Welcome to the Monday, July 27, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. Aug. 4 elections preview
2. Rhode Island voters to decide whether to remove "Providence Plantations" from official state name
3. Senate confirms Vought as OMB director

Aug. 4 elections preview

It’s been a little while since our last big election day on June 2 (Super Junesday). Tuesday, August 4, will kick off another busy month of primaries. Five states are holding statewide primaries that day. Here is a breakdown of the coverage we’ll be bringing you:

Statewide elections, including 18 battleground primaries, in:

• Arizona
• Kansas
• Michigan
• Missouri
• Washington

Among those states, we’ll cover 1,530 elections for 842 offices. None of these states’ primaries were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In addition to next week’s primaries, July/August are a busy season of filing deadlines for independent candidates for presidential candidates. This week, three states will see those pass: Missouri and New Jersey are today, July 27, and New York’s is on July 30. The details on how to get on the ballot in those states are as follows:

• Missouri: 10,000 signatures from registered state voters are required. 

• New Jersey: 800 signatures from registered state voters are required. 

• New York: 15,000 signatures, with at least 100 coming from each of the state's congressional districts, are required.

After July 30, 37 deadlines will remain. Those dates range from August 3 to September 4. Click here for our full list of independent presidential filing deadlines.

Learn more

       

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Rhode Island voters to decide whether to remove "Providence Plantations" from official state name

It has been a busy few weeks in the world of ballot measures. Regular Brew readers may remember that last week I wrote about the 29 citizen-initiated measures that have been certified since July 1. Here’s another measure of interest that will be on the ballot this November. 

Rhode Island voters will decide a constitutional amendment that would change the state's official name from "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" to "Rhode Island." 

Sen. Harold Metts (D), who sponsored the measure, said, “Rhode Island built its economy on being a leader in the slave trade in colonial times. This old, festering wound still needs healing. We aren’t proud of that history, and we must stop glorifying a word that is inescapably associated with that terrible past.” 

Ballotpedia has not tracked any official statements opposing the name change.

In 2010, Rhode Island voters defeated a similar measure 77.9% to 22.1%. Senator Metts also sponsored that measure.

On June 22, Governor Gina Raimondo (D) signed an executive order to remove “Providence Plantations” from all official legislative and executive branch documents.

The amendment is the first certified measure for the November ballot in Rhode Island. One other potential measure, the Rhode Island Roger Williams Park Zoo Bond Measure, may be on the ballot. It awaits a vote in the state House. To put a legislatively referred bond question before voters, a simple majority vote is required in both the Rhode Island State Senate and the Rhode Island House of Representatives.

The number of measures appearing on general election ballots in the state between 1995 and 2018 ranged from two to 14 and totaled 75. Of that total, voters approved 82.67% (62 of 75) of statewide ballots and defeated 17.33% (13 of 75). Thus far, 109 statewide ballot measures will appear on November ballots in 34 states this year.

Senate confirms Vought as OMB director

In a 51-45 vote on July 20 along party lines, the U.S. Senate confirmed Russell Vought as the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Vought had served as acting director since Jan. 2019, when then-OMB director Mick Mulvaney began serving as acting White House chief of staff. 

Mulvaney did not resign from OMB at the time but dedicated all of his time to his chief of staff duties. Vought, then the deputy director of the agency, assumed directorial responsibilities as a result.

Mulvaney left the White House in Mar. 2020, the same month that President Donald Trump (R) announced his intent to permanently nominate Vought as OMB director. 

Vought is the second OMB director to serve under Trump. Mulvaney took office in Feb. 2017, shortly after Trump’s inauguration. 

The OMB is the largest agency of the Executive Office of the President. It is tasked with:

• Managing the development and execution of the annual federal budget, 

• Overseeing federal agencies and executive branch operations, and

• Coordinating and reviewing agency regulations. 

The agency was first organized in 1970 under President Richard Nixon.

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