Category: State

  • Candidate filing periods end in Michigan and Florida

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    Major party filing deadlines passed to run for elected office in Michigan on April 21 and Florida on April 24. In Michigan, candidates filed for the following state offices: Michigan House of Representatives (110 seats) Ballotpedia is also covering local elections in Wayne County Michigan’s filing deadline was extended from April 21 to May 8,…

  • Illinois and North Carolina extend stay-at-home orders

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    On April 23, 2020, Illinois and North Carolina became the latest states to extend stay-at-home orders into May. At a press conference, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) announced that he would extend the state’s stay-at-home order through May 30. The new order includes some modifications to the original stay-at-home order. Beginning May 1, anyone over…

  • 39 states have closed schools to in-person instruction for the remainder of the academic year

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    As of Wednesday, April 22, school districts in all 50 states have closed to in-person instruction in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Thirty-nine states have announced that schools would remain closed to in-person instruction for the remainder of the academic year, though many states and districts are conducting lessons online. At least 41,115,475 students attend…

  • Ohio primary election preview

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    Ohio will hold a statewide primary on April 28. The primary was originally scheduled to be held on March 17, but polls were closed by the order of the state health director due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) signed HB 197 into law on March 27, extending absentee voting in the…

  • 6,705 major party candidates filed for 2020 state legislative elections

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    Every week, we compile the latest numbers on state legislative candidates across the country. As of April 22, we’ve collected post-filing deadline data in 25 states. In 2020, 3,166 state legislative seats are up for regular election in those states, compared to 3,102 in 2018. 6,705 major party candidates—3,259 Democrats and 3,446 Republicans—have filed to…

  • Montana announces plans to lift stay-at-home order

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    Gov. Steve Bullock (D) announced that the state’s stay-at-home order would be lifted effective April 26. Bullock first issued a stay-at-home order on March 26 (effective date March 28) and extended it to April 24 on April 7. Schools in the state had been closed to in-person instruction since March 16. Bullock said that places…

  • Nevada closes schools for the year

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    On Tuesday, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) closed schools to in-person instruction for the remainder of the academic year. Prior to the announcement, schools were to remain closed through April 30. Thirty-eight states have now closed schools to in-person instruction for the remainder of the academic year: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia,…

  • Arkansas Supreme Court limits judicial deference to state agencies

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    An April 9 Arkansas Supreme Court ruling limited how much deference agency interpretations of law would receive in the future. The court ruled in Meyers v. Yamato Kogyo Co. that the court should determine the meaning of state laws for itself and should not defer to state agency interpretations. Justice Shawn Womack delivered the opinion…

  • Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions: ink versus electronic

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    In every state, at least some candidates are required to collect petition signatures in order to appear on the ballot. Campaigns usually must collect wet signatures, or those made with pen and paper.   At least three voting jurisdictions allowed candidates to gather nominating petition signatures electronically as of 2020:   • Arizona voters may…

  • Two Nebraska Supreme Court justices face retention elections in November

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    Two Nebraska Supreme Court justices, Lindsey Miller-Lerman and Jeffrey Funke will face retention elections on November 3, 2020. Justice Funke was appointed in 2016 by Governor Pete Ricketts (R), while justice Miller-Lerman was appointed in 1998 by Governor Ben Nelson (D). As of September 2019, six Justices on the court were appointed by a Republican…