Wisconsin lawmakers on April 25 passed several bills related to unemployment insurance, including one that would index the length of unemployment insurance benefits to the state’s unemployment rate. Assembly Bill 153 would reduce the maximum number of benefit weeks to 14 during times when the unemployment rate is at or below 3.5%. The bill also…
Forty-five state legislative districts holding elections in Virginia this year are open, meaning no incumbents filed to run. This represents 32% of the state’s General Assembly, a decade-high rate of open districts, and a marked increase from previous election cycles. Newcomers are guaranteed to win all open districts since no incumbents are running for them. This…
North Dakota voters will decide on an amendment to decrease the amount of money lawmakers can spend from the state legacy fund. The amendment is set to appear on the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot. The amendment, House Concurrent Resolution 3033, passed the North Dakota House of Representatives on April 25, 2023. It was introduced in…
Twenty-eight state legislative seats up for election in New Jersey this year are open, meaning no incumbents filed to run. This represents 23% of the state’s legislature, a decade-high rate of open seats, and a marked increase from previous election cycles. Newcomers are guaranteed to win all open seats since no incumbents are running for them.…
The Florida State Senate gave final approval to House Joint Resolution 31, a constitutional amendment to make school board elections partisan. School board members in Florida are elected by the voters of the county and serve four-year terms. Currently, voters elect five or more members in a nonpartisan election. Each county makes up a school…
The North Dakota State Senate voted to sustain Gov. Doug Burgum’s (R) veto of HB1273 on April 19, 2023. The bill would have prohibited the use of approval or ranked-choice voting methods in the state. Twenty-eight Senators voted to override the veto while 19 voted to sustain. In the North Dakota Senate, a two-thirds majority…
Over the past month, three elected officials were expelled from state legislatures: Reps. Liz Harris (R-Ariz.), Justin Jones (D-Tenn.), and Justin Pearson (D-Tenn.). Local officials later re-appointed Jones and Pearson to their seats. For Harris, local Republican committee members gave the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors three names—including Harris’—to choose from on April 18. In…