Category: State

  • Signatures submitted for Maine voter photo ID ballot initiative, which could appear on Nov. 2025 ballot

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    In Maine, a campaign advocating for a citizen initiative to require photo voter identification submitted more than 170,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office on Jan. 6, 2025. If enough signatures are verified, the initiative could appear on the statewide ballot for voters on Nov. 4, 2025. Maine has an indirect initiative process, meaning…

  • Wyoming voters to decide on ballot initiative to exempt 50% of home property value from taxes, the first initiative to appear on the state’s ballot in 30 years

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    Wyoming voters will decide on a ballot initiative at the Nov. 3, 2026, election—the first initiative to reach the ballot in 30 years. The ballot initiative would create a homeowner’s property tax exemption. This would exempt 50% of a primary residence’s assessed value. To qualify, homeowners must have lived in the state for at least…

  • Kannan Srinivasan (D) and Tumay Harding (R) are running in the special election for Virginia’s 32nd Senate District

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    Kannan Srinivasan (D) and Tumay Harding (R) are running in the special election for District 32 of the Virginia Senate on January 7, 2025. Incumbent Suhas Subramanyam (D) is resigning to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. The Downballot’s David Nir and Jeff Singer wrote before the election, “Given Democrats’ slender 21-19 edge in the Senate,…

  • State supreme court vacancy count for December 2024

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    In this month’s state supreme court vacancy update, Ballotpedia tracked announced retirements, nominations, appointments, confirmations, and the swearing-in of justices from December 1 to December 30, 2024. Ballotpedia tracks court vacancies in all 52 state supreme courts. Announced retirements: Following an unsuccessful November 2024 retention election, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger announced she would retire on December 1, 2024.…

  • Approval rate for constitutional amendments in 2024 hits lowest level since 2005

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    In 2024, voters in 35 states decided on 96 constitutional amendments, approving 60 (63%) and rejecting 36 (38%). The approval rate was the lowest since 2005, when voters approved 14 (54%) of the 26 amendments appearing on statewide ballots. From 2003 through 2024, odd-year election cycles featured a higher average approval rate for proposed constitutional…

  • SNAP work requirements 2024 state legislation roundup

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    Ballotpedia tracked two state bills related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements that were enacted in 2024. One was a Florida bill that expanded work requirements for SNAP benefits by increasing the age for which requirements still apply beyond the federally set age. The other bill was in Louisiana and limited the…

  • Checks and Balances, December 2024

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    In this edition of Checks and Balances: Federal stories: State stories: Commentary: Regulatory Tally: In Washington President-elect Trump announces Department of Government Efficiency creation What’s the story? President-elect Donald Trump (R) on Nov. 12 announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to advise the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on cutting…

  • Looking ahead at 2025 ranked-choice voting legislation

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    More bills pre-filed or carried over to 2025 legislative sessions would adopt ranked-choice voting (RCV) than would ban it, but their path to becoming law remains uncertain.  Ranked-choice voting was one of the hottest election policy topics of 2024, both in state legislative sessions and on voters’ ballots. Six states banned RCV, more than in…

  • Changes to voting laws and state board of election included in North Carolina veto override

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    On Dec. 11, 2024, the North Carolina House of Representatives voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) veto of S 382. Cooper vetoed the bill on Nov. 26, and the North Carolina Senate voted along partisan lines to override the veto 30-19 on Dec. 2. The 72-46 vote in the House confirmed the override.   The bill combines disaster relief funding for communities and businesses…