Category: State
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Deadline passes for verification of remaining signatures in Newsom recall
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) had until June 22 to certify whether enough signatures remained on recall petitions to move the recall process against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) forward. If at least 1,495,709 signatures remain, the recall will proceed to a scheduling and budgeting phase. Supporters turned in more than 1.7 million valid…
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California secretary of state announces gubernatorial recall candidates must release tax records
On June 15, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) announced that candidates in an election to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) would be required to release five years’ worth of tax records to run. The California Supreme Court previously struck down portions of a 2019 law that pertained to presidential candidates but left the…
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State, local governments in conflict over police budget reduction preemption laws
Various state and local governments have come into conflict over laws preempting municipalities from reducing their police department budgets. Preemption occurs when a law at a higher level of government is used to overrule authority at a lower level. In this case, several states have implemented legislation either prohibiting local governments from reducing their police…
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Virginia gubernatorial candidates seek to define themselves, one another as the general election begins
Campaigns for Terry McAuliffe (D) and Glenn Youngkin (R) in the election for Governor of Virginia released new adsshortly after the major-party nominating contests came to a close in recent weeks. Following Youngkin’s nomination on May 10, former Gov. McAuliffe released an ad titled “Virginia Forward” where he compared Youngkin to former President Donald Trump…
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Voters in California Assembly District 18 to decide special election primary on June 29
A special election primary is being held on June 29 for District 18 of the California State Assembly. Victor Aguilar (D), James Aguilar (D), Mia Bonta (D), Eugene Canson (D), Janani Ramachandran (D), Malia Vella (D), Stephen Slauson (R), and Joel Britton (I) are on the primary ballot. Nelsy Batista (D) filed as a write-in…
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Colorado governor signs transportation bill removing 2021 bond issue from ballot
On June 17, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 260, thereby removing a bond issue that was set to appear on the state’s 2021 general election ballot. The Colorado State Legislature passed Senate Bill 260 on June 2, 2021. It included a provision to remove the bond issue that was set to appear on…
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Ballotpedia publishes June’s edition of State Ballot Measure Monthly
This edition of the State Ballot Measure Monthly report covers certifications and a selection of notable ballot measure news from May 17 through June 17. Here are the highlights: • 10 statewide measures were certified for the 2021 ballot in Louisiana, Maine, New York, and Texas. • One measure was removed from the 2021 ballot…
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Jennifer Konfrst elected as minority leader of Iowa House
Democrats in the Iowa House of Representatives selected Rep. Jennifer Konfrst (D-43) as the new House minority leader on June 14. Konfrst replaces Rep. Todd Prichard (D-52), who announced on June 2 that he would be stepping down as minority leader. Konfrst is the first woman to lead the Iowa House Democrats. “I’m honored to earn…
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Reviewing government responses to the coronavirus pandemic from one year ago this week
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 June 22-26,…
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Maine voters to decide ballot initiative on electric transmission corridor through state’s Upper Kennebec Region
On November 2, 2021, voters in Maine will decide a ballot initiative to prohibit the construction of electric transmission lines in the Upper Kennebec Region, including the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC), which began construction in the region on May 13. The ballot initiative would also require a two-thirds vote of each state legislative…