Category: State
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Democratic field for Montana governor narrows to two as Schreiner suspends campaign
Montana Rep. Casey Schreiner (D) ended his campaign for governor of the state, narrowing the field to two remaining candidates: Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney and Whitney Williams. Schreiner is the second candidate to drop out in as many weeks following Reilly Neill suspending her campaign on January 20. Democrats have held the office of governor…
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Signatures filed for Maine ballot initiative to revoke certification of hydroelectric transmission project
Voters in Maine could decide a ballot initiative to revoke the certification of the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) transmission corridor, which was designed to cross about 145 miles in Maine, from the state’s border with Quebec to Lewiston, Maine, and transmit around 1,200 megawatts from hydroelectric plants in Quebec to Massachusetts. On February…
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Wisconsin governor establishes advisory redistricting commission
On January 27, 2020, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) signed an executive order creating an advisory redistricting commission to prepare congressional and state legislative district plans for consideration by the state legislature in the coming redistricting cycle. The legislature, vested with the authority to adopt redistricting plans, will be under no obligation to accept the…
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46 candidates file to run for 17 West Virginia State Senate seats
Seventeen of the West Virginia State Senate’s 34 seats are up for election in 2020, with 46 candidates filing to run for those seats. The primary is scheduled for May 12, and the general election is on November 3. The filing deadline was January 25, and candidates have until February 11 to withdraw from the…
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Lawsuit filed in recall effort in Leon Valley, Texas
Five Leon Valley residents have filed a lawsuit to place a recall election on the May 2 ballot. Councilmembers Donna Charles and Monica Alcocer were targeted for recall after a 2-1 vote in August 2019 to remove Councilmember Benny Martinez. Charles and Alcocer voted in favor of removing Martinez due to allegations of sexual harassment…
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Minnesota House special elections scheduled for Tuesday
Two special general elections are scheduled for February 4 in District 30A and District 60A of the Minnesota House of Representatives. The filing deadline for the special elections passed on December 10, and a primary was held on January 14. District 30A Chad Hobot (D) and Paul Novotny (R) are facing off in this special…
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Florida voters to decide whether to require two elections for future constitutional amendments
Amendment 4 on the 2020 ballot will ask voters whether or not to require voter-approved constitutional amendments to be approved by voters at a second general election to become effective. Florida constitutional amendments currently require a 60% supermajority vote at one election to take effect. Under Amendment 4, the 60% supermajority requirement would apply to…
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Arkansas voters to decide whether or not to allow optometrists to perform certain eye surgeries
A veto referendum targeting Arkansas House Bill 1251 (Act 579) was certified for the ballot on January 31, 2020, following the resolution of a lawsuit concerning signature validity. Proponents submitted 64,028 valid signatures. To qualify for the ballot, 53,491 valid signatures were required. HB 1251 amended the definition of practice of optometry in state law…
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Iowa governor appoints Oxley to state supreme court
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds (R) appointed attorney Dana Oxley to the Iowa Supreme Court on January 28, 2020. Oxley succeeded Chief Justice Mark Cady, who died of a heart attack on November 15, 2019. Oxley was Gov. Reynolds’ third nominee to the seven-member supreme court. Oxley is an attorney with Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, P.L.C. in…
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Field set for March 3 special primaries in Massachusetts
Candidates interested in running for four Massachusetts state legislative special elections had until January 28 to file. The primaries are scheduled for March 3, 2020, and the general elections are on March 31. Massachusetts State Senate Second Hampden & Hampshire District: State Rep. John Velis is unopposed in the Democratic primary. John Cain is unopposed…