Former North Dakota Rep. Rick Becker (R) filed an initiative to amend the state’s constitution to prohibit property taxes in the state, except for those designed to pay for bond debt. The measure would limit the debt of a political subdivision (such as counties, cities, and towns) to 2.5% of the value of real property…
Six of the 31 cases tracked by Ballotpedia in which legislators were censured by state legislative chambers have occurred in 2023. This is the second highest number of legislators censured in one year since the first case in 1838 and accounts for 19.3% of all state legislative censures. The highest number of censures occurred in…
In 2022 and the first half of 2023, there was been an uptick in the percentage of mandatory retirements in state supreme courts. From 2019 to 2021, about one in every four retirements were mandated, while the remaining were voluntary. In 2022, there was an increase in the proportion of mandatory retirements, with about one…
State supreme courts issued 392 opinions from June 12-25. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia led the field with 82 opinions issued, followed by Kentucky with 31 and Texas (supreme court) with 20. The last two weeks’ 392 opinions account for 12% of the year-to-date total of 3,408. West Virginia, again, leads with…
As of June 27, 2023, 31 statewide measures have been certified for the ballot in eight states for elections in 2023. That’s nine more measures than the average number (22) certified at this point in other odd-numbered years from 2011 to 2021. The number certified—31—also ties with 2021 for the highest number of any of those…
Both candidates running in the Nov. 7, 2023, general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 15 — Laura Jane Cohen (D) and Marcus Evans (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office. Here are the candidates’ responses to…
Both candidates running in the Nov. 7, 2023, general election for Virginia State Senate District 37 — Ken Reid (R) and Saddam Salim (D) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office. Here are the candidates’ responses to the question:…
As of June 25, members of the Florida State Legislature, which includes the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida State Senate, have passed seven bills related to election administration since the beginning of the year. Of those seven bills, five have been enacted. This is two more than this point a year ago. Republicans…
As of June 25, Ballotpedia has tracked 31 election-related bills in the New Jersey State Senate since the beginning of the year. Of the 31, Ballotpedia tracked one from June 19-25. Democrats sponsored the bill. The bill is: NJ S3594: Requires periodic reporting of election results on night of primary and general election and until…
As of June 25, Ballotpedia has tracked 185 election-related bills in the New York State Assembly since the beginning of the year. Of the 185, Ballotpedia tracked two from June 19-25. Democrats sponsored both bills. The bills are: NY A07783: Relates to recounts of election votes, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon (D). As introduced, this…