Category: State
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State courts of last resort continue to have majority female justice membership
As of June 2023, 15 out of the 53 courts of last resort in the United States had a female justice majority membership. This is a net increase of one state since 2022, adding California, Illinois, and Utah, while Ohio and Oregon had decreases in their membership of female justices. According to the National Center…
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North Carolina governor vetoes state bill opposing ESG
Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat and ESG supporter, on June 23 vetoed a bill banning the use of ESG in state investments. The bill previously passed the state House on May 3 and the state Senate on June 13. The bill now heads back to the legislature, which is expected to have the votes to…
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Number of one-party state governments at the highest point in at least three decades
There are 39 state government trifectas, more than twice as many as the 19 there were over 30 years ago in 1992. A state government trifecta is a term to describe a single-party government when one political party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. While there are more total trifectas today…
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Election legislation roundup: General Assembly of North Carolina
As of June 18, members of the General Assembly of North Carolina, which includes the North Carolina House of Representatives and the North Carolina State Senate, have passed seven bills related to election administration since the beginning of the year. Of those seven bills, legislators passed one during the week of June 12-18. Republicans sponsored…
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Election legislation roundup: Texas State Legislature
As of June 18, members of the Texas State Legislature, which includes the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas State Senate, have passed 34 bills related to election administration since the beginning of the year. Of those 34 bills, legislators passed zero during the week of June 12-18. Of the 34 bills passed this…
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3.7% of state legislative incumbents who filed for re-election have lost in primaries
So far this year, seven state legislative incumbents—five Democrats and two Republicans—have lost to primary challengers. As of June 21, there were two incumbents in uncalled races. Across the two states that have held primaries, 3.7% of incumbents running for re-election have lost, slightly fewer than in 2021 (3.9%). These totals include data from both legislative…
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State governors issued 49 executive orders from June 5-18
State governors issued 49 executive orders from June 5-18. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) led the field with 15, followed by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) with seven. Governors in 33 states issued the fewest orders with zero. Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. The last two weeks’ executive orders account for…
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Legislators introduced triple the number of constitutional amendments related to parental rights in 2023 compared to prior years
Since 2013, at least 38 state constitutional amendments related to parental rights have been introduced in state legislatures. From 2013 to 2021, there were between one and three amendments introduced each year. In 2022, there were four constitutional amendments introduced. In 2023, that number more than tripled, with 13 state constitutional amendments proposed in nine…
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Texas enacts legislative district boundaries identical to its previous boundaries
Texas enacted legislative district boundaries in June 2023 for use until the 2030 census due to legal concerns that the state’s 2021 districts could not be permanent since they were adopted in a special legislative session. The Texas Constitution requires that redistricting take place during a regular legislative session. The districts the state adopted this…
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Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey: New Jersey roundup
New Jersey is holding elections, including for state legislative offices, on Nov. 7, 2023. A number of candidates running in these elections completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office. Below is a selection of responses from the candidates who…