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Welcome to the Friday, April 10, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Coronavirus update: How state legislatures are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Fewer primary challenges in 2020 state legislative races compared to 2018
- Local Roundup
Updates on stories related to the coronavirus outbreak are current through Thursday afternoon. Click here for the latest news.
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Coronavirus update: How state legislatures are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic
Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage on how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting America's political and civic life. Our coverage includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and the effects those responses are having on campaigns and elections.
The pandemic is affecting all sectors of American society, and state legislatures are no exception. State lawmakers nationwide have adjusted their session schedules in response to the outbreak. To date:
- Twenty-five state legislatures have suspended their sessions.
- Eighteen legislatures have either adjourned or are not scheduled to be in regular session this year.
- Four state legislatures are in regular session.
- Two state legislatures (Oklahoma and Wisconsin) are in special sessions.
- One state (Minnesota) has partially suspended legislative activity.
Many state legislatures postponed or canceled sessions in response to stay-at-home orders. Now, legislatures are beginning to come back into session or begin discussions around that timeline. Legislatures will begin deliberations around what happens once the stay-at-home orders are lifted.
In those states that had suspended their legislative sessions, 15 have either resumed their sessions or are scheduled to do so sometime this month. California and Tennessee lawmakers are expected to reconvene on May 4 and June 1, respectively. The remaining eight legislatures have suspended their sessions indefinitely.
To date, state lawmakers have introduced 388 bills related to the pandemic. Lawmakers in New York, Ohio, and New Jersey have introduced 42, 41, and 38 relevant bills, respectively. Taken together, the bills introduced in these three states account for 31% of the bills introduced nationwide.
Setting aside ceremonial resolutions and bills modifying the conduct of legislative business, 72 pieces of significant legislation have been enacted. This accounts for approximately 19% of the bills that have been introduced.
Here are some other notable coronavirus-related updates since Thursday's Brew:
- Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) announced that Georgia's statewide and presidential primary elections were postponed to June 9. Primary runoffs were postponed to August 11. Georgia had previously postponed its presidential primary to May 19, the original date of its statewide primary.
- Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) extended the state’s stay-at-home order from April 13 to April 30.
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) extended the state’s stay-at-home order from April 13 to April 30.
- Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) announced that the statewide school closure was extended from April 20 to May 20.
- Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) closed schools in the state for the remainder of the academic year. Schools were originally closed through April 24.
- Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) ordered schools to remain closed for the rest of the academic year. Schools were originally closed through April 28.
- Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) closed schools for the remainder of the academic year. Schools had originally been closed indefinitely starting March 16.
- Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) issued an order requiring all visitors over the age of 18 entering the state through airports or roadways to complete a travel declaration within three hours of their arrival.
- The Rhode Island Judiciary ordered that all courts would close to non-emergency matters through May 17. The order also extends to eviction proceedings and prevents new filings or hearings from being heard before May 17.
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Fewer primary challenges in 2020 state legislative races compared to 2018
We are excited to release the 10th volume of our annual state legislative competitiveness study later this year. With 20 state filing deadlines already passed, here’s an interim update from the data.
So far, this year’s state legislative elections are less competitive than 2018’s elections. The three categories that saw a decrease in competition are open seats, incumbents with primary challengers, and total primaries.
Looking at the 20 states whose filing deadlines have passed gives us an apples-to-apples comparison of 2020 to 2018 data. Here’s what that looks like so far.
In 2020, 2,606 state legislative seats are up for regular election in the 20 states, compared to 2,539 in 2018. 5,608 major party candidates—2,808 Democrats and 2,800 Republicans—are running in these states, compared to 5,598—2,863 Democrats and 2,735 Republicans—in 2018.
Open seats
Fewer incumbents are retiring in 2020 compared to 2018. This year, there are 356 major party incumbents not running for re-election. In 2018, 419 incumbents did not run for re-election.
Incumbents with primary challengers
Fewer incumbents have primary challengers this year than was the case in 2018. This year, 437 incumbents have at least one primary challenger, with the addition of one independent who ran in a top-two California primary. In 2018, 441 incumbents had at least one challenger, in addition to a Libertarian incumbent who ran in a nonpartisan primary in Nebraska. In 2018, 86% of incumbents in these states won their primaries.
Total primaries
There are also fewer contested primaries this year—906—versus 2018, when there were 958. These totals include all competitive top-two and nonpartisan primaries. On Nov. 3, 2020, 1,164 state senate seats and 4,711 state house seats are up for regular election. There is a Republican majority in 52 chambers, a Democratic majority in 33, and a power-sharing agreement in the Alaska House.
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Local Roundup
We cover officeholders and elections in the nation's 100 largest cities. Here's what's happening in one of them.
Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska, held general elections April 7 for six city council seats, two school board seats, and 15 special district seats. The election was vote-by-mail, and all of the races were nonpartisan. Election officials will release updated results daily until they are certified on April 21.
With 75% of ballots processed, 10 of the 13 ballot measures were still too close to call according to the April 8 results update. Here’s a summary of four notable measures:
- Proposition 2, a bond issue for areawide school capital improvements, was ahead 58% to 42%. The measure would authorize the issuance of $82.833 million in bonds for capital improvements to schools at an areawide tax rate of $18.45 per $100,000 in assessed property value.
- Proposition 11, the Marijuana Consumption at Retail Stores Measure, was defeated with 64.2% of the vote. The measure would have permitted licensed retail marijuana stores to allow inhaling or smoking marijuana on premises, in addition to eating marijuana edibles, within their marijuana consumption areas.
- Proposition 12, the City Assembly Size Amendment, which would increase the size of the Anchorage Assembly from 11 members to 12, was ahead 59% to 41%.
- Proposition 13, the Alcohol Sales Tax Amendment, was ahead 52% to 48%. The measure would levy a 5% tax on alcoholic beverage retail sales and dedicate revenue from the tax toward (a) police, first responders, and criminal justice personnel, (b) addressing child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence, and (c) programs related to substance misuse treatment and prevention, mental and behavioral health, and homelessness. Proposition 9, which would have enacted a similar tax on alcoholic beverages, was defeated in 2019 54% to 46%.
Below are the unofficial election results for the other measures as of April 8:
- Proposition 1, the Areawide Access Roads Bond Issue, was ahead 50.4 to 49.6%.
- Proposition 3, the Roads and Drainage Service Area Bond Issue, was ahead 58% to 42%.
- Proposition 4, the Fire Service Area Bond Issue, was approved with 67%.
- Proposition 5, the Parks and Recreation Service Area Bond Issue, was ahead 54% to 46%.
- Proposition 6, the Metropolitan Police Service Area Bond Issue, was ahead 56% to 44%.
- Proposition 7, the Areawide Facilities Bond Issue, was ahead 56% to 44%.
- Proposition 8, the Areawide Transit and Emergency Services Bond Issue, was ahead 59% to 41%.
- Proposition 9, the Property Tax for Medical Equipment and Systems, was approved with 66%.
- Proposition 10, the Girdwood Valley Service Area Bond Issue, was behind 53% to 47%.
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