Category: State
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California legislature considers constitutional amendment to eliminate dual question recalls for state officers
The California State Senate passed a constitutional amendment on Feb. 1 that would eliminate the successor election when a state officer is recalled, thereby leaving the office vacant until it is filled according to state law. For example, during the 2021 recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) voters were asked the following two questions: The…
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Georgia sues Biden administration over rejection of Medicaid work requirement program extension
The state of Georgia filed a federal lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on February 2, 2024, to obtain an extension on the state’s Medicaid program—currently the only state program in the country with a work requirement. Georgia Pathways to Coverage, an…
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Kansas legislators introduce bill proposing state unemployment insurance benefit pause when federal benefit supplements are available
Kansas House of Representatives introduced House Bill 2570 on January 23, 2024, which proposed pausing state unemployment insurance benefits when the federal government creates temporary benefit supplements—such as the $600 weekly stipends issued by the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill also proposed the following: Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state…
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54.79% of all state legislators in the United States are Republican, 44.44% are Democratic
At the end of January 2024, 54.79% of all state legislators in the United States are Republican while 44.44% are Democratic. There are 7,386 state legislative seats in the country. Republicans held a majority in 56 chambers, and Democrats held the majority in 39 chambers. Two chambers (Alaska House and Alaska Senate) were organized under…
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Fifty-nine Republican primaries are taking place in the Texas House of Representatives this year
There are 59 Republican primaries for Texas House of Representatives on March 5, 2024, 45 of which have an incumbent on the ballot. Texas’ 2024 legislative elections feature more contested primaries than any other year since at least 2012. The 2024 elections are taking place in the context of two votes in 2023 that divided…
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Oregon Supreme Court upholds secretary of state’s interpretation of Measure 113 excluding 10 senators from seeking re-election after their walkout last May
The Oregon Supreme Court ruled that nine Republican state senators and one independent who participated in a legislative walkout in May 2023 could not seek re-election under Measure 113—a 2022 ballot initiative that makes legislators ineligible to be re-elected to a subsequent term if they accrue 10 or more unexcused absences. On May 3, 2023,…
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Governors in states with divided government vetoed the most election legislation in 2023
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed more election-related bills than any other governor in 2023 in terms of total bills and the percentage of election-related bills introduced in her state. Hobbs vetoed 21 bills, or 29% of all election-related bills introduced in the Arizona legislature last year. Arizona has a divided government, with Republicans controlling…
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South Carolina lawmakers advance unemployment insurance indexing bill
South Carolina lawmakers on January 25, 2024, advanced a bill out of committee proposing to index the length of unemployment insurance benefits to the state’s unemployment rate. House Bill 4710 would reduce the maximum number of benefit weeks to 12 when the unemployment rate is at or below 5.5%. The bill would cap the maximum…
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State agriculture commissioners join ESG pushback
Agriculture commissioners from 12 states sent a letter on January 29 to the heads of six banks, arguing that ESG efforts to promote net-zero carbon policies would hurt farmers and inflate consumer food prices. Ballotpedia tracks support for and opposition to the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investing movement. To learn more about arguments…
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New RCV bans on the table, but bills supporting ranked-choice outnumber opposition legislation in 2024 sessions
Republican legislators have introduced new ranked-choice voting (RCV) prohibitions in five states so far this year. These efforts come after three states approved Republican-sponsored bans last year. The number of active bills supporting RCV continues to outnumber those banning or repealing its use. Of the 75 RCV bills currently active in state legislatures: Twenty-three of…