Category: State
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Ohio Democratic Party sues Ohio Secretary of State over primary election postponement
On March 17, 2020, the Democratic Party of Ohio and Kiara Sanders, a registered voter in Franklin County, filed suit against Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) in the state supreme court, alleging that LaRose was “patently and unambiguously without jurisdiction and legal authority to suspend, move, or set the date of Ohio’s 2020…
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Coronavirus daily update: March 18, 2020
As part of Ballotpedia’s coverage on the coronavirus pandemic, we are compiling a daily summary of major changes in the world of politics, government, and elections happening each day. Here is the summary for March 18, 2020. Federal responses • The Senate passed the coronavirus relief bill sent by the House earlier this week. •…
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Chandler voters approve Proposition 426
Proposition 426 amended the city’s charter to say that primary, regular, and special elections may be held on election dates authorized by state law. Before the election, the city charter said the municipal primary election shall be held on the 10th Tuesday before the general election. According to election night results, 92% of voters were…
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So far, Florida residents are set to vote on six constitutional amendments
The Florida Legislature referred two constitutional amendments to the ballot during its 2020 legislative session, which ended on March 13. Five other proposed constitutional amendments had passed one chamber of the state legislature but were not approved in the other chamber before the session adjourned. Also on the Florida 2020 ballot are four citizen-initiated constitutional…
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New Jersey, Texas schedule upcoming state legislative special elections
Two new state legislative special elections have been added to our list. The special elections are for the District 25 seat in the New Jersey State Senate and the District 25 seat in the New Jersey General Assembly on November 3, 2020. The primary is on June 2, and the filing deadline is on March…
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Georgia is second state to postpone presidential primaries amid coronavirus concerns
On March 14, Georgia postponed its presidential primary elections by eight weeks due to concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak. The state rescheduled its presidential primaries from March 24 to coincide with the May 19 statewide primaries. The postponement also applies to any special elections in the state originally scheduled to take place on March 24.…
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South Carolina Supreme Court judicial selection
The five justices of the South Carolina supreme court are selected by the state legislature and serve 10-year terms. South Carolina and Virginia are the only two states to use some form of legislative selection when choosing supreme court justices. The South Carolina Judicial Merit Selection Commission screens and selects candidates for judgeships then submits…
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Indiana’s longest-serving House speaker steps down, Huston assumes leadership role
Indiana’s House of Representatives saw a change in leadership on March 9, 2020, when House speaker Brian Bosma (R) stepped down from his position. Having served in the role for 12 years total, Bosma is the longest-serving speaker in the history of Indiana’s legislature. Bosma served as speaker of the House twice, from 2004 to…
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Special elections being held in three Pennsylvania House districts
Special elections are being held on March 17 for District 8, District 18, and District 58 of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. All three seats were previously held by Republican incumbents. Candidates running for special elections in Pennsylvania are selected by their respective political parties. Phil Heasley (D) and Tim Bonner (R) are facing off…
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Seven candidates file to run for governor of Montana
The statewide filing deadline to run for elected office in Montana passed on March 9, 2020. Seven candidates filed to run for governor of the state. Steve Bullock (D), Montana’s current governor, was prohibited from running for re-election due to state term limits that restrict a governor to two four-year terms within a 16-year period.…