Category: State
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Washington state judge dismisses challenge to Parents’ Bill of Rights; legislators set to consider bill that would rewrite it
King County Superior Court Judge Michael Scott in Washington allowed the state Parents’ Bill of Rights to take full effect on Jan. 27, dismissing a lawsuit against the 2024 Initiative 2081 that enacted the Bill of Rights. Judge Scott had temporarily blocked portions of the statute on Jun. 21, 2024, that required school districts to…
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Nine states have new initiative signature requirements heading into the 2025-2026 election cycle
Heading into the 2025-2026 election cycle, signature requirements for citizen-initiated measures changed in nine states. Turnout on Nov.5, 2024, caused signature requirements for citizen-initiated ballot measures to change in seven states. Two other states changed their requirements based on the number of registered voters. The average change was a 12.47% increase. Changes ranged from a…
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Texas legislature set to consider universal school choice legislation after 2024 elections replaced Republican opponents with Republican supporters
Texas State Senate Republicans introduced a universal school choice bill (Senate Bill 2) on Jan. 24, and the Senate Education Committee approved it 9-2 on Jan. 29. SB 2 was placed on the Senate’s intent calendar for a floor vote on February 4. SB 2 would create an education savings account (ESA) program that, subject…
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Texas sends letter opposing financial firm DEI policies
Ten states, led by Texas, have requested information from BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and others regarding their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. The Jan. 23 letter argued business and investment decisions based on race, sex, and other diversity criteria could violate financial firms’ fiduciary duty to focus on maximizing shareholder value. Texas and other states…
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Democrats gain a seat in the Iowa Senate
On Jan. 28, Mike Zimmer (D) defeated Katie Whittington (R) in the special election for Iowa Senate District 35, 51.7% to 48.1%. The seat became vacant in November 2024 after Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) appointed Sen. Chris Cournoyer (R) to serve as lieutenant governor. The last time that the seat was up for election in…
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What to know about the margins of victory in 2024 state legislative elections
Across all 5,807 state legislative seats up for election in 2024, the average margin of victory was 27.3%. An electoral margin of victory (MOV) is the difference between the share of votes cast for the winning candidate and the second-place candidate in an election. Only races with more than one candidate were included in this…
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Voters in 30 states have decided on 42 constitutional amendments to create state initiative and referendum processes since 1898
In the U.S., 26 states have adopted constitutional amendments for citizen-initiated ballot measures. As state constitutional amendments require voter approval, except in Delaware, creating ballot initiative processes requires ballot measures, either from state legislatures or constitutional convention. Most of these amendments originated during the progressive and populist movements of the 1890s to 1920s. Beginning in…
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Virginia’s two-session rule for constitutional amendment: House of Delegates election could affect the future of proposed amendments on abortion, marriage, and voting
Virginia voters may decide on constitutional amendments related to abortion, same-sex marriage, and voting rights restoration for persons convicted of felonies in 2026. However, their placement on the 2026 ballot may depend on a Democratic majority in the state legislature following the state legislature elections later this year. In Virginia, for a constitutional amendment to…
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Signatures submitted for Maine initiative to establish extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), a type of firearms regulation
Signatures have been submitted in Maine for a ballot initiative to establish a process for extreme risk protection orders, a policy related to firearms regulation. The ballot initiative, unless approved by the legislature, would appear on the ballot for Nov. 4, 2025. The Maine Gun Safety Coalition reported submitting more than 80,000 signatures to the…
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Majority control at stake in special election for Minnesota Senate District 60
Doron Clark (D) and Abigail Wolters (R) are running in a special election for District 60 in the Minnesota Senate on Jan. 28, 2025. The district is vacant due to the death of state Sen. Kari Dziedzic (D) on Dec. 27, 2024. Her death left a vacancy that turned Democrats’ 34-33 majority in the Senate…