Category: State
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Partisan control of Wisconsin Supreme Court at stake in 2025
Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel are running for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 1, 2025. Incumbent Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, one of the court’s liberal members, is retiring. The filing deadline was Jan. 7, 2025. The primary scheduled for February 18, 2025, was canceled after only two candidates filed to…
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Wisconsin voters to decide on adding voter photo ID requirement to state constitution on April 1
Wisconsin voters will decide on a constitutional amendment on April 1 to require photo identification to vote. A photo ID is already required by state law. The state legislature took the final vote on Jan. 14 to send the amendment to voters. Currently, 35 states require voters to present identification in order to vote at…
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Ohio becomes twenty-third state to adopt a Parents’ Bill of Rights
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed a Parents’ Bill of Rights into law on Jan. 8, encoding a parent’s right to direct the upbringing and education of their child into state law. Ohio is the 23rd state to adopt a Parents’ Bill of Rights. House Bill 8 includes the following rights for parents: The bill…
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Ballotpedia releases the state supreme court vacancies count for 2024
Twenty state supreme court justices vacated their seats before their term was scheduled to end in 2024. Of the 20 vacancies, 17 were caused by justices retiring, and three were caused by justices ascending to the chief justice position of the court. This is the first year since Ballotpedia started tracking state supreme court vacancies…
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The Minnesota House of Representatives might convene on Jan. 14
A dispute between Democrats and Republicans over control of the Minnesota House of Representatives may delay the start of the 2025 session, which was scheduled to start on Jan. 14. Ahead of the Nov. 5 general elections, Democrats had a 68-64 majority in the chamber with two vacancies. After the Nov. 5 general elections, the…
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Ten candidates are running in the special Republican primary in Florida’s 1st Congressional District
Ten candidates are running in the Republican primary for a special election in Florida’s 1st Congressional District. The primary is on Jan. 28, 2025. The general election is on April 1, 2025. Two candidates—Jimmy Patronis (R) and Joel Rudman (R)—lead in media attention and endorsements. Aaron Dimmock (R), who ran in the 2024 Republican primary…
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Signatures submitted for Maine voter photo ID ballot initiative, which could appear on Nov. 2025 ballot
In Maine, a campaign advocating for a citizen initiative to require photo voter identification submitted more than 170,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office on Jan. 6, 2025. If enough signatures are verified, the initiative could appear on the statewide ballot for voters on Nov. 4, 2025. Maine has an indirect initiative process, meaning…
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Wyoming voters to decide on ballot initiative to exempt 50% of home property value from taxes, the first initiative to appear on the state’s ballot in 30 years
Wyoming voters will decide on a ballot initiative at the Nov. 3, 2026, election—the first initiative to reach the ballot in 30 years. The ballot initiative would create a homeowner’s property tax exemption. This would exempt 50% of a primary residence’s assessed value. To qualify, homeowners must have lived in the state for at least…
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Kannan Srinivasan (D) and Tumay Harding (R) are running in the special election for Virginia’s 32nd Senate District
Kannan Srinivasan (D) and Tumay Harding (R) are running in the special election for District 32 of the Virginia Senate on January 7, 2025. Incumbent Suhas Subramanyam (D) is resigning to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. The Downballot’s David Nir and Jeff Singer wrote before the election, “Given Democrats’ slender 21-19 edge in the Senate,…
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State supreme court vacancy count for December 2024
In this month’s state supreme court vacancy update, Ballotpedia tracked announced retirements, nominations, appointments, confirmations, and the swearing-in of justices from December 1 to December 30, 2024. Ballotpedia tracks court vacancies in all 52 state supreme courts. Announced retirements: Following an unsuccessful November 2024 retention election, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger announced she would retire on December 1, 2024.…