Category: State
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Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth to resign after error in constitutional amendment process
Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar (D) is expected to resign on February 5, 2021, after her office failed to advertise a constitutional amendment as the state constitution requires. Voters could have decided the constitutional amendment at the election on May 18, 2021, but the two-session process will need to restart. The earliest the amendment…
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Iowa to vote in 2022 on adding right to own and bear arms to state constitution
Voters in Iowa will decide in 2022 whether to add a right to own and bear firearms to the Iowa Constitution and require strict scrutiny for any alleged violations of the right brought before a court. The amendment was certified for the ballot on January 28, 2021, after having passed both chambers of the legislature.…
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Delaware legislature amends state constitution to prohibit discrimination according to race, color, national origin
On January 28, 2021, the Delaware House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 31 in the final step to amend the state constitution to add a prohibition on discrimination according to race, color, and national origin to the Delaware Bill of Rights. Unlike any other state, the Delaware State Legislature can amend the constitution without a…
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Voters approved changes to campaign finance, election dates, election systems, redistricting, suffrage, and term limits in 2020
In 2020, 12 states approved 13 ballot measures related to election policy including changes to campaign finance, election dates, election systems, redistricting, suffrage, and term limits. The measures are listed below according to topic. Campaign finance: Oregon Measure 107: Measure 107 authorizes the state legislature and local governments to (1) enact laws or ordinances limiting…
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Partisan shift on Michigan Supreme Court
The November 2020 election changed the partisan balance on the Michigan Supreme Court from Republican to Democrat control. The partisan balance on the court flipped from 4-3 with Republicans controlling the court to 4-3, with Democrats controlling the court. The two seats up for election on the court were held by Bridget Mary McCormack (D)…
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Filing deadline passes for special election in Missouri state House district
Candidates interested in running in the special election for District 45 of the Missouri House of Representatives had until January 27, 2021, to file. David Smith (D) is facing Glenn Nielsen (L) in the general election scheduled for April 6, 2021. The seat became vacant after Kip Kendrick (D) resigned to become state Senator Greg…
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Oklahoma Supreme Court rules that Gov. Stitt overstepped his authority in negotiating two gaming compacts without legislative approval
On January 26, 2021, the Oklahoma Supreme Court issued an opinion in Treat v. Stitt, a case regarding the governor’s power to renegotiate state gaming compacts. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Speaker of the House Charles McCall (R) and Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat (R) who argued that Governor Kevin Stitt (R)…
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Partisan control of 20 state executive offices changed in the 2020 elections
Partisan control of 20 state executive offices changed in the 2020 elections. Republicans gained a net three state executive offices and Democrats lost a net two. Eleven offices flipped from Democratic to Republican control, while eight offices flipped from Republican to Democratic control, and one office flipped from third party to Democratic control. The table…
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January 2021 breakdown of state legislative party membership: 54.27% Republicans, 44.86% Democrats
According to Ballotpedia’s January partisan count of the 7,383 state legislators across the United States, 54.27% of all state legislators are Republicans and 44.86% are Democrats. Ballotpedia did not provide partisan counts for December 2020 because the number and partisan affiliation of state legislators fluctuated as officeholders were sworn in and out of office following…
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California Supreme Court upholds removal of judge following sexual misconduct charges
On Jan. 27, the California Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by Jeffrey Johnson, a former justice of the 2nd District Court of Appeal Division 1. The state Commission on Judicial Performance removed Johnson from office, effective July 2, 2020, after charging him with nine counts of misconduct. The charges against Johnson included sexual…