 working days to certify the recall petition. If enough signatures are certified by the registrar of voters, the petition is forwarded to the governor who has 15 days to issue an election proclamation.

When petitioners began gathering signatures in August 2022, the signature requirement was expected to be 53,353. The number of required signatures was adjusted to 49,975 after a recalculation of registered voters in the parish. On February 16, recall organizers filed a lawsuit, contending that 30,000 voters have relocated from the parish and should be excluded from the voter rolls. With the consent judgment in place, the signature requirement for the recall effort against Cantrell was modified without the need to purge any names from the voter rolls.

Recall organizers said that more than 49,000 signatures were submitted by the deadline on February 22, 2023. Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters Sandra Wilson has until March 22, 2023, to verify the signatures.

The recall effort was initiated by New Orleans residents Eileen Carter and Belden Batiste. Petitions listed Cantrell’s “failure to put New Orleans first and execute responsibilities of the position” as the reason for recall. Carter has highlighted an increase in crime rates, deteriorating infrastructure, and a lack of interaction between Cantrell and city officials.

Cantrell responded to the recall effort during an interview with WGNO. She said, “I’ve chosen to do the hard things. That doesn’t mean that comes without the ability to please everyone. I cannot do that. I strive to but I cannot but I choose to do the hard things. I continue to make history around here.”

Additional reading:



Statewide filing deadline passes in Mississippi

The filing deadline for statewide candidates running in Mississippi passed on Feb. 1, 2023. A primary is scheduled for Aug. 8, with primary runoffs taking place on Aug. 29. The general election is Nov. 7. A general runoff election is scheduled to be held on Nov. 28 for state executive offices only.

Offices on the ballot include governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and 10 other state executive seats. All seats in the state Senate and state House are up for election. Ballotpedia is also covering school board elections in DeSoto County.

Mississippi is one of 22 Republican trifectas, where the Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature. There are 17 Democratic trifectas and 11 states with divided governments.

Governor Tate Reeves (R) is seeking re-election to a second term. Two candidates are running against Reeves in the Republican primary. There are also three Democrats and one independent candidate running.

There are 33 candidates running for the remaining state executive offices including lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, commissioner of agriculture and commerce, commissioner of insurance, public service commission, and transportation commission.

Republicans control the state Senate with a 36-16 majority. All 52 seats are up for election to four-year terms. Ninety-one candidates filed to run for the state Senate.

Republicans control the state House with a 76-42 majority with three independent members and one vacancy. All 122 seats are up for election to four-year terms. A total of 229 candidates filed to run for state House.

Additional reading:



Florida creates new appellate court district

A new appellate court district has been established in Florida following a November 2021 recommendation by the Florida Supreme Court to redraw the district court boundaries. In June 2022, the Florida Legislature passed HB 7027, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), to establish the court effective January 1, 2023. The Sixth District Court of Appeal is located in Lakeland and has jurisdiction over the Ninth, Tenth, and Twentieth circuit courts. The Second District Court of Appeal, which previously heard arguments in Lakeland, has relocated to St. Petersburg.

A committee working under the Supreme Court found that the addition of a new district would “provide adequate access to oral arguments and other proceedings, foster public trust and confidence based on geography and demographic composition, and help attract a diverse group of well-qualified applicants for judicial vacancies.”

DeSantis appointed judges to fill each of the court’s nine seats prior to the formation of the court. The nine judges are:

  • Chief Judge Meredith Sasso, who was reassigned from the 5th District.
  • Judge Jay Cohen, who was reassigned from the 5th District.
  • Judge John Stargel, who was reassigned from the 2nd District.
  • Judge Daniel Traver, who was reassigned from the 5th District.
  • Judge Mary Alice Nardella, who was reassigned from the 5th District.
  • Judge Carrie Ann Wozniak, who was reassigned from the 5th District.
  • Judge Keith White, who was a judge on the 9th Circuit Court.
  • Judge Jared Smith, who formerly sat on the 13th Circuit Court.
  • Judge Joshua Mize, who was a judge on the 9th Circuit Court.

The last addition to Florida’s appellate courts was the Fifth District Court of Appeal, which was established in 1979.

Additional reading
:



State legislative special elections 2022 review

Fifty-four state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 24 states this year. All but one of those specials have taken place already. Heading into those races, Democrats controlled 35 of the seats, and Republicans controlled 18.

The final special election of the year is being held in District 129 of the Georgia House of Representatives. A Democratic primary is being held on December 20 to fill the seat that would have been won by unopposed incumbent Henry Howard in November. Howard passed away in October, after the replacement deadline.

Two seats changed in partisan control as a result of special elections. Democrats flipped Michigan House of Representatives District 74 on May 3. Republicans gained District 39 of the Montana State Senate on November 8.

  • In special elections between 2010 and 2022, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of three seats nationally each year.
  • An average of 56 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past seven even years, including this year (2010: 30, 2012: 46, 2014: 40, 2016: 65, 2018: 99, 2020: 59, 2022: 54).
  • An average of 85 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past six odd years (2011: 95, 2013: 84, 2015: 89, 2017: 98, 2019: 77, 2021: 66).


State legislative special elections 2023 preview

Ten state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2023 in six states. Heading into those races, Democrats and Republicans each controlled five of the seats.

Three seats previously held by Democrats are up for election in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The partisan balance of the Pennsylvania House currently stands at 99 Democrats, 101 Republicans, and three vacancies. The special elections are taking place on February 7. Candidates running for special elections in Pennsylvania are selected by their respective political parties.

On December 7, Representative Joanna McClinton (D) was sworn in as majority leader on the grounds that Democrats won 102 seats in November. The special elections in February will settle any dispute over control of the chamber.

  • Anthony DeLuca (D) won the District 32 seat after having passed away in October. DeLuca had represented the district since 1982.
  • Summer Lee (D) won re-election in District 34. She was also elected to Congressional District 12 and will be sworn in on January 3.
  • Austin Davis (D) won re-election in District 35 while also being elected as lieutenant governor. Davis will take office on January 17.


Thirty-nine state legislative special elections scheduled for 2022

Thirty-nine state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 19 states in 2022. Fourteen special elections have taken place already. Heading into those races, Democrats had controlled 11 of the seats, and Republicans controlled three. No seats have changed party control as a result of special elections this year.

Upcoming special elections include:

Mar. 1

  • Connecticut House of Representatives District 5
  • Michigan House of Representatives District 15 (primary)
  • Michigan House of Representatives District 36 (primary)
  • Michigan House of Representatives District 43 (primary)
  • Michigan House of Representatives District 74 (primary)

Mar. 5

  • Delaware House of Representatives District 4

Mar. 8

  • Florida State Senate District 33
  • Florida House of Representatives District 88
  • South Carolina House of Representatives District 97 (primary)

By this time in 2021, 27 special elections had been called in 16 states. There were 33 special elections called in 15 states by this time in 2020. No seats flipped in the 14 special elections that had taken place between the two years; six in 2021 and eight in 2020.

An average of 57 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past six even-numbered years. An average of 85 special elections took place in the past six odd-numbered years. Between 2011 and 2021, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of four seats nationally each year.

Additional reading:



Candidates nominated for Virginia House special election

Firehouse primaries took place on Dec. 21 to select candidates in the special election for District 89 of the Virginia House of Delegates. Jackie Glass was selected as the Democratic nominee, and Giovanni Dolmo was nominated by Republicans. Glass and Dolmo are facing off in the special election on Jan. 11. The winner will serve until January 2024.

The special election was called after Jerrauld Jones (D) announced his resignation from the seat on Dec. 16. Jones’ resignation will take effect by the end of 2021. He has represented District 89 since 2018 and was last re-elected in November with 79.9% of the vote.

Elections were held for all 100 seats of the Virginia House in November. Republicans won a 52-48 majority, flipping the chamber from a 55-seat Democratic majority. Virginia will have a divided government after Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) and newly elected members of the state House begin their terms in January. The state Senate is controlled by a 21-19 Democratic majority.

As of December, 18 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2022 in 12 states. Between 2011 and 2021, an average of 74 special elections took place each year. Virginia held 35 state legislative special elections from 2011 to 2021.

Additional reading:



New Mexico Sen. Jacob Candelaria leaves the Democratic party

New Mexico state Sen. Jacob Candelaria announced that he was leaving the Democratic party and would register as decline to state on Dec. 1.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Candelaria cited redistricting as the reason for changing his party affiliation. He said, “I don’t think that the decisions we make should be based on partisan ambitions, and it broke my heart to see already that the Senate maps deliberately dilute and gerrymander the west side of Albuquerque to preserve perceived partisan advantage for some members of the Democratic Party. You would strip representation from people that I represent, many of whom are Hispanic, simply because it benefits you at the ballot box.”

Candelaria was elected to the state Senate in 2012 and was last re-elected in 2020. Of the 42 members in the New Mexico Senate, 26 are Democrats, 15 are Republicans, and one is independent.

Ballotpedia has been tracking state legislators who have switched parties since 1994. Candelaria is the fourth state legislator in New Mexico we’ve identified who has switched parties. Three legislators switched to independents, and one switched to the Democratic Party.

Across the country, Ballotpedia has identified 24 state legislators who have switched from the Democratic Party to independent since 1994.

Additional reading:



Special election primary to be held in Massachusetts Senate district

A special election primary is being held on Dec. 14 for the First Suffolk & Middlesex District of the Massachusetts State Senate. Anthony D’Ambrosio and Lydia Edwards are running in the Democratic primary. No Republican candidates filed. The general election is scheduled for Jan. 11, and the winner of the special election will serve until January 2023.

The seat became vacant on Sept. 9 when Joseph Boncore (D) resigned to become CEO of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.

Heading into the special election, Democrats have a 36-3 majority in the Massachusetts Senate with one vacancy. Massachusetts has a divided government where neither party holds a trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor, while the Democratic Party controls both chambers of the state legislature.

To date, 10 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2022 in seven states. So far in 2021, 66 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2021 in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year. Massachusetts held 42 state legislative special elections from 2011 to 2020.

Additional reading:



Special election to be held in Connecticut House district

A special election is being held on Dec. 14 for District 116 of the Connecticut House of Representatives. Trenee McGee (D), Richard DePalma (R), and Portia Bias (I) are running in the general election. The winner of the special election will serve until Jan. 2023.

The seat became vacant on Oct. 18 when Michael DiMassa (D) resigned from the state House after he was arrested for one count of wire fraud. DiMassa had represented the district since 2017.

Heading into the special election, Democrats have a 96-54 majority in the Connecticut House with one vacancy. Connecticut has a Democratic state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.

As of December, 66 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2021 in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year. Connecticut held 40 state legislative special elections from 2011 to 2020.

Additional reading: