Category: State

  • California legislature reconvenes Aug. 18 with redistricting proposal on the agenda

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    The California State Legislature is set to reconvene on Aug. 18 following its summer recess with proposed changes to the state’s redistricting process on the agenda that would go before voters in November. The legislature has until Aug. 22, according to the California Secretary of State, to vote to place a constitutional amendment on the…

  • New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signs bills requiring new documentation for absentee voting

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    New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) signed Republican-sponsored bills expanding voter ID and proof of citizenship requirements for absentee voting on Aug. 1, 2025. Both laws take effect on Sept. 30, 2025. SB 287 requires voters requesting an absentee ballot to include a photocopy of a valid photo identification or a notarized signature with the absentee…

  • Massachusetts voters have decided on 231 ballot measures since 1910

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    Ballotpedia completed an inventory of all Massachusetts ballot measures dating back to 1910. Massachusetts voters have voted on 231 ballot measures between 1910 and 2024. Of those, 161 (70%) were approved and 70 (30%) were defeated. In Massachusetts, citizens have the power to indirectly initiate state statutes, veto referendums, and constitutional amendments. While a direct…

  • Twenty-two states enacted K-12 cellphone bans so far in 2025

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    Twenty-six (26) states have laws or policies requiring local school boards to ban or limit cellphone use in K-12 classrooms. Twenty-two (22) of these laws were enacted in 2025, with the most recent put in place in Oregon through an executive order. Three additional states require K-12 public school districts to adopt policies around student…

  • North Carolina governor vetoes bill opting into federal private school choice program

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    What's the story? Gov. Josh Stein (D) vetoed House Bill (HB) 87, titled the Educational Choice for Children Act, on Aug. 6. The bill was designed to opt North Carolina into the federal private school choice tax credit program passed as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA)…

  • State supreme court vacancy count for July 2024

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    In this month's state supreme court vacancy update, Ballotpedia tracked announced retirements, nominations, appointments, confirmations, and the swearing-in of justices from July 1, 2025, to July 31, 2025. Ballotpedia tracks court vacancies in all 52 state supreme courts. Announced retirements: During July 2025, no state supreme court justices announced upcoming retirements. Candidates nominated, appointed, and…

  • Abigail Spanberger and Winsome Earle-Sears running in the general election for Governor of Virginia on Nov. 4

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    Abigail Spanberger (D) and Winsome Earle-Sears (R) are running in the general election for Governor of Virginia on Nov. 4, 2025. Incumbent Glenn Youngkin (R) is term-limited. As one of only two gubernatorial elections-- the other being in New Jersey-- that take place in the odd year following a presidential election, media outlets and political…

  • Rep. Nancy Mace becomes the eighth Republican representative to announce a gubernatorial bid for 2026

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    Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) announced on Aug. 4, 2025, that she will run for governor of South Carolina in 2026 rather than another term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Incumbent Gov. Henry McMaster (R) is term-limited. As of July 29, 2025, independent race forecasters The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections have rated the…

  • Texas Democrats leave the state to prevent a quorum for redistricting

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    On August 3, 2025, Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives left the state to prevent action on Congressional redistricting during a special legislative session. On June 9, 2025, The New York Times' J. David Goodman and Shane Goldmacher reported that President Donald Trump (R)'s team had reached out to Texas Republicans to add…