Category: State
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Gov. Roy Cooper (D) wins re-election in North Carolina
Incumbent Gov. Roy Cooper (D) defeated Dan Forest (R), Al Pisano (C) and Steven DiFiore II (L) in the election for governor in North Carolina. Cooper was elected in 2016 after defeating incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory (R). Cooper received 49% of the vote to McCrory’s 48.8%. Cooper’s 2020 gubernatorial opponent, Forest, the state’s lieutenant governor,…
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New Jersey voters approve Question 1 to legalize marijuana
In New Jersey, voters approved a constitutional amendment, Question 1, to legalize marijuana. New Jersey is the first Mid-Atlantic state to legalize marijuana. As of 11:45 PM EST, Question 1 led with 67.3% of the vote. Additional reading: New Jersey Public Question 1, Marijuana Legalization Amendment (2020)
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Oklahoma voters defeat both statewide ballot measures on the November ballot
Oklahoma voters defeated State Question 805 by a vote of 61% to 39%, thereby maintaining current law that a person convicted of a non-violent felony can receive longer sentences based on past felony convictions. Voters also defeated State Question 814, by a vote of 59% to 41%. If passed, 814 would have decreased the Tobacco…
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Graham (R) defeats Harrison (D) in S.C. Senate race
Incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) defeated Jaime Harrison (D) in the U.S. Senate election in South Carolina. Graham was first elected in 2002. Harrison raised the most money out of all the Senate candidates in the 2020 cycle at $109 million. Graham was fourth with $74 million. Thirty-five of 100 Senate seats are up for…
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Wyoming Rep. Edwards dies one day before the general election
Wyoming lawmaker Roy Edwards (R), who represented House District 53, passed away on Nov. 2, 2020—one day before the general election—of an unspecified illness. According to the Gillette News Record, Edwards was admitted to the hospital last week with the unspecified condition. He was 66-years-old. Edwards didn’t face any challengers in his re-election bid and…
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Massachusetts governor nominates Budd to be chief justice of state supreme court
On October 28, 2020, Gov. Charlie Baker (R) announced the nomination of Associate Justice Kimberly S. Budd as the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s chief justice. If confirmed, Budd would replace Ralph D. Gants, who died on September 14, 2020. Budd would also be the first Black woman to serve as chief justice in the court’s…
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Ballotpedia study shows that 12 state APAs define what qualifies as a guidance document
A Ballotpedia survey of all 50 state constitutions and administrative procedure acts (APAs) revealed that 12 state APAs include provisions that define what qualifies as a guidance document and the other 38 states do not have provisions in their APAs or constitutions defining guidance as of September 2020. Guidance is a term used to describe…
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How can I check the status of my ballot?
As of October 30, voters have cast at least 53.7 million absentee/mail-in ballots according to the New York Times. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia offer online ballot tracking for all voters. Texas and New York provide online ballot tracking only for military and overseas voters. Four states have no online ballot tracking at…
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October 2020 breakdown of state legislative party membership: 46.80% Democrats, 52.07% Republicans
46.80% of all state legislators are Democrats and 52.07% are Republicans, according to Ballotpedia’s October partisan count of the 7,383 state legislators across the United States. Ballotpedia tallies the partisan balance of state legislatures at the end of every month. This refers to which political party holds the majority of seats in each chamber. Republicans…
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5,904 state legislative seats up for election on November 3
Forty-four states and five United States territories—American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S Virgin Islands—are holding state legislative general elections on November 3, 2020. There are 5,904 seats up for regular election, and 15 seats up for special election, meaning 5,919 state legislative seats are on the ballot on November 3.…