Today's Brew looks at how the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic may have affected elections then + highlights Wisconsin’s just-released election results
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Welcome to the Tuesday, April 14, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

* Looking back at the last elections held during a pandemic
* Karofsky wins Wisconsin Supreme Court election, Marsy’s Law amendment passes
* New York voters to decide $3 billion bond issue on environment and climate change issues

_ Updates on stories related to the coronavirus outbreak are current through Monday afternoon. Click here for the latest news ([link removed]) ._
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** LOOKING BACK AT THE LAST ELECTIONS HELD DURING A PANDEMIC
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This isn’t the world’s first pandemic. The United States held midterm elections in 1918 during the Spanish Flu pandemic, one of the most severe in history. As part of our coverage of the coronavirus outbreak, we're occasionally looking back at a story from the 1918 elections to see how America met the challenges of holding elections during a national health emergency.

Voters in northern California went to the polls Nov. 5, 1918, to decide between W.B. Shearer and E.W. Eifendahl, who were running in the state Senate, District 2 race. SHEARER WON —BY THREE VOTES. The Oakland Tribune published an article several weeks later titled, wondered "Was the 'Flu' to Blame?".

On November 18, 1918, the Oakland Tribune published an article titled “Was the ‘Flu’ to Blame?” wondering if the closure of one precinct might have tipped an election that was decided by three votes to Shearer. The Tribune also looked at how the result might affect the state's pending decision on alcohol prohibition.

Here’s an excerpt from that article:


“

How important results sometimes hinge on inconsiderable and unexpected incidents is illustrated in the fight in the second senatorial district. Because of the prevalence of the influenza, the polls of Ingot precinct in Shasta county remained closed on election day. In that precinct, 95 voters are registered.

”



“

It is believed that the State Senate will be so constituted by this result that ratification of the national prohibition measure may be defeated. Eifendahl might have been elected if the polls of Ingot precinct had been open. It is also possible that a refusal by California to endorse this national amendment may be the turning of a tide against it.

”

California ratified the Eighteenth Amendment—establishing Prohibition—on Jan. 13, 1919.

You can read the full article ([link removed]) here, courtesy of the University of Michigan Center for the History of Medicine and Michigan Publishing's Influenza Encyclopedia.

WE’RE INCLUDING SOME OF THESE HISTORICAL EVENTS IN OUR DAILY SUMMARY OF NEWS COVERAGE OF THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSES TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. That summary is an overview of the day’s events regarding our current situation. Click here ([link removed]) to subscribe to this daily summary about the actions taken by federal, state, and local officials surrounding this situation.

Here are some other notable coronavirus-related updates since Monday's _Brew_:

* The U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear oral arguments by phone conference in early May on certain previously postponed cases.
* Maine postponed its statewide primary from June 9 to July 14.
* Officials in Maryland announced the June 2 primary election will be conducted predominantly by mail with all eligible voters being mailed a ballot in advance of the election.
* Both Maryland and New Hampshire announced modifications to absentee voting procedures in upcoming elections. The secretary of state and attorney general in New Hampshire advised election officials to send an absentee ballot to any voter who requests one for both the state’s September primary and November general election.
* Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) issued executive orders authorizing the temporary release of certain inmate populations due to the coronavirus pandemic.
* The governors of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island announced a joint task force to discuss reopening their states’ economies. Each state will nominate a public health official, economic development official, and chief of staff to serve as part of the working group.
* The governors of California, Oregon, and Washington announced that they would coordinate in order to reopen their states’ economies using a shared approach.

Learn more ([link removed])

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** KAROFSKY WINS WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT ELECTION, MARSY’S LAW AMENDMENT PASSES
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Wisconsin election officials released results Monday from the state’s spring election, which concluded April 7. Challenger Jill Karofsky defeated incumbent Daniel Kelly to win a ten-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, receiving 53% to Kelly’s 47%. These results reflected both in-person voting on April 7 and absentee ballots postmarked by that date and received through yesterday.

Although the race was officially nonpartisan, Kelly is a member of the court's conservative majority, received support from conservative groups, and was endorsed by President Donald Trump (R). Karofsky said she would join the court's liberal minority, received support from liberal groups, and was endorsed by former Vice President Joe Biden (D).

In the February 18 primary, Kelly received 50% of the vote to Karofsky's 37%. A third candidate, Ed Fallone, received 13% of the vote. Recent Wisconsin Supreme Court elections have been decided by narrow margins. In 2019, conservative Brian Hagedorn defeated liberal Lisa Neubauer by a 0.5% margin.

The election determined the size of the court's conservative majority. Karofsky’s win reduces the court’s conservative majority to 4-3, meaning that the next regularly scheduled election in 2023 would decide control of the court. A Kelly win would have preserved the court's 5-2 conservative majority.

The election followed weeks of legal challenges and debate among state officials over whether to adjust procedures and deadlines in light of the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE WILLIAM CONLEY RULED APRIL 3 THAT THE WISCONSIN ELECTIONS COMMISSION COULD NOT REPORT ANY ELECTION RESULTS UNTIL YESTERDAY'S ABSENTEE BALLOT RETURN DEADLINE.

Voters in Wisconsin also voted on Marsy’s Law—a type of constitutional amendment granting crime victims certain rights. Based on these results, voters approved the measure, 76% to 24%.

The Wisconsin State Legislature referred the constitutional amendment to the ballot on May 15, 2019. Voters in 12 other states have approved Marsy's Law measures. Marsy's Law has never been defeated at the polls. Montana's 2018 Marsy's Law measure, however, was overturned by a court ruling. A similar measure approved in Kentucky in 2018 has been challenged in court.

Incumbent Tom Barrett defeated State Sen. Lena Taylor to win a fifth term as mayor of Milwaukee. Although Milwaukee’s municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, both candidates have won elections as Democrats.

Learn more→ ([link removed])
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** NEW YORK VOTERS TO DECIDE $3 BILLION BOND ISSUE ON ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES
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New York voters will decide a $3 billion bond issue—the _Restore Mother Nature Bond Act and the Environmental Bond Act of 2020_—in the November general election. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed budget legislation April 3 for the 2020-2021 fiscal year which included a provision for the issue. Cuomo first proposed the idea during his State of the State Address on January 8. Legislators did not vote on the bond issue independent of the budget bills.

THE MEASURE WOULD ISSUE $3 BILLION IN GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS FOR PROJECTS RELATED TO THE ENVIRONMENT, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND CLIMATE CHANGE. Revenue from the bonds would be distributed as follows:

* at least $1 billion for flood risk reduction, coastal rehabilitation, shoreline restoration, and ecological restoration projects;
* at least $700 million for projects designed to mitigate the effects of climate change, such as green buildings (as defined in the bill), carbon sequestration, urban forest and habitat restoration, reducing the urban heat island effect, reducing and eliminating air pollution, reducing and eliminate water pollution;
* at least $550 million for land conservation and recreation plans, programs, and projects and fish hatcheries; and,
* at least $550 million for projects related to wastewater, sewage, and septic infrastructure, lead service line replacement, riparian buffers, stormwater runoff reduction, agricultural nutrient runoff reduction, and addressing harmful algal blooms.

The measure would require the state to make every effort practicable to ensure that 35% of the revenue is used to benefit environmental justice communities (EJCs). The ballot measure defines EJCs as "minority or low-income [communities] that may bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs and policies.”

The bond issue is likely the only measure that will appear on the New York ballot this year. The legislature passed five constitutional amendments during the 2019-2020 legislative session, but those cannot appear before voters until at least 2021.

New York voters approved a $2.4 billion bond issue related to the environment in 1996 and rejected a $1.975 billion bond issue for environment-related projects in 1990. During the last 30 years, New York voters have approved three and rejected four statewide bond issues. So far, seven other statewide bond measures have been certified for this year’s ballot: one in Colorado, two in Maine, and three in New Mexico. California voted on a statewide measure in March.

Learn more→ ([link removed]))
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