Category: State
-
Brian Benjamin sworn in as New York’s lieutenant governor
Brian Benjamin (D) was sworn in as New York’s lieutenant governor on Sep. 9. Governor Kathy Hochul (D) had appointed Benjamin to the position on Aug. 25, after Hochul became governor in the wake of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) resignation. The Lieutenant Governor of New York is the second-ranking officer of the executive branch…
-
Recent state court actions suspend state-level universal school mask requirement bans in Florida and Tennessee, uphold a ban in South Carolina
As schools have begun reopening for the 2021-2022 academic year, several states have enacted policies on mask requirements in schools. As of Sept. 9, four states banned school mask requirements, seventeen states required masks in schools, and twenty-nine states left school mask decisions up to local authorities. Recent legal actions have affected these policies in…
-
Redistricting Roundup: Colorado redistricting commission releases new proposed congressional maps
Here’s a summary of the week’s noteworthy redistricting news from Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, and Texas. Colorado: The Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission staff released a proposed congressional district map on Sept. 3. This is the first proposed map the commission released since the U.S. Census Bureau distributed block-level data from the 2020 census to states on…
-
Louisiana Secretary of State announces delayed fall election date
On Sept. 8, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin (R) announced that Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) had agreed to postpone the state’s fall elections. According to Ardoin, the first-round and second-round elections will now take place on Nov. 13 and Dec. 11, respectively. The first-round and second-round elections were originally scheduled to take place…
-
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoes bill on nonprofit donation disclosure and privacy
On Sept. 3, 2021, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) vetoed S636, a bill making donations to nonprofit corporations confidential. S636 prohibited the public disclosure of the “identity of any person donating monies or other tangible goods to the nonprofit corporation…if the person has notified the nonprofit corporation, in writing prior to or at the…
-
Three candidates answer Ballotpedia’s survey in Virginia governor’s race
Virginia voters will elect a new governor this November. Incumbent Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is term-limited, leaving the seat open. Three candidates—Terry McAuliffe (D), Glenn Youngkin (R), and Princess Blanding (Liberation)—will appear on the general election ballot. A fourth, Paul Davis (I), is running as a write-in candidate. Youngkin, Blanding, and Davis have all completed…
-
First 2022 state supreme court vacancy announced
Wyoming State Supreme Court Justice Michael K. Davis is retiring on Jan. 16, 2022, upon reaching the state court’s mandatory retirement age of 70 years. The vacancy created by Davis’ retirement is the first state supreme court vacancy to be announced for 2022. Davis’ replacement will be Governor Mark Gordon’s (R) first nominee to the…
-
August 2021 breakdown of state legislative party membership: 54.26% Republicans, 44.72% Democrats
54.26% of all state legislators are Republicans, and 44.72% are Democrats, according to Ballotpedia’s August partisan count of the 7,383 state legislators. Ballotpedia tallies the partisan balance of state legislatures at the end of every month. This refers to which political party holds the majority of seats in each chamber. Republicans control 61 chambers, while…
-
Heather Meyer assumes office as Kansas state representative
Heather Meyer (D) assumed office as the representative for District 29 in the Kansas state House on Sept. 7. The Johnson County Democratic Party appointed Meyer to the district on Aug. 24. The district became vacant on Aug. 29 when former state Rep. Brett Parker (D) resigned to accept a job offer. Meyer will serve…
-
Early voting in Newsom recall ends on Sept. 10
Early voting centers opened in 15 counties in California for the recall election targeting Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will close on Sept. 10. The election is on Sept. 14. The counties holding early voting are participating in the Voter’s Choice Act (VCA), which Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed in 2016. The VCA replaced traditional polling…