Category: State
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New Maryland superintendent of schools took office on July 1
Mohammed Choudhury took office as the new Maryland superintendent of schools on July 1. He replaces Karen Salmon, who stepped down at the end of her term on June 30. The state board of education appointed Choudhury to a four-year term on May 29. “When we set out on our search for Maryland’s next superintendent,…
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Looking back at government responses to the coronavirus pandemic, July 6-July 10, 2020
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 July 6-July…
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Gavin Newsom recall set for Sept. 14
California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D) announced that a recall election seeking to remove Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will take place on September 14. Recall organizers turned in 1,719,943 valid signatures, more than the 1,495,970 necessary to trigger a recall election. Forty-three voters removed their signatures during a removal period, leaving 1,719,900 valid signatures on…
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Pennsylvania, Oregon end statewide face-covering requirements
Two states ended statewide public mask requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated people between June 25 and July 1. Pennsylvania Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam lifted the statewide mask requirement for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals on June 28. In accordance with CDC guidelines, vaccinated and unvaccinated people still have to wear masks on public transportation and…
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Judge blocks $3,000 limit on contributions to Florida initiative campaigns during signature gathering
On July 1, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor issued a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of Florida Senate Bill 1890. SB 1890 was designed to set $3,000 limits on campaign contributions to committees in support of or opposition to ballot initiatives during signature gathering. The bill was designed to lift the contribution limits after a…
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Arizona voters to decide single-subject rule amendment for citizen-initiated ballot measures
At the 2022 general election, Arizona voters will decide a constitutional amendment to require that citizen-initiated ballot measures embrace a single subject. The ballot measure would also require the initiative’s subject to be expressed in the ballot title, or else the missing subject would be considered void. Known as the single-subject rule, 16 states (of 26…
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Democrats outraise Republicans by 400% in Virginia state legislative races
Campaign finance filings for Virginia state legislative races show Democrats outpaced Republicans in fundraising. Between January 1, 2020, and May 7, 2021, Democratic primary election candidates outraised Republican candidates by 400 percent. Democrats have a 21-19 majority in the Virginia State Senate and a 55-45 majority in the Virginia State House. State legislative primary elections…
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Republicans outraise Democrats by 13% in Pennsylvania state legislative races
New campaign finance filings for Pennsylvania state legislative special elections show Republicans outpaced Democrats in fundraising. Between January 1, 2021, and May 17, 2021, Republican general election candidates outraised Democratic candidates by 13 percent. Republicans have a 28-21 majority in the Pennsylvania State Senate and a 113-89 majority in the Pennsylvania State House. State legislative…
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New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Barbara Vigil retires
New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Barbara Vigil retired on June 30. She joined the court in 2012 after winning election to an open seat on the court against Paul J. Kennedy, 55% to 45%. Vigil won a retention election for a full eight-year term in 2016, with 72% of voters retaining her. Before that, Vigil…
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New Mexico Supreme Court allows recall effort against Otero County commissioner to move forward
New Mexico Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Vigil on June 28 affirmed a lower court’s ruling to allow an effort to recall Couy Griffin (R) from his position as the District 2 representative on the Otero County Commission to move forward. Once the recall petitions are signed by the lower court justice who initially approved…