Tag: State leg
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New York state legislative special elections scheduled for Apr. 28
Four new state legislative special elections have been added to our list. The special elections are for the District 50 seat in the New York State Senate and the District 12, 31, and 136 seats in the New York State Assembly on April 28, 2020. There are no primaries, and the filing deadlines are on…
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Pennsylvania statewide filing deadline is February 18
The filing deadline to run for elected office in Pennsylvania is on February 18, 2020. In Pennsylvania, prospective candidates may file for the following state offices: U.S. House of Representatives (18 seats) Attorney General Auditor Treasurer State Senate (25 seats) House of Representatives (203 seats) The primary is scheduled for April 28, and the general…
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Abortion right amendment defeated in the Kansas House of Representatives Friday
On Friday, the Kansas House of Representatives did not approve the No Right to Abortion in Constitution Amendment by the two-thirds supermajority required to place the measure on the primary ballot in August. The number of “yes” votes required was 84. The final vote was 80-43. The amendment would have added a new section to…
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Survey finds 44 states do not prohibit delegation of legislative power to agencies
A Ballotpedia survey of all 50 state constitutions and administrative procedure acts (APAs) revealed that 44 states, 88%, had no prohibition against the delegation of legislative power to agencies as of January 2020. The nondelegation doctrine refers to limits placed on transferring legislative authority to the executive branch or to administrative agencies. The doctrine is…
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Virginia House of Delegates approves bill establishing collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers
On Feb. 6, the Virginia House of Delegates approved HB582, a bill establishing collective bargaining rights for public-sector workers at both the state and local levels. Nationwide, three states – Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina – currently prohibit collective bargaining on the part of public-sector workers. What does the bill propose? HB582 would make…
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Georgia Senate District 13 special election headed to a runoff
A special general election was held on February 4, 2020, to fill the Georgia Senate District 13 seat left vacant by former Senator Greg Kirk (R). The special election was called after Senator Kirk passed away on December 22, 2019. He had represented District 13 since 2015. Three candidates appeared on the ballot in the…
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District court decides that Alabama elections do not violate Voting Rights Act
On February 5th, U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins ruled that Alabama’s at-large method of electing appellate judges does not dilute the voting power of black citizens. The case was brought to the court by the NAACP, which contended that Alabama’s mode of at-large elections for appellate judges, as opposed to voting by election districts,…
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Indiana filing deadline is February 7
The major-party filing deadline to run for elected office in Indiana is on February 7, 2020. The filing deadline for independent and minor party candidates is June 30. In Indiana, prospective candidates may file for the following offices: • U.S. House (9 seats) • Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General • State Senate (25 seats) •…
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January 2020 breakdown of state legislative party membership: 52.2% Republicans, 46.8% Democrats
January’s partisan count of the 7,383 state legislators across the United States shows 52.2% of all state legislators are Republicans and 46.8% are Democrats, which is consistent with December 2019. Also as of the end of January, Republicans hold a majority in 59 state legislative chambers, and Democrats hold the majority in 39 chambers. One…
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Democrats select Woodrow to fill vacancy in Colorado House
On February 4, 2020, Steven Woodrow (D) was appointed to fill the vacant District 6 seat in the Colorado House of Representatives. Vacancies in either chamber of the Colorado General Assembly are filled by a committee of members of the political party that last held the seat. Woodrow’s appointment came after former Colorado representative Chris…