Category: State
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Maine lawsuit challenges whether voters can overturn state agency orders
A new lawsuit asks whether the Maine Constitution allows citizens to use ballot initiatives to reverse agency orders. On May 12, Avangrid Networks, Inc. asked the Cumberland County Superior Court to block a ballot initiative that aims to overturn a Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) decision to grant Central Maine Power Company (CMP) a permit…
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Legislators appointed to Washington State Senate, House
The Snohomish County Council made a state legislative appointment to each chamber of the Washington State Legislature May 13. The council appointed June Robinson (D) to represent District 38 in the Washington State Senate, following the resignation of former Sen. John McCoy (D) from the chamber last month. Robinson previously represented the District 38-Position 1…
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New Maryland Commissioner of Insurance takes office
Newest Maryland Commissioner of Insurance Kathleen Birrane assumed office May 18. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) appointed Birrane May 1 to replace former commissioner Alfred Redmer Jr. Redmer left the Maryland Insurance Administration to become executive director of the Maryland Auto Insurance Fund starting May 18. He had served as commissioner since 2015 after previously holding…
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Eight states to hold primaries on June 2 after four states push primaries back from April and May
Eight states are holding statewide primaries on June 2, 2020: Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. Four states did not originally plan to hold primaries on this date, but postponed them amid the coronavirus pandemic. Maryland and Pennsylvania’s primaries were originally scheduled for April 28, Indiana’s primary was scheduled for…
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RNC outraises DNC by nearly two-to-one, Republican Hill committees outraise Democratic counterparts
The Republican National Committee (RNC) outraised the Democratic National Committee (DNC) by nearly two-to-one in April, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on May 20. The DNC had reported its best fundraising totals of the campaign cycle in March 2020, outraising the RNC for the first time since October 2018.…
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Special elections being held in two Massachusetts House districts
Special elections are being held on June 2 for the Thirty-seventh Middlesex District and Third Bristol District of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. The special elections were originally scheduled on March 31 but were moved to June 2 amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Primaries were held on March 3. The filing deadline for candidates…
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Federal judge requires Ohio to accept electronic signatures from initiative campaigns seeking to place minimum wage and voting changes on the ballot
On May 19, U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus ordered Ohio to accept electronic signatures from the campaigns sponsoring the Minimum Wage Increase Initiative and the Voting Requirements Initiative. The judge also extended the signature deadline from July 1 to July 31. The judge’s order only applies to the ballot measure campaigns that sued the…
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Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann tests positive for COVID-19
On May, 21, 2020, Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann announced she tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Lehrmann made the announcement on Twitter, noting that her husband had also tested positive. Justices on the Texas Supreme Court are working remotely during the pandemic. Lehrmann is the first statewide Texas…
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Voters decide Oregon’s state executive, legislative, judicial, and municipal primaries
The statewide primary for Oregon was held on May 19, 2020. Candidates competed to advance to the general election scheduled for November 3, 2020. Due to Oregon’s vote-by-mail system, vote totals are continuing to be reported. Candidates ran in elections for the following offices: Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Attorney General • Secretary of State:…
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Candidate filing period to run for state executive and legislative races to end in Vermont and Wyoming
The statewide filing deadlines to run for state-level offices in Vermont and Wyoming are approaching. Vermont’s deadline is on May 28 and Wyoming’s deadline is on May 29. In Vermont, prospective candidates may file for the following offices: • Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Auditor • Attorney General • Treasurer…