Category: State

  • Douglas Peters resigns from Maryland Senate on July 30

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    Maryland Sen. Douglas Peters (D) resigned from his position in the Maryland Senate on July 30. Peters, who represented District 23, first assumed office in 2007, and was subsequently re-elected three times.  Peters had announced his resignation at the beginning of July, following his appointment to the University of Maryland’s Board of Regents by Maryland…

  • Lawsuit filed over Newsom recall voter guide language

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    On July 29, 2021, recall organizer Orrin Heatlie and the California Patriot Coalition sued California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) in Sacramento County Superior Court seeking to change the language in the official voter guide for the recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Newsom’s proposed official argument in the voter guide describes the…

  • Iowa House of Representatives District 37 special election set for Sept. 14

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    Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 37 seat in the Iowa House of Representatives for Sept. 14. The seat became vacant after John Landon (R) died on July 29. There is no primary, and candidates will be nominated directly by political parties.

  • Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 164 special election set for Nov. 2

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    Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 164 seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for Nov. 2. The seat became vacant after Margo Davidson (D) resigned on July 23. There is no primary, and candidates will be nominated directly by political parties.

  • Alabama House of Representatives District 63 special election set for Feb. 1, 2022

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    Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 63 seat in the Alabama House of Representatives for Feb. 1, 2022. The seat became vacant after Bill Poole (R) resigned on July 31 after Gov. Kay Ivey (R) appointed him the director of the Alabama Department of Finance. The primary is on Oct. 19,…

  • A closer look at major-party expenditures in the Virginia gubernatorial election

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    In the race for Governor of Virginia, investment executive Glenn Youngkin (R) has outspent former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) according to the most recent campaign finance reports covering spending through June 30, 2021. Youngkin, who launched his campaign three months after McAuliffe, has spent $16.9 million dollars to McAuliffe’s $11.3 million. McAuliffe recorded his first…

  • July 2021 breakdown of state legislative party membership: 54.30% Republicans, 44.79% Democrats

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    54.30% of all state legislators are Republicans, and 44.79% are Democrats, according to Ballotpedia’s July 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…

  • Alabama state Rep. Bill Poole resigns to become state finance director

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    Bill Poole (R) resigned from the Alabama House of Representatives on July 31 to accept a position as the director of the Alabama Department of Finance. Gov. Kay Ivey (R) appointed him to the position on July 16, effective Aug. 1, to replace Kelly Butler. Poole represented District 63 from 2010 to 2021. Poole was…

  • Campaigns for three Colorado initiatives submit signatures by August 2 deadline

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    Campaigns for three initiatives in Colorado faced a signature deadline of August 2. To qualify for the ballot, 124,632 valid signatures are required. Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress Program and Marijuana Sales Tax Increase Initiative (#25): This initiative would amend state law to create the Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress Program to provide out-of-school learning opportunities for…

  • A look back at government responses to the coronavirus pandemic, August 3-7, 2020

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    Although the first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was confirmed on Jan. 21, 2020, it wasn’t until March when the novel coronavirus upended life for most Americans. Throughout the year, states issued stay-at-home orders, closed schools, restricted travel, issued mask mandates, and changed election dates. Here are the policy changes that happened August 3-7,…