Schools in Arizona, North Carolina reopen to in-person instruction

Schools in Arizona and North Carolina were allowed to reopen to in-person instruction. So far, 17 states have reopened their campuses for students and staff for the 2020-2021 school year. Another 17 states have released reopening guidance and also announced a scheduled reopening. Officials in 16 other states have released guidance for reopening schools to in-person instruction, but have not indicated when or whether they plan to do so.

• In Arizona, schools were officially allowed to reopen to in-person instruction if they met metrics the state Department of Health released the week of Aug. 3. Some school districts that did not meet these criteria also reopened to in-person instruction. Gov. Doug Ducey (R) said he supported those districts in their decision and that superintendents and principals could have the final say.

Georgia lifts ban on local mask restrictions

On Aug. 15, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed an executive order allowing local governments to enact mask mandates. The order prevents local mandates from resulting in fines or penalties against private businesses or organizations and limits penalties against individuals to $50. Between July 16 and Aug. 15, Georgia was the only state that prohibited localities from issuing mask restrictions.

• Thirty-four states have statewide orders requiring individuals to wear masks in indoor or outdoor public spaces. All 24 states with a Democratic governor have statewide mask orders, while 10 out of 26 Republican states require face coverings.

Voters decided 54 statewide ballot measures on women's suffrage from 1867 to 1920

Aug. 18 was the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibited the government from denying or abridging the right to vote on account of sex. 

• Three-fourths of the states must ratify an amendment after it has passed both houses of Congress to amend the Constitution. Tennessee was the 36th state—of 48 at the time—to ratify the 19th Amendment on Aug. 18, 1920.  

Between 1867 and 1920, 54 measures to give women the right to vote were on the ballot in 30 states. Fifteen states approved them, giving the women in those states the right to vote. Since women could not vote until after the measures were approved, male voters decided the outcome.

• Here is a timeline of milestones regarding state ballot measures on women’s suffrage from 1867 to 1920:
  • 1867: Kansas was the first state to vote on a state constitutional amendment for women’s suffrage. Voters rejected it, 69% to 31%. 
  • 1889: Wyoming voters approved their first state constitution, and one of the provisions provided for women’s suffrage. Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote. 
  • 1893: Colorado was the first state to pass a standalone constitutional amendment on women’s suffrage. The male electorate approved the amendment, 55% to 45%.
  • 1917: Montana voters elected the first woman to Congress. Jeannette Rankin was president of the Montana Women's Suffrage Association and an organizer for the ballot measure campaigns in Washington and Montana.

Click here to learn more about the statewide ballot measures regarding women's suffrage.

Hawaii extends quarantine requirement; Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York update list of states affected by quarantine order

• Gov. David Ige (D) extended restrictions requiring travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days through Oct. 1. The restrictions had previously been scheduled to expire on Sept. 1.
• Govs. Ned Lamont (D-Conn.), Phil Murphy (D-N.J.), and Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) announced on Aug. 18 that Delaware and Alaska had been added to the joint travel advisory requiring travelers from those areas to self-quarantine for 14 days upon entering Connecticut, New Jersey, or New York. Washington was removed from the list.
• The total number of states and U.S. territories on the list sat at 35 as of Aug. 21.

Voters decide state legislative races in three states

Alaska, Florida, and Wyoming held statewide primaries on Aug. 18. Candidates competed to advance to the general election scheduled for Nov. 3.

• There were 265 state legislative seats up for election, including 45 state Senate seats and 220 state House seats.
• The following information was current as of Aug. 20. At that time, some races were still too close to call.
• Across the three states, 206 incumbents filed for re-election to the 265 seats. Preliminary results indicate at least nine incumbents were defeated.
• In the state Senate elections, 33 incumbents filed for 45 seats. At least two did not advance to the general election. 
• In the state House elections, 173 incumbents competed for re-election to 220 seats. At least seven were defeated.

Bovo, Cava advance in Miami-Dade mayoral race

Esteban Bovo Jr. and Daniella Levine Cava were the top-two finishers in the nonpartisan primary for Miami-Dade County mayor on Aug. 18. Bovo and Cava received 29.29% and 28.79% of the vote, respectively. Because neither candidate received 50% of the vote, they advanced to the general election in November.

• Although the mayoral race is nonpartisan, Bovo is a member of the Republican Party and Cava is a member of the Democratic Party. Incumbent Carlos Gimenez, who was first elected in 2011, won the Republican nomination in Florida's 26th Congressional District and will face Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) in November.
• Miami-Dade County’s population was 2,662,874 in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.

State, local officials in Tennessee and Ohio test positive for coronavirus

• Tennessee State Rep. Karen Camper (D), who represents District 87, announced on Aug. 20 she had tested positive for coronavirus. 
• Tennessee Rep. Jeremy Faison (R), the Chairman of the House Republican Caucus, told House members that Rep. Mike Carter (R), who represents District 29, had been hospitalized due to complications from the coronavirus.
• Ohio state Senator Tina Maharath (D), who represents District 3, announced on Aug. 17 she tested positive for coronavirus.
• Jo Bonner (R), Chief of Staff to the Governor of Alabama, announced on Aug. 14 that he was self-quarantining at home after his wife tested positive for coronavirus.

Ballot measures update

To date, 118 statewide measures in 34 states have been certified for the 2020 ballot.

• Forty of the certified measures are citizen-initiated measures. Seventy-seven are legislative referrals. One is an automatic constitutional revision commission question. 
• Three new measures were certified for the November ballot in Arkansas and Colorado.
  • Colorado Income Tax Rate Decrease Initiative—a citizen initiative to decrease the state income tax rate from 4.63% to 4.55%—was certified for the ballot on August 17.
  • Arkansas Redistricting Commission Amendment—a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to create a commission for state legislative and congressional redistricting—was certified for the ballot on August 20.
  • Arkansas Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting Initiative—a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to create top-four ranked-choice voting system—was certified for the ballot on August 20.
• Eight statewide measures have been on the ballot so far this year. The remaining 108 are on the November ballot.
  • On August 4, Missouri voters approved Amendment 2, an initiative to expand Medicaid coverage. The vote was 53% to 47%.
  • On July 14, Maine voters approved two bond issues:
    • Maine Question 1, High-Speed Internet Infrastructure Bond Issue (July 2020) - $15 million
    • Maine Question 2, Transportation Infrastructure Bond Issue (July 2020) - $105 million
  • On June 30, voters in Oklahoma approved State Question 802, an initiative to expand Medicaid coverage. The vote was 50.5% to 49.5%.
• Proponents of 10 additional ballot initiatives and veto referendums in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, and Nebraska submitted signatures for verification by state officials.

Special elections update

Fifty-six state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 26 states so far this year, with 37 seats having taken place already. Heading into those races, Democrats had previously controlled 14 of the seats, while Republicans previously controlled 23. One seat flipped from Democratic control to Republican control, and six seats flipped from Republican control to Democratic control.

• In special elections between 2011 and 2019, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of four seats nationally each year.
• An average of 56 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past five even years (2010: 30, 2012: 46, 2014: 40, 2016: 66, 2018: 99).
• An average of 88 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past five odd years (2011: 95, 2013: 84, 2015: 88, 2017: 98, 2019: 77).

Upcoming special elections include:

• September 22
• Mississippi State Senate District 15
• Mississippi State Senate District 39
• Mississippi House of Representatives District 37
• Mississippi House of Representatives District 66

States in session

Eight states—California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—are in regular session.

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