1. Ballotpedia releases our 2020 Mid-Year Recall Report
2. Here’s a preview of elections being held June 23
3. California voters to decide dialysis-related ballot initiative in November

Ballotpedia releases our 2020 Mid-Year Recall Report

June means the start of summer and the release of our mid-year Recall Report. Ballotpedia has been compiling and cataloging recall efforts for all elected officials since 2009. We’ve published mid-year and year-end summary reports since 2016. Our 2020 Mid-Year Recall Report—released Monday—explored the 97 recall efforts against 120 elected officials from January 1 through June 22.

The 97 recall efforts represent an increase in attempts compared to the same period in 2019, which saw 72 efforts against 115 officials at this point in the year. But the 97 recall efforts so far in 2020 are 29% lower than the first six months' average of 137 for 2016 through 2019.

In 2020, recall efforts against 47 officials remain ongoing. Recall attempts targeting 43 officials did not make it to the ballot. 

This report is full of interesting statistics, charts, and maps from the first six months of 2020. Here are three highlights:

• Of the 27 officials who faced a recall election, 13 were recalled and 14 were not. Two other officials resigned before their recalls could go to a vote.

• California was the state with the highest number of officials targeted for recall—32. When adjusted for state population using the U.S. Census Bureau's July 2019 population estimates, North Dakota had the most recalls, with 0.66 recall efforts per 100,000 residents.

• City council officials drew more recall petitions than any other group in the first half of 2020. A total of 42 city council members faced recall campaigns, while school board members faced the second-most with 23. Recalls were also sought for 15 mayors.

I invite you to click the link below for more information about recall efforts so far in 2020. There are summaries of this year’s notable recall efforts and links to last year’s reports. But don’t be surprised if you spend a lot of time reviewing this—there’s so much great information to explore!

Learn more

       

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Here’s a preview of elections being held June 23 

We’re tracking elections in seven states today -- six of which are holding primaries or primary runoff elections for state or federal offices. This includes Democratic primaries for Kentucky's U.S. Senate seat and New York's 16th Congressional District and the Republican primary runoff in North Carolina's 11th District. There are also 14 battleground primaries, which are races we expect to have a meaningful effect on the balance of power in government or to be particularly competitive or compelling.

Here’s a brief summary of what’s happening:

• Kentucky and New York are holding statewide partisan primaries for congressional and state legislative offices. Two Kentucky judicial districts will also hold nonpartisan primaries for seats on the Kentucky Supreme Court and the Kentucky Court of Appeals. The top two finishers in the judicial primaries will advance to the general election November 3.

• Virginia voters will decide statewide primaries for both a U.S. Senate seat and the state’s congressional districts. Virginia is not holding primaries for seats in the General Assembly as the state elects members of its legislature in odd-numbered years.

• Voters in Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District and North Carolina’s 11th District will decide Republican primary runoff elections to select the party’s nominee for the general election in November.

• Voters in 11 South Carolina state legislative districts will decide primary runoffs.

• We’re also covering primary elections for local offices in Kentucky, Missouri, New York, and Virginia.

Kentucky and Virginia postponed their primaries to June 23 from May 19 and June 9, respectively, in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Mississippi and North Carolina postponed their primary runoff elections from March 31 and May 12, respectively, as well. Missouri Governor Mike Parson (R) postponed all municipal elections in the state that were originally scheduled on April 7.

Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by today in both Kentucky and New York to be counted. In Kentucky, The Washington Post reported that the secretary of state’s office said 27% of registered voters requested a mail-in ballot, as compared with 1.5% in a typical election. The New York Daily News reported on June 22 that the number of absentee ballots requested in New York City was 10 times the previous record. Election officials in both states have said that results released on June 23 may not include absentee ballots.

California voters to decide dialysis-related ballot initiative in November

Voters in California will decide a ballot initiative related to dialysis clinics for the second consecutive general election after the office of California Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) announced June 15 that supporters submitted enough valid signatures for such a measure. In 2018, voters rejected a ballot measure titled Proposition 8 that would have required dialysis clinics to refund patients or their insurers for profits above a certain threshold. Dialysis is a medical treatment that removes waste products and excess fluids and chemicals from a person's bloodstream and is recommended when a person's kidneys lose most of their function.

2018’s Proposition 8 was the most expensive ballot measure that year, with campaign committees raising a combined $130.4 million. Opponents of the measure $111.5 million including contributions from DaVita ($67 million), Fresenius Medical Care North America ($34 million), and U.S. Renal Care ($8.2 million). Supporters of the measure raised $18.9 million, with $17.9 million of that coming from the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West. 

This year’s initiative is different from the one California voters decided in 2018. It would require chronic dialysis clinics to do the following: 

• have an on-site physician while patients are being treated; 
• report data on dialysis-related infections; 
• obtain consent from the state health department before closing a clinic; and 
• not discriminate against patients based on the source of payment for care.  

Sponsors of the measure submitted one million signatures in April. In order to make the ballot in California, proponents must submit 623,212 valid signatures—5% of the votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election. Based on random samples, the secretary of state’s office announced that an estimated 73.05%—or approximately 739,326 signatures—were valid.

This ballot initiative is the seventh measure to qualify for the November 3 ballot in California. The deadline for the secretary of state’s office to verify signatures is June 25. Two ballot initiatives are currently undergoing a random sample of signatures. The California legislature also has until June 25 to refer measures to the general election ballot.

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