Category: State
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Signatures submitted for Washington initiative to repeal legislation establishing an income tax for households earning over $1 million and ban income taxes in general
In Washington, signatures were submitted to the secretary of state on July 2, 2026, for a ballot initiative that would repeal legislation establishing an income tax for certain households and ban income taxes altogether. More specifically, the measure would repeal Senate Bill 6346 (SB 6346), which imposes a 9.9% tax on household income exceeding $1…
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Ohio governor vetoes bill requiring photo ID for absentee voting
On June 24, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) vetoed legislation that would have required most voters to provide photo identification when either requesting or returning an absentee ballot. Currently, Ohio voters must provide either a copy of their state or federal photo ID or their driver's license number, state identification card number, or the last…
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Vermont enacts bill to limit how scholarships under Education Freedom Tax Credit can be used
On June 18, 2026, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed H.933, limiting the use of scholarship funds under the Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) so they may benefit only public school students or students attending independent (or nonpublic) schools eligible to receive public funds, among other EFTC and unrelated tax policies. As of June 30,…
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South Carolina adopts REINS-style state law, prohibits judicial deference
On June 30, 2026, Gov. Henry McMaster (R) signed H 3021, making South Carolina the third state this year to enact a REINS-style law, and the fifth to prohibit judicial deference. The bill included other provisions related to executive agency procedure and oversight. H 3021 requires legislative approval for all executive agency regulations with estimated…
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State legislative session updates: sessions ending
According to Multistate, as of July 2, nine states are still in legislative session, with two in special session. Massachusetts’s session is expected to end on July 31. California and North Carolina’s sessions will end on Aug. 31. Pennsylvania’s session will end on Nov. 30. Three states, Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio, have sessions that…
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Seven states have candidate filing deadlines in the next two weeks
As many of us rest and relax for the July 4 Independence Day holiday, the coming weeks promise further opportunities for civic engagement. Seven states have candidate filing deadlines in the next two weeks. The map and bulleted list below show which states have candidate filing deadlines scheduled between July 4 and July 17. Looking…
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Campaign behind an initiative to put sports eligibility based on sex in the Nebraska Constitution submits signatures
Fairness for Girls, the campaign behind an initiative to codify sports eligibility requirements based on sex in the Nebraska Constitution, submitted more than 211,000 signatures on June 30. The signature deadline is July 2. The initiative would add a new section to Article VII of the state constitution, requiring schools to "designate each athletic team…
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New Ballotpedia analysis finds 13 state legislative supermajorities exposed to breaking this year
In eight states holding legislative elections this year, fewer than 5% of seats would need to change party control to break an existing supermajority. We call those state supermajorities highly exposed to breaking. If a majority party loses its supermajority, they lose the ability to override a governor's veto without votes from the minority party. …
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Ballotpedia tracks highest midyear recall activity since 2014; Michigan leads with 108 officials targeted
In 2026, Ballotpedia tracked the highest number of officials targeted for recall at midyear since 2014. Between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2026, 205 recall efforts were launched against 329 elected officials across 26 states. Michigan led the nation with 108 officials targeted for recall, accounting for nearly one-third of all officials tracked. This is…
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Georgia enacts legislation extending voting machine deadline, establishing automatic hand recounts
On June 25, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed legislation delaying the implementation of a state law banning the use of QR codes and other machine coding in ballot tabulation. In 2024, lawmakers enacted a bill prohibiting the use of QR codes, bar codes, or other machine coding in ballot tabulation, starting on July 1,…