Category: State

  • Connecticut House of Representatives District 145 special election set for Apr. 27

    Posted on

    Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 145 seat in the Connecticut House of Representatives on Apr. 27, 2021. The seat became vacant after Patricia Miller (D) was elected to the Connecticut State Senate on March 2. There are no primaries, and candidates will be nominated directly by political parties.

  • Pennsylvania State Senate District 22 special election set for May 18

    Posted on

    Election officials have scheduled a special election for the District 22 seat in the Pennsylvania State Senate for May 18, 2021. The seat became vacant after John Blake (D) resigned on March 8 to work for U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D). There are no primaries, and candidates will be nominated directly by political parties.

  • Checks and Balances: Kansas proposal would create legislative veto over agency rules

    Posted on

    The Checks and Balances Letter delivers news and information from Ballotpedia’s Administrative State Project, including pivotal actions at the federal and state levels related to the separation of powers, due process and the rule of law. This edition:  In this month’s edition of Checks and Balances, we check in on the approaching deadline to repeal…

  • Arizona is 7th state to order in-person school instruction, others schedule openings

    Posted on

    On March 15, Arizona became the seventh state to require at least part-time instruction for certain grade levels. Oregon will join the list in two weeks, and Washington will join in three. Gov. Doug Ducey’s (R-Ariz.) March 3 executive order requiring public schools to offer in-person instruction took effect March 15. High schools and middle…

  • Ballot measures proposed in response to coronavirus and emergency powers

    Posted on

    The coronavirus pandemic has shaped the political landscape of the United States, including the powers of governors and state legislatures. Changes have been proposed in response to the pandemic or pandemic-related regulations and restrictions. Some of these changes, such as state constitutional amendments, require ballot measures for ratification. Others are citizen-initiated proposals, meaning campaigns collect signatures…

  • Special election primary to be held in Louisiana House district

    Posted on

    A special election primary is being held on March 20 for District 82 of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Raymond Delaney Jr. (D), Edwin Connick (R), and Laurie Schlegel (R) are running in the primary. The general election, if needed, is scheduled for April 24. Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in…

  • More than 70 people apply to be the next lieutenant governor of Rhode Island

    Posted on

    Daniel McKee (D) was sworn in as governor of Rhode Island on March 2. The previous incumbent, Gina Raimondo (D), resigned after she was confirmed as the U.S. secretary of commerce in the Biden administration. McKee was Raimondo’s lieutenant governor. Under the Rhode Island Constitution, if the incumbent governor resigns, the lieutenant governor fills the…

  • Former state Rep. Ronald Ryckman appointed to the Kansas state Senate

    Posted on

    The Republican precinct committees of Kansas Senate District 38 appointed Ronald Ryckman (R) to the state Senate on March 4. Ryckman replaces Bud Estes (R), who passed away on Feb. 13. Since the vacancy occurred before May 1 of the second year of Estes’ term, a special election will be held in November 2022. The…

  • New Jersey Supreme Court justice schedules retirement

    Posted on

    New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Jaynee LaVecchia scheduled her retirement for August 31, 2021. LaVecchia’s replacement will be Governor Phil Murphy’s (D) second nominee to the seven-member supreme court. Under New Jersey law, when a vacancy occurs, justices of the New Jersey Supreme Court are nominated by the governor. One week after the public notice…

  • John Blake resigns from Pennsylvania state Senate 

    Posted on

    Pennsylvania state Sen. John Blake (D) resigned on March 8 to take a position on U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright’s (D) staff. Cartwright represents Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District in Congress. Blake represented District 22 in the state Senate, which includes Lackawanna County and parts of Luzerne and Monroe Counties.  “It has been a very difficult and…