
Theresa Greenfield wins Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Iowa

As part of Ballotpedia’s coverage on the coronavirus pandemic, we are compiling a daily summary of major changes in the world of politics, government, and elections happening each day. Here is the summary of changes for June 2, 2020.
State stay-at-home orders
Overview:
The 1918 influenza pandemic
Read more: 1918 influenza pandemic (Spanish Flu) and the 1918 midterm election cycle
The 1918 midterm elections occurred during the 1918 flu pandemic, one of the most severe in history. Each day, we’ll look back at a story from the 1918 elections to see how America met the challenges of holding elections during a national health emergency.
On November 7, 1918, The Pioneer in Minnesota published an article titled, “Counting of Ballots Tedious Operation.” The article discussed how Bemidji, Minnesota’s precinct counting was a slow process because of the number of candidates and ballots.
“Bemidji’s precinct count dragged throughout election night and far into the next day. Some of the [precincts] started the count on the state ticket and some on the county. The polls closed at 9 o’clock and the lunch hour also occupied its space of time. It was a slow process on account of the number of candidates and state and county ballots.
The county precincts commenced to report during the morning following the election and over half the county was in by the evening, with more following today, a hard task being well done…The most distressing incident of the county election was that Editor ‘Bill’ Noonan of the Baudette Region was confined to his room with the Spanish ‘flu.’ Election time and election day is Editor Noonan’s greatest pastime.”
Click here to read the original article, courtesy of Newspapers.com
Lawsuits about state actions and policies
Read more: Lawsuits about state actions and policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
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Election changes
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Ballot measure changes
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School closures
Read more: School closures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
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Travel restrictions
Read more: Travel restrictions issued by states in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
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State court changes
Read more: State court closures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
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Prison inmate responses
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Eviction and foreclosure policies
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State legislative responses
Read more: State laws in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
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State legislative session changes
Read more: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
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Each day, we:
Want to know what happened yesterday? Click here. We’re covering elections for 1,011 offices in 12 states and Washington, D.C. on June 2. Here’s how you can follow the results.
The next two daysWhat is reopening in the next two days? Which stay-at-home orders will expire? June 3
June 4
Since our last editionHave any states opened? For a continually updated article on reopening status in all 50 states, click here. For our last edition, click here.
Update on stay-at-home ordersForty-three states issued orders directing residents to stay home except for essential activities and the closure or curtailment of businesses each state deemed nonessential. Seven states did not. As of June 2, stay-at-home orders have ended in 35 states. Eighteen of those states have Republican governors and 17 have Democratic governors (including Wisconsin, where the state Supreme Court invalidated the stay-at-home order). Of the eight states with active stay-at-home orders, seven have Democratic governors and one has a Republican governor. Here’s which stay-at-home orders have expired, and when the rest are scheduled to expire. Tracking regulations: RetailAll 50 states began to reopen in some way. Here, we give the status of one industry or activity across the states. Today’s question: in which states are retail shops open to customers, and in which states are they limited to curbside or delivery service? Retail shops are open to customers (in at least some regions) in 48 states. New Jersey and Massachusetts allow curbside or delivery only.
This is an in-depth summary of one of the latest reopening plans. Is there a plan you’d like us to feature? Reply to this email and let us know. Click a state below to read a previous Featured Plan. Previous featured plansOn April 26, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) unveiled a reopening plan for the state, under which businesses would be allowed to reopen or resume operations on a phased, regional basis. Once a region has recorded 14 days of declining hospitalizations, it can begin reopening. Each phase would last at least two weeks, allowing officials to monitor the effects of reopening on hospitalization and infection rates. Cuomo said the first phase of reopening would include construction and manufacturing companies with low risks of workplace infection. Subsequent phases would allow more businesses to reopen, with lower-risk businesses given priority. On May 4, Cuomo released further guidelines on New York’s phased reopening. He identified seven criteria for determining whether a region could begin reopening:
Cuomo said, “Rather than starting and stopping, you’d rather have a controlled start, so you don’t have to stop, right? And that’s what you learn from the other countries. You reopen too fast, then you have to stop, and nobody wants to have gone through all of this and then start just to stop again. Well, how does that happen? First of all, it’s not going to happen statewide. This state has different regions which are in much different situations than other regions in this state. And rather than wait for the whole state to be ready, reopen on a regional basis. If upstate has to wait for downstate to be ready, they’re going to be waiting a long time.” For the purposes of the reopening plan, New York is divided into the following regions. As of June 1, all regions but New York City had met all seven of the reopening criteria. To access a map of the state’s regions, click here.
Context
Plan detailsGeneral guidelines for individuals Individuals are required to wear face coverings when they are in public and within six feet of others. Individuals must also wear face coverings in any public or private transportation carrier or for-hire vehicle. Effective May 21, religious gatherings of up to 10 people were permitted statewide. Drive-in and parking-lot services were also allowed effective May 21. The following businesses are allowed to reopen during Phase 1 (click an industry name for detailed guidelines):
The following regions have been cleared for Phase 1:
The following businesses are allowed to reopen during Phase 2, all at 50% occupancy (click an industry name for detailed guidelines):
The following regions have been cleared for Phase 2:
The state has not released industry-specific guidelines for Phase 3 reopening. No region has been cleared for Phase 3 reopening. The state has not released industry-specific guidelines for Phase 4 reopening. No region has been cleared for Phase 4 reopening. New York City On May 29, Cuomo announced that New York City was expected to enter Phase 1 on June 8. Reactions
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Additional activityIn this section, we feature examples of activities by other federal, state, and local governments and influencers relevant to recovering from the pandemic.
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June 2, 2020: Biden visited Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Del., to meet with black leaders. Trump spoke about protests following the death of George Floyd before walking to St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Ballotpedia is monitoring changes made to election dates and procedures in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “Moreover, it’s important for us to understand which levels of government have the biggest impact on our criminal justice system and police practices. When we think about politics, a lot of us focus only on the presidency and the federal government. And yes, we should be fighting to make sure that we have a president, a Congress, a U.S. Justice Department, and a federal judiciary that actually recognize the ongoing, corrosive role that racism plays in our society and want to do something about it. But the elected officials who matter most in reforming police departments and the criminal justice system work at the state and local levels. It’s mayors and county executives that appoint most police chiefs and negotiate collective bargaining agreements with police unions. It’s district attorneys and state’s attorneys that decide whether or not to investigate and ultimately charge those involved in police misconduct. Those are all elected positions.” – Barack Obama, Medium Election Updates
What We’re Reading
Flashback: June 2, 2016 Hillary Clinton spoke about national security at an event in San Diego, California. She said of Trump, “He is not just unprepared – he is temperamentally unfit to hold an office that requires knowledge, stability and immense responsibility.” |
On June 1, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) issued an executive order extending the absentee ballot receipt deadline for the June 2 primary to 5:00 p.m. on June 9 (with a postmark deadline of June 2, 2020) in Allegheny, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. In all other counties, a return deadline of June 2 remains in effect.
Pennsylvania’s primary was originally scheduled to take place on April 28. On March 27, Wolf signed into law legislation postponing the primary to June 2. The law also authorized counties to consolidate polling places without court approval and begin processing mail-in ballots beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.
On May 29, the office of California Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced that enough signatures were deemed valid for the second version of a ballot initiative to require commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on their market value. In California, the proposal to assess taxes on commercial and industrial properties at market value, while continuing to assess taxes on residential properties based on purchase price, is known as split roll.
Proposition 13 (1978) requires that residential, commercial, and industrial properties be taxed based on their purchase price. The tax is limited to no more than 1 percent of the purchase price (at the time of purchase), with an annual adjustment equal to the rate of inflation or 2 percent, whichever is lower. According to the state Legislative Analyst’s Office, market values in California tend to increase faster than 2 percent per year, meaning the taxable value of commercial and industrial properties is often lower than the market value.
The first version of the split-roll tax ballot initiative qualified for the November 2020 ballot in October 2018. In August 2019, the campaign Schools and Communities First, which is behind the proposal, announced that signatures would be collected for a revised version of the ballot initiative. Tyler Law, a campaign spokesperson, said that the campaign would not withdraw the qualified initiative from the ballot until the revised initiative qualifies. Law said, “The committee’s got the money. We’re going to get it on the ballot.”
About 1.75 million signatures were filed for the second version on April 2, 2020. At least 997,139 (57.02 percent) of the signatures needed to be valid. Based on a random sample of submitted signatures, 74.60 percent were projected to be valid.
Both versions of the ballot initiative would create a process in the state constitution for distributing revenue from the revised tax on commercial and industrial properties. First, the revenue would be distributed to (a) the state to supplement decreases in revenue from the state’s personal income tax and corporation tax due to increased tax deductions and (b) counties to cover the costs of implementing the measure. Second, 60 percent of the remaining funds would be distributed to local governments and special districts, and 40 percent would be distributed to school districts and community colleges (via a new Local School and Community College Property Tax Fund).
Whereas the first version would have taxed property whose business owners have $2.00 million or more in holdings in California and operate on a majority of the property, the second version eliminated the majority-operation requirement and increased the threshold to $3.00 million.
The second version also redefined the exception for small businesses. The first version would have continued to tax businesses with 50 or fewer full-time employees based on purchase price. The second version would likewise define small businesses as those with 50 or fewer full-time employees but would also require businesses to be independently owned and operated and own real estate in California to be exempted from the change.
Other changes involve replacing the state’s existing funding distribution formula for schools and colleges with a new formula for distributing the revenue from the ballot initiative. The second version would also give retail centers, whose occupants are 50 percent or more small businesses, more time before being taxed at market value.
Since the campaign Schools and Communities First will withdraw the first version of the ballot initiative, the qualification won’t change the number of measures on the ballot in California. As of May 31, six citizen-initiated measures have qualified for the ballot (excluding the first version of the split roll tax initiative). Three more ballot initiatives are pending signature verification. The verification deadline is June 25, 2020. June 25 is also the last day that the California State Legislature can place measures on the November ballot.
Each day, we:
Want to know what happened Friday? Click here.
What is reopening in the next two days? Which stay-at-home orders will expire?
Have any states opened? For a continually updated article on reopening status in all 50 states, click here. For our last edition, click here.
Forty-three states issued orders directing residents to stay home except for essential activities and the closure or curtailment of businesses each state deemed nonessential. Seven states did not.
As of June 1, stay-at-home orders have ended in 35 states. Eighteen of those states have Republican governors and 17 have Democratic governors (including Wisconsin, where the state Supreme Court invalidated the stay-at-home order). Of the eight states with active stay-at-home orders, seven have Democratic governors and one has a Republican governor.
Here’s which stay-at-home orders have expired, and when the rest are scheduled to expire.
All 50 states began to reopen in some way. Here, we give the status of one industry or activity across the states. Today’s question: in which states must someone wear a face covering while out in public?
This is an in-depth summary of one of the latest reopening plans. Is there a plan you’d like us to feature? Reply to this email and let us know. Click a state below to read a previous Featured Plan.
On April 20, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) announced “accelerateSC,” which the governor’s office described as “a coordinated economic revitalization plan involving small and large business leaders, healthcare professionals, local government officials, and education professionals.”
The advisory team has five groups with the task of identifying “issues, solutions, and assets necessary for a phased revitalization path for South Carolina’s economy, guided by healthcare and medical data.” AccelerateSC’s final report, released May 28, contains 41 recommendations for the governor.
The groups and their responsibilities are as follows:
Since accelerateSC’s creation, McMaster has allowed businesses to reopen once the Response group released industry-specific safety guidelines. On May 11, McMaster said, “With our increased capacity for testing the people of our state, it is time to responsibly and gradually get these small businesses back up and running”
McMaster’s order closing nonessential businesses to the public allowed businesses to request an evaluation from the state Department of Commerce to determine whether they may continue to operate.
McMaster’s nonessential business closure order and stay-at-home order said that no local ordinance, rule, or regulation may conflict with the statewide orders.
Guidance for individuals
The final accelerateSC report advises individuals to do the following:
The report also says, “At-risk populations (seniors, members of our minority communities and those with underlying medical conditions) should be particularly mindful of this guidance and should take special precautions.”
General business guidance
April 20-21
The following were allowed to reopen April 20-21.
May 4
Lifted:
May 8
May 11
May 18
The following could reopen with capacity limits and social distancing efforts:
May 22
The following could reopen:
May 31
Additional site-specific guidance
AccelerateSC released guidance for some industries and sites that McMaster did not order closed:
In this section, we feature examples of activities by other federal, state, and local governments and influencers relevant to recovering from the pandemic.
Click here to learn more.
As of June 1, 2,910 major party candidates have filed to run for the Senate and House of Representatives in 2020.
So far, 441 candidates are filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for U.S. Senate. Of those, 355—180 Democrats and 175 Republicans—are from one of the two major political parties. In 2018, 527 candidates filed with the FEC to run for U.S. Senate, including 137 Democrats and 240 Republicans.
For U.S. House, 2,882 candidates have filed with the FEC to run. Of those, 2,555—1,206 Democrats and 1,349 Republicans—are from one of the two major political parties. In 2018, 3,244 candidates filed with the FEC, including 1,566 Democrats and 1,155 Republicans.
Thirty-six members of the U.S. House are not seeking re-election in 2020. That includes 27 Republicans and nine Democrats. Four senators (three Republicans and one Democrat) are not running for re-election. In 2018, 55 total members of Congress—18 Democrats and 37 Republicans—did not seek re-election.
On November 3, 2020, 35 Senate seats and all 435 House seats are up for election. Of those Senate seats, 33 are regularly scheduled elections, while the other two are special elections in Arizona and Georgia. Twelve are Democratic-held seats and 23 are Republican-held seats. In the House, Democrats currently hold a majority with 233 seats.
Additional Reading:
A group of 23 states, 4 cities, and the District of Columbia are challenging in court Trump administration efforts to change federal fuel efficiency requirements established by the Obama administration. On May 27, the group filed a lawsuit in the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit asking the court to review new fuel efficiency standards set by federal agencies in April.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) set the new standards in a final rule published in the Federal Register on April 30. The rule gives the auto industry more time to decrease how much gasoline their vehicles use and how much carbon dioxide they emit.
In a press release announcing the lawsuit, California Attorney General Xavier Beccera argued that the Trump administration rule violates the Clean Air Act and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and that new standards are too loose. He wrote, “The rule takes aim at the corporate average fuel efficiency standards, requiring automakers to make only minimal improvements to fuel economy—on the order of 1.5 percent annually instead of the previously anticipated annual improvement of approximately 5 percent. The rule also guts the requirements to reduce vehicles’ greenhouse gas emissions, allowing hundreds of millions of metric tons of avoidable carbon emissions into our atmosphere over the next decade.”
In a press release announcing the new fuel efficiency standards rule, the NHTSA wrote that the rule “reflects the realities of today’s markets, including substantially lower oil prices than in the original 2012 projection, significant increases in U.S. oil production, and growing consumer demand for larger vehicles.” The release quotes EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler saying, “Our final rule puts in place a sensible one national program that strikes the right regulatory balance that protects our environment, and sets reasonable targets for the auto industry. This rule supports our economy, and the safety of American families.”
The rule is scheduled to go into effect on June 29, 2020.
Additional reading:
Link to the lawsuit:
https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/5.27.20%20Petition%20for%20Review.pdf
Text of the fuel efficiency rule:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/04/30/2020-06967/the-safer-affordable-fuel-efficient-safe-vehicles-rule-for-model-years-2021-2026-passenger-cars-and
Link to Beccera’s press release:
https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-becerra-files-lawsuit-challenging-trump-administration%E2%80%99s-2
Link to NHTSA press release:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/safe-final-rule