Category: State
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Texas House speaker removes Democrat who left state from leadership position
Texas House of Representatives Speaker Dade Phelan (R) announced the removal of Joseph Moody (D) from Moody’s position as speaker pro tem of the chamber on July 15. The speaker pro tem performs the duties of the speaker in his or her absence. Moody had served in the position for two sessions. Moody was one…
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Seven states retain statewide mask requirements
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee (D) signed an executive order ending the statewide mask requirement for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals on July 6. In accordance with CDC guidelines, vaccinated and unvaccinated people still have to wear masks on public transportation and at public transportation hubs (like bus stations and airports). Rhode Island was the only…
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Special elections in two Mississippi Senate districts set for Nov. 2
Election officials have scheduled the special elections for the District 32 and District 38 seats in the Mississippi State Senate for Nov. 2. The seats became vacant after Sampson Jackson (D) and Tammy Witherspoon (D) resigned on June 30. There are no primaries, and a general runoff election will be held on Nov. 23 if…
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Redistricting review: Michigan Supreme Court declines to extend redistricting deadlines
In this week’s Redistricting Review, we cover news out of Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania. Michigan: On July 9, the Michigan Supreme Court rejected the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission’s request to extend the constitutional deadlines for adopting new redistricting plans. The constitutional deadlines – presentation to the public by Sept. 17 and adoption by…
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Leesa Hagan wins special runoff election in Georgia House district
Leesa Hagan (R) won the special general runoff election for Georgia House of Representatives District 156 on July 13. She defeated Wally Sapp (R), earning 51.7% of the vote to Sapp’s 48.3%. Hagan and Sapp advanced from the general election held on June 15, where they defeated Democratic candidate Wright Gres. A runoff became necessary…
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Candidate filing deadline passed July 9 for two New Hampshire state legislative special elections
Candidates interested in running in the special elections to fill two vacant seats in the New Hampshire House of Representatives had until July 9 to file. The special elections are being held in the Hillsborough 7 District and Cheshire 9 District. The winners of the special elections will serve until December 2022. In the Hillsborough…
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Initiative to repeal Michigan law granting governor emergency powers heads to state legislature
The Michigan State Legislature will have 40 days to approve an initiated measure to repeal the Emergency Powers of Governor Act (EPGA), also known as Public Act 302 (PA 302) of 1945. The EPGA was designed to empower the governor to issue rules and regulations to bring emergencies under control and protect life and allow violations…
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Judge rules California Gov. Newsom will not have party designation on recall ballot
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge James P. Arguelles ruled on July 12 that California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) party affiliation will not appear on the September 14 recall ballot. Newsom sued Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) on June 28 seeking to have his party affiliation added to the ballot. Weber cited Newsom’s February 2020…
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Democratic state representatives in Texas leave state ahead of expected vote on voting-related legislation
On July 12, 2021, at least 51 of the 67 Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives (the number needed to break quorum) left the state for Washington D.C. ahead of expected votes on House Bill 3 and Senate Bill 1. The bills being considered are voting-related legislation including provisions related to early voting, elections…
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Kathryn Hackett King appointed to Arizona Supreme Court
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) appointed Kathryn Hackett King to the state supreme court on July 8. The seat became vacant in April when former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew W. Gould retired. King is Gov. Ducey’s sixth nominee to the seven-member supreme court. At the time she was appointed, King was a partner at…