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Welcome to the Thursday, April 16, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- Welcome to Ballotpedia Class
- Coronavirus update: Senate and House announce they won’t reconvene until May 4
- Local Roundup
Updates on stories related to the coronavirus outbreak are current through Wednesday afternoon. Click here for the latest news.
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Welcome to Ballotpedia Class
Most in-person classes remain closed, and many students have moved to online-learning activities. We're offering a virtual class series to supplement those existing programs.
Today we begin our three-part lecture series designed for high school students. Students or teachers can sign up for these 45-minute lectures on government and civics by Ballotpedia's experts. This isn’t just a lecture, students will be encouraged to join discussions and ask questions.
We’re covering a variety of topics:
- April 16: The Difference Between the State and Federal Government (1:00 p.m. Central Time)
- April 23: Introduction to Campaign Finance Law (12:00 p.m. Central Time)
- April 30: How States Select Their Supreme Court Justices (1:00 p.m. Central Time)
Register for any or all of the lectures by clicking the link below.
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Coronavirus update: Senate and House announce they won't reconvene until May 4
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced April 14 that the Senate would not reconvene until at least May 4. This came a day after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced the House would not reconvene until at least that date as well.
As part of our coverage of the coronavirus outbreak, we're occasionally looking back at the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic to see how American political life was affected during a national health emergency.
Congress also closed its doors for an extended period of time during the 1918 pandemic. According to the U.S. House website, the closure was triggered when Washington, D.C. was hit by the flu:
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In early October, as the city shuttered most public gathering places, Congress began to feel the effects of the flu as well. On October 6, it was reported that Democratic Leader Claude Kitchin of North Carolina was stricken with the ‘grip,’ and had been confined to his bed for several days. Then Speaker Champ Clark fell ill. Over the course of the next week, both men started to recover even as many of their colleagues fell sick and were bed-ridden.
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On October 7, as the House was about to adjourn for the day out of respect for the death of Rep. J. Fred Talbott, Illinois Congressman Henry T. Rainey made the following request:
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Mr. Speaker, it is a matter of common knowledge that an epidemic of alarming proportions is prevailing throughout the country. Out of an abundant precaution the Senate has ordered the galleries closed, which action, I understand, meets with the approval of the medical authorities, and so I ask unanimous consent that the Speaker be instructed to close the galleries of the House until further action shall be taken by the House.
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His request was granted, and the House followed the Senate in closing its doors until November 4, resulting in nearly a month of being out of session. Conditions in the city were grim during the congressional closure.
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While the flu outbreak did not close the House entirely, it slowed its activities to a crawl. For much of the first half of October the chamber stood in recess punctuated by brief pro forma sessions which few Members attended. Sickness, as well as the need to care for ailing family members, substantially thinned the ranks of the House. Within days the decision was made to close the Capitol ‘to all visitors as an extra precaution.’ In just the preceding 24 hours, 74 Washingtonians had died and
health officials treated more than 1,600 new flu cases.
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If you’re interested in reading the full article on the U.S. House website, you can do so here.
Here are some other notable coronavirus-related updates since Wednesday's Brew:
- Louisiana postponed its presidential preference primary from June 20 to July 11. It was originally scheduled to take place on April 4.
- Idaho Governor Brad Little (R) extended the statewide stay home order through April 30. The order first went into effect on March 25 and was set to expire on April 15. Little also issued an order requiring all out-of-state travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days unless engaged in essential activities.
- Kansas Governor Laura Kelly (D) extended the statewide stay home order through May 3. The original order went into effect on March 30 and was set to expire on April 19.
- In-person voting in the April 28 special election in Maryland's 7th Congressional District will be limited to those who cannot vote by mail.
- Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) closed schools for the remainder of the academic year. Prior to the announcement, schools were closed through May 1.
- The Kentucky Supreme Court extended its restrictions on in-person proceedings and suspension of jury trials through May 31.
- Washington, D.C., will send absentee ballot applications to every registered voter in advance of the district's June 2 primary election.
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Local Roundup
We cover officeholders in the nation's 100 largest cities, plus every election on the ballot in these cities, such as special districts, county officials, and local ballot measures. Wisconsin and Anchorage, Alaska, held municipal elections on April 7. Here's a roundup of those results:
Milwaukee held general elections for mayor, city treasurer, city attorney, city comptroller, and all 15 common council members. Offices in the county are officially nonpartisan.
- Incumbent Tom Barrett defeated Lena Taylor 62.5% to 32.5% to win re-election as mayor of Milwaukee. Barrett and Taylor finished first and second in the city’s February primary. Barrett has been mayor since 2004 and will be serving his fifth term.
- Incumbent city treasurer Spencer Coggs won re-election against challenger Brandon Methu.
- Tearman Spencer defeated incumbent Grant F. Langley in the city attorney race, winning with 61.1% of the vote.
- Aycha Sawa defeated Jason Fields, 50.4% to 49.2%, to become Milwaukee’s new city comptroller.
- Thirteen incumbents ran for re-election on the common council, with all of them winning. Five ran unopposed.
- State Rep. David Crowley defeated State Sen. Chris Larson, 50.1% to 49.5%, to win the race for Milwaukee County Executive. Although the office is officially nonpartisan, both candidates are currently Democratic state legislators. Crowley will succeed Chris Abele, who did not run for re-election.
Voters in Anchorage, Alaska, decided general elections for six of the city’s 11 council seats, two school board seats, and 15 special district positions. The elections were conducted entirely by mail and all of the races were nonpartisan.
Five incumbents ran for and won re-election to the Anchorage Assembly (their city council) as just one incumbent did not file for re-election. In the school board races, both incumbents ran for and won re-election.
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