Category: Uncategorized

  • Weekly Presidential News Briefing: October 30, 2020

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    This week we discuss early voting, the Supreme Court’s ruling on ballot deadlines, and compare the candidates’ stances on Social Security. Share the latest from the campaign trail.          Presidential Race Ratings Inside Elections updated its race ratings on October 28, 2020: Texas moved from Tilt Republican to Toss Up. Georgia and North Carolina moved from…

  • 15 races we’re watching in 2020

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    On November 3, Americans will elect thousands of offices up and down the ballot, including the presidency, 35 seats in the U.S. Senate, all 435 seats in the U.S. House, 11 governorships, and 5,875 seats across 86 state legislative chambers. Ballotpedia has identified the top 15 races we’ll be watching (the presidential election aside), listed…

  • Can presidential candidates win the election if they have already conceded?

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    After unofficial election results are published, a presidential candidate may give a statement conceding the election to his or her opponent. That concession, however, is not legally binding, and the candidate can still win the election. Presidential election results remain partial and unofficial on election night. The popular vote is finalized in a process called…

  • Federal Register weekly update: 1,430 pages added

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    The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From October 19 to October 23, the Federal Register grew by 1,430 pages for a year-to-date total of 67,630 pages. Over the same…

  • DNC outraises RNC for second consecutive month

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    The Democratic National Committee (DNC) outraised the Republican National Committee (RNC) in September, its second consecutive month leading in fundraising, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Last month, the RNC raised $71.8 million and spent $108.6 million, while the DNC raised $76.0 million and spent $62.8 million. So far in…

  • How much pension debt does your state have?

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    Unfunded liabilities refer to a pension fund’s debts—the payments owed to members of the pension fund that exceed its assets of current capital and their projected investment returns. This difference between assets and liabilities is monitored as an indicator of pension fund performance, management, and ability to pay retiree benefits. In the years between 2003-2018,…

  • Coronavirus weekly update: October 16 – October 22, 2020

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    The Coronavirus Weekly Update summarizes major changes due to the coronavirus pandemic in politics, government, and elections. Today, you will find updates on the following topics, with comparisons to our October 16 edition. Election changes School closures and reopenings Lawsuits about state actions and policies Travel restrictions Ballot measure changes 1918 story Federal responses Stay-at-home orders Eviction…

  • Learn more about the arguments in the debate over religious service restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic

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    Discussions about policy responses to the coronavirus are happening at a fast pace. As part of our ongoing coverage Documenting America’s Path to Recovery, Ballotpedia has published a series of articles capturing the regular themes in support of and opposition to these policy responses. Here’s how it works. First, we identify a topic area, (such…

  • Federal Register weekly update: 2020 page total tops 66,000 pages

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    The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From October 12 to October 16, the Federal Register grew by 1,826 pages for a year-to-date total of 66,200 pages. Over the same…

  • Are results reported on election night coming from in-person or absentee/mail-in votes?

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    According to a projection from The New York Times, 80 million people will vote by mail in 2020, that number is more than twice the amount of people who did so in 2016. Given that absentee ballots take longer to process and count than in-person ballots, some voters wonder whether election night results reflect both sources…