On May 19, U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus ordered Ohio to accept electronic signatures from the campaigns sponsoring the Minimum Wage Increase Initiative and the Voting Requirements Initiative. The judge also extended the signature deadline from July 1 to July 31. The judge’s order only applies to the ballot measure campaigns that sued the…
On May, 21, 2020, Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann announced she tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Lehrmann made the announcement on Twitter, noting that her husband had also tested positive. Justices on the Texas Supreme Court are working remotely during the pandemic. Lehrmann is the first statewide Texas…
The statewide primary for Oregon was held on May 19, 2020. Candidates competed to advance to the general election scheduled for November 3, 2020. Due to Oregon’s vote-by-mail system, vote totals are continuing to be reported. Candidates ran in elections for the following offices: Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Attorney General • Secretary of State:…
The statewide filing deadlines to run for state-level offices in Vermont and Wyoming are approaching. Vermont’s deadline is on May 28 and Wyoming’s deadline is on May 29. In Vermont, prospective candidates may file for the following offices: • Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Auditor • Attorney General • Treasurer…
Thomas Balmer won re-election to the Oregon Supreme Court, Position 1, on May 19. He defeated challenger Van Pounds. According to unofficial results, Balmer received 71.5% of the vote to Pounds’ 28.1%. In Oregon, candidates in nonpartisan primaries can win an election outright if they receive over 50% of the vote in the primary. Balmer,…
Every week, we compile the latest numbers on state legislative candidates across the country. As of May 19, 2020, we’ve collected post-filing deadline data in 29 states. In 2020, 3,574 state legislative seats are up for regular election in those states, compared to 3,547 in 2018. 7,686 major party candidates—3,686 Democrats and 4,000 Republicans—have filed…
On May 21, Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) announced that 89 of Indiana’s 92 counties would advance to the third phase of reopening effective May 22, two days earlier than the original target date of May 24. The following businesses will be allowed to reopen or expand their operations: retail stores (at 75 percent capacity); mall…
On May 19, U.S. District Court Judge James Gwin for the Northern District of Ohio ordered the Bureau of Prisons to expedite the release of 837 medically vulnerable inmates in Ohio’s Elkton Federal Correctional Institute through home confinement or compassionate release due to the coronavirus pandemic. In his order, the judge cited “poor progress in…
A new state legislative special election has been added to our list. The special election is for the District 49 seat in the Alabama House of Representatives on November 17, 2020. The primary is on August 4, the primary runoff will be on September 1 if needed, and the filing deadline is on June 2…
On May 19, 2020, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) announced that all registered voters in the August 2, 2020, primary and November 3, 2020, general election would receive mail-in ballot applications automatically. Michigan one of 12 states that have opted to deliver absentee/mail-in ballot applications automatically to all voters in advance of certain…