1. North Dakota voters to decide constitutional amendment that would institute top-four primaries, ranked-choice voting
2. Biden accepts Democratic presidential nomination, Republican convention set for next week
3. Candidate Connection spotlight

North Dakota voters to decide constitutional amendment that would institute top-four primaries, ranked-choice voting

North Dakota voters will decide a constitutional amendment that would establish open primaries, ranked-choice voting, and make multiple changes to redistricting procedures. The citizen initiative is the third statewide constitutional amendment that will go before voters in November. It was certified for the ballot Aug. 11.

The amendment would establish primaries open to all voters in which all candidates appear on the same ballot, and from which the top-four candidates proceed to the general election. Further, the amendment would establish ranked-choice voting in general elections, in which voters could rank up to four candidates. If a candidate receives a majority of votes, they are elected. If not, the candidate with the least votes would be eliminated and votes redistributed according to voters' next choices until one candidate has a majority.

Both election changes would apply to all statewide, legislative, and congressional races.

The amendment would also make the state’s ethics commission responsible for state legislative redistricting, set criteria for state House and Senate district maps, and enact other changes to election procedures.

The state has decided 71 statewide measures from 1996 to 2018. Voters approved 56% and defeated 44% of measures during that time. Between 1996 and 2018, an average of six measures appeared on the ballot in North Dakota during even-numbered election years. 

A total of 116 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the 2020 ballot in 34 states. In 2018, by the third week of August, 156 measures had been certified for the ballot nationwide.

No states utilized a top-four primary for state or federal elections. California, Nebraska, and Washington use top-two primaries. An initiative to create a top-four primary and ranked-choice general system is on the 2020 ballot in Alaska. A top-four ranked-choice voting initiative may appear on the ballot in Arkansas. A measure to create top-two open primaries will appear on the 2020 ballot in Florida, and Massachusetts voters will decide a ranked-choice voting initiative.

In 36 of the 50 states, state legislatures are primarily responsible for state legislative redistricting. Independent commissions draw state legislative district lines in 10 states. In four states, politician commissions are responsible for state legislative redistricting. Passage would make North Dakota the 11th state where a commission is responsible for state legislative redistricting.

In North Dakota, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated constitutional amendment for the ballot is equal to 4 percent of the state's population, meaning that 26,904 valid signatures were required. Secretary of State Al Jaeger (I) said that around 4,300 of the 36,000 signatures submitted by the measure's sponsors were rejected, meaning around 32,000 signatures were accepted.

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Biden accepts Democratic presidential nomination, Republican convention set for next week 

Joe Biden formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination on Aug. 20 and concluded his party’s national convention. Biden gave his nominating address from Wilmington, Delaware. The Democratic convention was originally scheduled to take place July 13-16 in Milwaukee.  

The 2020 Republican National Convention begins on Monday, August 24. The first night’s theme is Land of Heroes. Mike Pence, Melania Trump, Sen. Joni Ernst (Iowa), Nikki Haley, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) are expected to speak throughout the week. President Donald Trump will accept the Republican nomination from the White House grounds.

In recent years, presidential nominating conventions have been held back-to-back. The 2016 Republican National Convention took place from July 18 through July 21, 2016, in Cleveland, Ohio. The 2016 Democratic National Convention was held July 25 through July 28, 2016, in Philadelphia. Before 2008, the Democratic and Republican conventions typically took place two to four weeks apart. 

The Republican National Convention was originally scheduled to take place entirely in Charlotte, North Carolina, but statewide restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic led to changes to the convention schedule. Politico reported that the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., would serve as the central hub for convention speeches.

Candidate Connection spotlight

On recent Fridays, we’ve highlighted responses to Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. The survey is designed to elicit insightful and thoughtful responses from candidates on what they care about, what they stand for, and what they hope to achieve. We ask all candidates with a Ballotpedia profile to complete it. 

It's easy to pick a race and get lost in each candidate's responses. Sometimes I find myself just selecting a race and reading each candidate’s complete responses to learn more about who they are. You probably wouldn’t expect anything different from a political junkie like me!

One-thousand and eighty candidates have answered the question “Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?” Here are select responses:

"I really liked the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. He was able to bring together many adversaries to have a well-rounded and diverse cabinet. We don't see that enough in today's politics. That is why there is so much disagreement and so little compromise."

-Adam Dudziak, Democratic candidate running for Ohio House of Representatives, District 61

“I would recommend Miracle on Ice. With hard work, determination, wise strategy, and great leadership you can overcome large obstacles and make miracles happen for the good of the country.   Nothing is impossible, it just may take a bit longer to accomplish.  "

-Joseph Chaplik, Republican candidate running for Arizona House of Representatives, District 23

"As an Independent candidate, my political philosophy incorporates portions of the beliefs of both of the major political parties. I do not know of any particular book that accurately reflects my personal political philosophy[.] Very possibly the book Crossing the Aisle by Keel Hunt closely reflects my philosophy on how to be a legislator or governor able to work with both sides and achieve tangible results."

-Jeffery Washburn, Independent candidate running for Tennessee House of Representatives, District 76

Last week, we highlighted some candidates’ answers to the question:  “If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?” The week before, we spotlighted how some candidates responded to “What was your very first job?” If you know of a candidate who hasn’t yet responded to our survey, send them this link and ask them to complete it. We’d all love to learn more about them!  

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