Category: State
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Abortion right amendment defeated in the Kansas House of Representatives Friday
On Friday, the Kansas House of Representatives did not approve the No Right to Abortion in Constitution Amendment by the two-thirds supermajority required to place the measure on the primary ballot in August. The number of “yes” votes required was 84. The final vote was 80-43. The amendment would have added a new section to…
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Survey finds 44 states do not prohibit delegation of legislative power to agencies
A Ballotpedia survey of all 50 state constitutions and administrative procedure acts (APAs) revealed that 44 states, 88%, had no prohibition against the delegation of legislative power to agencies as of January 2020. The nondelegation doctrine refers to limits placed on transferring legislative authority to the executive branch or to administrative agencies. The doctrine is…
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Virginia House of Delegates approves bill establishing collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers
On Feb. 6, the Virginia House of Delegates approved HB582, a bill establishing collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers at both the state and local levels. Nationwide, three states – Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina – currently prohibit collective bargaining on the part of public-sector workers. What does the bill propose? HB582 would make…
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State supreme court incumbents experienced a 93% win rate from 2008-2019
Incumbents tend to do better in elections for any office than newcomers facing incumbents. This is no less true in state supreme court elections. Across all types of state supreme court elections, incumbent justices running for re-election won 93% of the time from 2008-2019. No more than six incumbent justices have lost in a single…
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Oklahoma Governor issues executive order to cut regulations
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) issued an executive order on February 3 designed to prune state regulations by 25%. The order has two main requirements. First, state agencies must review their administrative rules and list any that are expensive, ineffective, redundant, or outdated. Next, for all new restrictive rules proposed after February 15, 2020, agencies…
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Georgia Senate District 13 special election headed to a runoff
A special general election was held on February 4, 2020, to fill the Georgia Senate District 13 seat left vacant by former Senator Greg Kirk (R). The special election was called after Senator Kirk passed away on December 22, 2019. He had represented District 13 since 2015. Three candidates appeared on the ballot in the…
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District court decides that Alabama elections do not violate Voting Rights Act
On February 5th, U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins ruled that Alabama’s at-large method of electing appellate judges does not dilute the voting power of black citizens. The case was brought to the court by the NAACP, which contended that Alabama’s mode of at-large elections for appellate judges, as opposed to voting by election districts,…
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Mahoney Appointed Alaska Commissioner of Revenue
On February 4, 2020, Lucinda Mahoney was appointed commissioner of Alaska’s Department of Revenue by Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R). Mahoney’s appointment comes after Bruce Tangeman resigned from the position in November of 2019 over differences with the governor. In his resignation letter, Tangeman stated, “The message you campaigned on and continue to stress was based…
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Harvard the most attended higher education institution for top state executive officials
One hundred and ninety-two officials currently hold one of the top four state executive positions of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, or secretary of state. Below is a summary of the educational backgrounds of these state executive officials in 2020. Of the group, there are: • 185 officeholders with a bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.S., etc.)…
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Indiana filing deadline is February 7
The major-party filing deadline to run for elected office in Indiana is on February 7, 2020. The filing deadline for independent and minor party candidates is June 30. In Indiana, prospective candidates may file for the following offices: • U.S. House (9 seats) • Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General • State Senate (25 seats) •…