Category: State
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39 state executives left office early in 2021—the most since at least 2012
In 2021, Ballotpedia identified 39 irregular state executive official office changes—the most since we started tracking these changes in 2012. An irregular office change is when an officeholder leaves office before their term ends. Of the 39 who resigned, 19 were nonpartisan, 11 were Democratic, and nine were Republican. One notable change in 2021 was…
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New Mexico enacts new state Senate map
On Jan. 6, 2022, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed a new state Senate map into law, which will take effect for New Mexico’s 2022 legislative elections. The New Mexico State Senate voted 25-13 to approve the map on Dec. 16, 2021, and the New Mexico House of Representatives approved the map 38-22…
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36 states hold two or more top-ballot statewide elections in 2022
In 2022, 36 states are holding elections for two or more top-ballot statewide offices—U.S. Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. Twenty-six states are holding elections for both U.S. Senate and governor—the top state executive position. Overall: 16 states are holding elections for all five top-level statewide offices. 11 states are holding…
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Connecticut Supreme Court appoints special master to assist in congressional redistricting
The Connecticut Supreme Court appointed Nathaniel Persily, a Stanford University law professor, as a special master to assist it in the congressional redistricting process on Dec. 23, 2021. On Dec. 28, the court rejected a request from the Republican members of the Connecticut Reapportionment Commission asking the court to select a different special master or…
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171 state legislative vacancies occurred in 2021
There were 171 state legislative vacancies across 43 states in 2021, according to a Ballotpedia analysis. As of Jan. 6, 2022, 129 of those vacancies have been filled. One hundred and twenty-four (124) vacancies occurred in state Houses and 47 occurred in state Senates. Ninety (90) of the vacant seats were originally held by Democrats…
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Average margin of victory in state legislative general elections in 2021 was 23.6 percent
Three of the nation’s 99 state legislative chambers held regularly-scheduled elections for 220 seats on Nov. 2, 2021. In races where more than one candidate ran in the election, the average margin of victory was 23.6%. The margin of victory is the difference between the share of votes cast for the winning candidate and the…
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36.5 percent of Americans live in a Democratic trifecta, 41.8 percent live in a Republican trifecta
At the start of 2022, 36.5 percent (120 million) of Americans lived in a state with a Democratic trifecta, while 41.8 percent (137 million) lived in a state with a Republican trifecta. The other 71 million Americans lived in a state with a divided government. A state government trifecta is a term to describe single-party…
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Michigan citizen redistricting commission approves new legislative maps
The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) approved new district boundaries for both the state Senate and state House of Representatives on Dec. 28, 2021. The maps will become law 60 days after the MICRC publishes a report on the redistricting plans with the secretary of state and will take effect for Michigan’s 2022 state…
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Upcoming state supreme court vacancy in New Jersey
New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Faustino J. Fernandez-Vina is scheduled to retire from the court on Feb. 15 upon reaching the state’s mandatory retirement age of 70 years old. Fernandez-Vina’s replacement will be Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) third nominee to the seven-member supreme court. In New Jersey, state supreme court justices are selected through direct…