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Welcome to the Wednesday, April 1, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Coronavirus update: Governors have issued 758 executive orders so far
- Wisconsin voters to also decide ballot measures April 7
- Filing deadline roundup
Updates on stories related to the coronavirus outbreak are current through Tuesday afternoon. Click here for the latest news.
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Coronavirus update: Governors have issued 758 executive orders so far
The coronavirus outbreak has prompted governors to issue executive orders to set policy regarding issues from business operations to social distancing. As of March 31, 758 executive orders have been issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Council of State Governments.
Depending on the state, the governor or a state agency can issue an executive order, which directs certain actions and generally has the effect of law. They do not require legislative approval and are based on constitutional or statutory authority.
The three states operating under the largest number of executive orders so far are Massachusetts (31), Arizona (29), and Michigan (28). The states with the fewest executive orders are Missouri (5), Oklahoma (6), and three states—Louisiana, Virginia, and Wyoming—who have issued seven executive orders each.
The 26 Republican governors have issued a total of 384 executive orders—an average of 14.8 orders per governor. The 24 Democratic governors have issued 374 executive orders—an average of 15.6 orders per governor.
Ballotpedia is tracking two subsets of state executive orders directed towards a specific topic—school closings and orders for residents to stay-at-home. Nationally, 47 states have closed schools statewide via executive order and governors in 30 states have issued stay-at-home orders.
The map below is color-coded to show the number of executive orders issued in each state through March 31:
Here are some other notable coronavirus-related updates since Tuesday's Brew:
- Glenn Fine, the acting inspector general of the Department of Defense, was selected to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which will oversee the implementation of the third coronavirus relief package. The committee's eight members, all of whom are inspectors general for various federal departments and agencies, selected Fine to lead the group.
- Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) issued Executive Order 2020-18, which directs individuals in Arizona to conduct only essential business. The order took effect March 31 and ends April 30.
- The Democratic Party of Kansas announced its May 2 presidential primary would be conducted entirely by mail.
- The Florida Department of Education extended the closure of the state's schools from April 14 to May 1.
- Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) announced that his office would send absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in the state in advance of the June 2 primary election.
- Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) extended COVID-19 Order No. 13, which directs individuals in the state to stay at home unless performing essential activities and placed restrictions on non-essential businesses through April 4.
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) extended the closure of the state's schools from April 3 to May 1.
- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) announced that the statewide school closure would last indefinitely. It was previously scheduled to end April 8. Wolf also announced an extension of any previous county stay-at-home orders and included four more counties, bringing the total to 26.
- South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) announced an executive order directing the closure of all nonessential businesses in the state for 15 days, starting at 5 p.m. on April 1.
- Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) issued Executive Order 22, which directs residents in Tennessee to conduct only essential business. The order took effect March 31 and ends April 14.
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Wisconsin voters to also decide ballot measures April 7
In addition to the state’s supreme court election, presidential preference primary, and local elections, Wisconsin voters will also decide one statewide ballot measure—a Marsy’s Law amendment—on April 7. The amendment would add 14 additional rights to the existing list of crime victims’ rights in the state constitution. The amendment would grant crime victims the right to:
- privacy;
- information about the status or outcome of the investigation or case; be present at all criminal proceedings and hearings;
- reasonable protection from the alleged criminal;
- be notified of the release, escape, or death of the alleged criminal in a timely manner;
- speak in any hearing related to the rights of the victim;
- submit information about the case to authorities;
- refuse an interview, deposition, or other discovery request made by the alleged criminal;
- and be informed of all rights and protections granted by the constitutional amendment and related laws.
Wisconsin is the 14th state to decide a Marsy’s Law ballot measure. All 13 previous campaigns received majority voter approval. However, courts in Kentucky and Montana overturned the amendments approved in their respective states. The 2019 election results in Pennsylvania have not been certified because of a pending court case regarding the amendment’s constitutionality. California voters passed the first Marsy’s Law amendment in 2008.
In Wisconsin, the state legislature is required to approve an amendment by majority vote in two successive sessions before it can appear on the ballot. The state Senate approved the amendment by a 29-4 vote and the state House by an 81-10 vote in November 2017. In the subsequent legislative session, both chambers approved the amendment on May 15, 2019. The state Senate approved it 27-5 and the state House approved it 82-15.
From 2006 to 2019, Wisconsin voters approved four of the five legislatively referred constitutional amendments.
We’re also covering two local ballot measures April 7. Milwaukee voters will decide on a referendum that would incrementally increase the school district’s annual revenue limit by a total of $87 million over four years. It would maintain that level thereafter with an estimated property tax of $1,118 per $100,000 of assessed property value (an increase of $160). A revenue limit is the maximum amount of revenue the district is allowed to raise via property taxes according to state law. Wisconsin first enforced school revenue limits for the 1993-1994 school year. Voters in 157 Wisconsin school districts decided similar referendums in 2018, passing 90% of them. Joe Biden voiced his support for the measure on March 31, saying it “will give public school educators the tools they need to help our students succeed – and they’ll allow us to invest in 21st-century facilities and
technology so our children can learn in quality schools.”
Voters in Milwaukee County will decide a nonbinding advisory question regarding redistricting procedures. A ‘yes’ vote advises the legislature to create a nonpartisan redistricting plan for state legislative and congressional boundaries. A 'no' vote advises the legislature to maintain the existing process where the districts are drawn by the legislature and approved by the governor. Six other towns and six other counties in Wisconsin will vote on similar nonbinding redistricting questions.
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Filing deadline roundup
Four candidate filing deadlines have passed so far this week—South Carolina and New Jersey on March 30 and South Dakota and Missouri on March 31. The candidate filing period will end in two additional states—New York and Tennessee—on April 2.
Through March 30, 2,737 major party candidates have filed to run for either the Senate or House of Representatives. There are 393 candidates who filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for the U.S. Senate. Of those, 328—171 Democrats and 157 Republicans—are from one of the two major political parties. There are 2,677 candidates who have filed with the FEC to run for U.S. House districts, including 1,131 Democrats and 1,278 Republicans.
Filing deadlines for congressional candidates have now passed in 29 states. There are six states with filing deadlines in April, three in May, and 10 in June. Two states have different filing deadlines for different types of offices. Candidates for congressional and judicial offices in Florida must file by April 24 while candidates for the state legislature must file to run by June 12. In Massachusetts, major-party candidates for the state legislature must file by May 5 and congressional candidates must file by June 2.
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The Lucy Burns Institute, publisher of Ballotpedia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Donations to the Lucy Burns Institute or Ballotpedia do not support any candidates or campaigns.
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