Welcome to the Monday, Aug. 17, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. The local police-related measures to appear on November ballots
2. AK, FL, WY to hold statewide elections Tuesday
3. Seven state legislative seats have flipped parties this year

The local police-related measures to appear on November ballots

The aftermath following the killing of George Floyd has drawn significant attention since May. One source of debate in public policy has been public police funding. We recently told you about the police-related measure in Minneapolis that will not be on the ballot in November. In addition, so far we’ve tracked 16 such measures in five states that will appear on the November ballot. 

Measures are on the ballot in nine cities and three counties. Local lawmakers referred all 16 to the ballot - meaning none of the measures were citizen initiatives. The highest concentration of these measures (seven) is in California.

Below is a list of those proposals, along with a summary of their stated objective.

• Akron, Ohio: This charter amendment would require the release of recordings of police use of force to the public

• Columbus, Ohio: This charter amendment would create the Civilian Police Review Board with authority to launch and carry out investigations of alleged police misconduct, subpoena testimony and evidence during investigations, make recommendations to the Division of Police, and appoint and manage the new position of Inspector General for the Division of Police.

• King County, Washington: 

  • The Allow County Council to Determine Duties of the Sheriff Measure would give the county council the authority to specify the duties of the sheriff, rather than current charter law which provides that the duties of the sheriff are provided through state law.

  • The Return Sheriff to an Appointed Position Measure would return the office of the sheriff from an elected position to an appointed position that is appointed by the county executive and confirmed by the county council.

• Los Angeles County, California: This charter amendment would allocate money from the general fund to alternatives to incarceration.

• Oakland, California: This charter amendment would change the powers, duties, and staffing of the Oakland Police Commission and create the Office of Inspector General.

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 

  • The Call on Police to End Unconstitutional Stop-and-Frisk Amendment would add language to the city charter calling on the police department to "eliminate the practice of unconstitutional stop and frisk, consistent with judicial precedent."

  • The Citizens Police Oversight Commission Amendment would create a Citizens Police Oversight Commission.

  • The Office of the Victim Advocate Amendment would create an Office of the Victim Advocate.

• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: This charter amendment would require police officers to cooperate with investigations conducted by the Independent Citizen Police Review Board.

• Portland, Oregon: This charter amendment would establish a new police oversight board.

• San Diego, California: This would amend the city's charter to replace the Community Review Board on Police Practices with the Commission on Police Practices.

• San Francisco, California:

  • The Change to Police Staffing Charter Amendment would remove the mandatory police staffing level.

  • The Sheriff's Department Oversight Board Charter Amendment would create the Sheriff's Department Oversight Board.

• San Jose, California: This charter amendment would make changes to the police auditor, redistricting procedures, and the planning commission.

• Sonoma County, California: This ordinance would make changes to the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach (IOLERO) powers.

For details on each measure, as well as more background information about this topic on the ballot, click the link below.

Learn more

       

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AK, FL, WY to hold statewide elections Tuesday

Tomorrow—Aug. 18—Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming are holding statewide elections. We’ll be bringing you coverage of the 466 elections for 318 offices, including 11 battleground races.

The Alaska House of Representatives primaries should be particularly interesting. In the 2018 elections for the House, Republicans won 23 seats, Democrats won 16 seats, and a Democratic-aligned independent won another race. Due to defections from within their caucus, Republicans were not able to organize a majority in House. The majority was eventually organized by a bipartisan coalition, and the two parties split control of leadership positions and committee chairs. 

Another interesting race is the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat from Wyoming. Ten candidates are vying for the nomination. Sen. Mike Enzi (R), who is not running for re-election, was first elected in 1996. 

President Trump, Enzi, and Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) have endorsed former Rep. Cynthia Lummis in the primary. Lummis is an attorney who also served as the Wyoming State Treasurer from 1999 to 2007. 

Media attention has also focused on Converse County Commissioner Robert Short, who is second in the race in fundraising, most of which has come from his own funds. Short owns a fiber optic business and was first elected as county commissioner in 2014.

Elections forecasters rate the general election as Solid/Safe Republican.

Follow along with us as the election results come in here.

Seven state legislative seats have flipped parties this year

On Aug. 11, a special election for the South Carolina House of Representatives District 115 seat was held, resulting in the seat flipping from Republican to Democratic control. This was the seventh state legislative seat to flip parties as a result of special elections this year. One of those seven seats changed from Democratic to Republican, while the other six changed from Republican to Democratic control. 

Between 2010 and 2019, 97 state legislative seats changed party control due to special elections. Democrats flipped 52 seats, Republicans flipped 39 seats, and independent and third-party candidates flipped six seats. Seventeen seats flipped in 2017, the highest number in any year since at least 2010.

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