Category: Local
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Washington Supreme Court sets timeline for appeal of recall petition against Seattle councilmember
The Washington Supreme Court will consider the appeal of a recall petition against Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant before the end of the year. Sawant filed an appeal in October after a superior court judge certified that four of the six grounds in the recall petition against her were legally sufficient to move the recall…
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Washington Supreme Court approves sheriff recall petition for circulation
The Washington Supreme Court ruled on November 6, 2020, that a recall effort seeking to remove Jerry Hatcher from his position as Benton County Sheriff could begin circulating petitions. Walla Walla County Superior Court Judge Scott Wolfram initially approved the recall petition on August 20, but Hatcher filed an appeal against that decision with the…
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At least four mayoral offices changed partisan control in the 100 largest cities Nov. 3
Twenty-nine of the 100 largest U.S. cities held mayoral elections in 2020. Of the 24 elections called so far, four party changes have taken place, with Republicans losing three offices and Democrats losing one. Democrats and independents each flipped two offices: • In Honolulu, Hawaii, independent Rick Blangiardi won the open seat. Democratic mayor Kirk…
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Abigail Spanberger (D) wins re-election in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District
Incumbent Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) defeated challenger Nick Freitas (R) in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. Spanberger was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, defeating incumbent Rep. Dave Brat (R) 50% to 48%. Preliminary results indicate Spanberger won re-election by a similar 51% to 49% margin. The 7th District was one of…
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Incumbent Mayor Ted Wheeler wins re-election in Portland, Oregon
Incumbent Ted Wheeler defeated Sarah Iannarone and write-in candidate Teressa Raiford in the general election for mayor of Portland, Oregon. Wheeler was first elected in 2016. Nineteen candidates ran in the May 19 primary. Wheeler received 49.1%, Iannarone received 24%, and Raiford received 8.5%. In 2016, Wheeler won during the primary with 55% of the…
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George Gascón defeats incumbent Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey
George Gascón defeated incumbent Jackie Lacey in the nonpartisan general election for Los Angeles County District Attorney, the nation’s largest local prosecutorial district. Gascón served two terms as San Francisco District Attorney, winning election to succeed Kamala Harris in 2011 and winning re-election unopposed in 2015. He did not seek election to a third term…
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Washington, D.C. voters approved Initiative 81 76% to 24% according to unofficial election night results
Initiative 81 declares that police shall treat the non-commercial cultivation, distribution, possession, and use of entheogenic plants and fungi as among the lowest law enforcement priorities. Examples of decriminalized substances include psilocybin mushrooms, also known as magic mushrooms or shrooms, peyote, and iboga. This makes D.C. the fifth city after Oakland and Santa Cruz, California;…
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Voters to decide recall of fire district board member in Arizona on Nov. 3
A recall election seeking to remove Bruce Speirs from his position as chair of the three-member Sherwood Forest Estates Fire District Board in Arizona is on the ballot on November 3, 2020. Walter Krushinsky filed to run against Speirs in the recall election. Recall supporters said that Speirs’ actions while on the board had “demoralized…
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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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Mayor and city council recall effort underway in Lincoln, Nebraska
An effort is underway in Lincoln, Nebraska, to recall Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and city council members James Michael Bowers, Richard Meginnis, Jane Raybould, and Tammy Ward. Petitions were filed with the Lancaster County election commissioner on October 26. Each official is given 20 days to submit a statement of defense, after which the election…