Category: State
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Democratic state financial officers send letter to asset managers
Seventeen Democratic financial officers (16 state officers, plus New York City Comptroller Brad Lander) sent a letter to 18 of the largest asset management firms on Aug. 15. The officials asked the firms to confirm their commitment to considering climate and other ESG factors in their long-term return models. The Democratic officials said their letter…
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Utah ordered to redraw congressional districts ahead of the 2026 elections
Utah joined a growing number of states where congressional district boundaries may change before the 2026 elections. A federal district court judge struck down Utah’s congressional map on Aug. 25, 2025, ruling that the Utah State Legislature violated voters’ right to reform their government when it overrode voters’ chosen redistricting rules. The judge gave the…
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A look at voter registration forms by state
Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia require prospective voters to register to vote before casting a ballot. North Dakota, which abolished voter registration in 1951, is the only state that does not require voter registration. While 42 states and the District of Columbia have online voter registration systems, all states (except North Dakota) have…
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California voters to decide Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment to allow for a new congressional district map, in a November special election
The California State Legislature passed a constitutional amendment, titled Proposition 50, to allow the state to use a new congressional district map for 2026 through 2030. Voters will decide on the measure in a special election on Nov. 4, 2025. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) proposed allowing the Legislature to redraw the state’s congressional districts…
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Judge denies effort to stop California climate reporting law
U.S. District Judge Otis Wright II denied a motion from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other plaintiffs seeking a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of SB253 and SB261, two California laws that require corporations to report their Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions. The laws are set to go into effect in 2026 and…
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Three justices are up for a retention vote in Pennsylvania on November 4, 2025
Three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices—Christine Donohue (D), Kevin M. Dougherty (D), and David N. Wecht (D)—are up for retention elections on November 4, 2025. WHYY’s Carmen Russell-Sluchansky wrote, “State judicial elections typically garner little attention, but Pennsylvania’s 2025 state Supreme Court races are shaping up to be the next major political battleground,” and Pennsylvania Capital-Star’s…
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California legislature reconvenes Aug. 18 with redistricting proposal on the agenda
The California State Legislature is set to reconvene on Aug. 18 following its summer recess with proposed changes to the state’s redistricting process on the agenda that would go before voters in November. The legislature has until Aug. 22, according to the California Secretary of State, to vote to place a constitutional amendment on the…
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New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signs bills requiring new documentation for absentee voting
New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) signed Republican-sponsored bills expanding voter ID and proof of citizenship requirements for absentee voting on Aug. 1, 2025. Both laws take effect on Sept. 30, 2025. SB 287 requires voters requesting an absentee ballot to include a photocopy of a valid photo identification or a notarized signature with the absentee…
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Massachusetts voters have decided on 231 ballot measures since 1910
Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all Massachusetts ballot measures dating back to 1910. Massachusetts voters have voted on 231 ballot measures between 1910 and 2024. Of those, 161 (70%) were approved and 70 (30%) were defeated. In Massachusetts, citizens have the power to indirectly initiate state statutes, veto referendums, and constitutional amendments. While a direct…
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Twenty-two states enacted K-12 cellphone bans so far in 2025
Twenty-six (26) states have laws or policies requiring local school boards to ban or limit cellphone use in K-12 classrooms. Twenty-two (22) of these laws were enacted in 2025, with the most recent put in place in Oregon through an executive order. Three additional states require K-12 public school districts to adopt policies around student…