Category: State
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Wisconsin State Legislature sends three ballot questions to the April ballot
Wisconsin voters will be deciding on three ballot questions—two constitutional measures and one advisory question—on April 4. The constitutional measures relate to the conditions of release for an accused individual before conviction and cash bail. The two questions were referred to the ballot with the final passage of Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR 2) on…
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Kentucky threatens to divest from 11 banks over ESG policies
Kentucky State Treasurer Allison Ball (R) on January 2 issued a statement notifying 11 banks that their environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) policies amounted to energy boycotts that harmed the state’s economy according to definitions passed into law last spring. The statement says the banks have 90 days to stop what Kentucky argues are…
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Fewer bills passed in 2022 to change ballot initiative processes compared to 2021
In 2022, state legislators introduced at least 232 bills to change citizen-initiated ballot measure processes. Of the 232 legislative proposals, 23 (9.91%) were enacted into law. In 2021, for comparison, 226 bills were introduced and 36 (15.93%) were enacted. While the number of bills introduced in 2022 was higher than each year from 2014 to…
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How is the Texas Constitution amended?
The Texas State Legislature convened its 2023 regular legislative session on Jan. 10. The legislature can refer constitutional amendments, in the form of statewide ballot measures, to the ballot in odd-numbered and even-numbered years. However, Texas is one of four states with biennial legislative sessions that meet in odd-numbered years; therefore, most amendments have been…
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Special elections to fill three vacancies in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives scheduled for February 7
Special elections to fill vacancies in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Districts 32, 34, and 35 are scheduled for February 7, 2023. The Allegheny County Democratic Party voted to nominate the District 32 candidate on December 11 and the District 34 and 35 candidates on December 17. The Republican Committee of Allegheny County nominated the…
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Rouse defeats Adams in special general election for Virginia State Senate District 7
Aaron Rouse (D) defeated Kevin Adams (R) in the January 10, 2023, special general election for Virginia State Senate District 7. Rouse’s victory gave Democrats a 22-18 majority in the state Senate. The special election was called after the previous incumbent, Sen. Jennifer Kiggans (R), resigned on November 15, 2022, after being elected to represent…
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Initiative to legalize recreational marijuana in Ohio submitted to state legislature
On Jan. 4, 2022, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) sent a letter to legislative leaders announcing that he is resubmitting to the Ohio General Assembly an indirect citizen-initiated measure to legalize the use of recreational marijuana for adults aged 21 and over. The initiative was originally filed in 2021 by the Coalition to…
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Two veto referendum campaigns and California executive departments disagree on when referendums suspend fast food workers and oil and gas laws
The campaign Save Local Restaurants filed 1 million signatures for a veto referendum to overturn California Assembly Bill 257 (AB 257), also known as the FAST Act, on Dec. 5, 2022. At least 623,212 signatures must be valid. Counties have until Jan. 25, 2023, to check a random sample of signatures. In California, a veto…
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Total partisan composition of state legislatures changed by less than half a percentage point in 2022
The partisan composition of all 7,386 state legislative seats in the country remained effectively unchanged as a result of the 2022 elections. After the Nov. 8 elections, Democrats lost a net six seats nationwide compared to the pre-election totals. Republicans gained a net 28 seats and independent or minor party officeholders lost a net of…
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Sixty-eight legislative districts in five states were either renamed or eliminated after the 2020 census
As state legislatures nationwide convene for their first sessions after the 2022 elections, 68 legislative districts in five states were either renamed or eliminated and no longer exist. Forty-six of the 68 renamed or eliminated districts are in Vermont, one of three New England states—along with Massachusetts and New Hampshire—that include the town as part…