Category: State
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Oklahoma adopts legislation restoring voting rights to felons after a pardon or commutation of a sentence
On May 13, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) signed HB 1629, a bill that restores voting rights to people convicted of a felony after receiving a pardon or commutation of their sentence. The legislation had bipartisan sponsorship and the final version of the bill passed the Oklahoma State Senate 41-0 on April 16. It then…
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South Dakota voters will decide on initiative to ban sales tax on groceries
In South Dakota, an initiative to prohibit sales and use taxes on groceries was certified for the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot. On May 13, the secretary of state’s office verified that the campaign behind the initiative, TakeItBack, submitted enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. On April 24, the campaign submitted about 25,000 signatures,…
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Second-lowest number of incumbents defeated in Pennsylvania House primaries
Two challengers defeated incumbents in the April 23 primaries for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. This is the second-lowest number of incumbents defeated since Ballotpedia began gathering data in 2010. The defeated incumbents are: The only other year with fewer incumbent defeats was 2010 when one Republican was defeated. Conversely, a decade-high of 10 incumbent…
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Alabama is third state to ban RCV this year
On May 10, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) signed SB 186 into law, banning the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in the state. The new law makes Alabama the eighth state to ban RCV and the third state to do so this year after Kentucky and Oklahoma. Every state that has passed a law banning RCV has done so with a Republican-controlled legislature,…
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Colorado becomes third state set to vote on removing same-sex marriage bans in November
Colorado will join two other states voting on removing same-sex marriage bans from their state constitutions in November. Colorado voters will decide whether or not to remove the provision of the state constitution that says that “only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this…
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Colorado voters to decide in Nov. on 11% tax on firearm and ammunition dealers
The Colorado State Legislature passed a bill, which requires state voter approval in November, that would enact an 11% retail sales tax on firearms dealers, manufacturers, and ammunition vendors. Revenue generated from the tax would be appropriated to the Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax Cash Fund and would be used to fund crime victim services…
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Incumbent Andy Ogles (R) and Courtney Johnston (R) are running in the Republican primary in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District
Incumbent Andy Ogles (R) and Courtney Johnston (R) are running in the Republican primary in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District on Aug. 1, 2024. Ogles was first elected in 2022 after winning the Republican nomination with 35.4% of the vote in a ten-candidate primary. According to Hoodline, Ogles “came under fire for his behavior in Congress…
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Two candidates are running in the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District
Two candidates are running in the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District on June 4, 2024—incumbent Rep. Bill Pascrell (D) and Mohamed Khairullah (D). New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein wrote that the election will “undoubtedly focus on the war in Israel and Gaza.” The 9th Congressional District includes Patterson, New Jersey, which, according…
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Three candidates are running in the Republican primary election for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District
Three candidates are running in the Republican primary for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District on June 11: Incumbent U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R), Catherine Templeton (R), and Bill Young (R). According to The Post and Courier, South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District is considered “the most moderate of South Carolina’s six Republican-held congressional districts, covering a…
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Contested primaries in Colorado legislative elections reaches decade high
There are 83 legislative seats up for election this year in Colorado’s legislature—18 in the Senate and 65 in the House. There are 25 total contested primaries in 2024 (11 Democratic and 14 Republican) out of a possible 166. This rate of 15.1% is the highest since Ballotpedia began tracking this figure in 2010. The…