First coronavirus vaccines administered to healthcare workers

The first public doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine were administered to healthcare workers and long-term care residents on Dec. 14. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) on Dec. 11 for Pfizer and BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine, allowing the vaccine to be distributed publicly in the U.S. It was the first FDA-issued EUA for a COVID-19 vaccine.
The federal government is working with state, territorial, and tribal governments to distribute vaccines to the public. The CDC voted on Dec. 1 to recommend healthcare workers and long-term care residents receive vaccines in the first phase of distribution before the general population, but the decision was not binding on governors. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said governors are "going to tell us which hospital, which pharmacies, where they would like it [the vaccine] to go. ... And they will be determining which groups to be prioritized."

Incumbent concedes in North Carolina Supreme Court race

North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley (D) conceded her re-election campaign to challenger Paul Martin Newby (R) on Saturday. Newby defeated Beasley by a margin of just over 400 votes out of more than 5.3 million cast.
Three of North Carolina’s Supreme Court seats were up for election this year. Heading into the election, Democrats had a 6-1 majority on the court, including two of the three seats up for election. Republicans won all three seats, narrowing the Democratic majority to 4-3. The result means the 2022 election, when two Democratic-held seats will be up, will determine control of the court.
The Alaska Supreme Court announced on Dec. 16 that it would hear arguments on Jan. 8 in the lawsuit challenging the results of the District 27 state House election. Liz Snyder (D) was certified as the winner of the election over House Minority Leader Lance Pruitt (R) by a margin of 13 votes out of more than 9,000 cast.
All 40 seats in the state House were up for election on Nov. 3. Setting the District 27 race aside, Republicans won 21 seats to Democrats’ 14 and independents’ four. State Rep. Louise Stutes (R) announced that she would join with the Democratic and independent coalition. Should the results of the District 27 race hold, control of the chamber would be split 20-20 between the coalition and the Republican caucus. The chamber’s current majority is a bipartisan coalition made up of 15 Democrats, four Republicans, and two independents.

Louisiana lieutenant governor tests positive for COVID-19

Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser (R) announced Thursday on Twitter that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was recovering at home. Nungesser assumed office in 2016.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) announced on Dec. 17 he and his wife were self-quarantining at home after their daughter tested positive for COVID-19.
Other state and local officials who tested positive for COVID-19 or died as a result of the virus include:
- South Dakota state Sen. Reynold Nesiba (D), who announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 12.
- Florida state Sen. Wilton Simpson (R), who announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 14.
- New Hampshire state Rep. Kimberly Rice (R), who announced she tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 14.
- Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, who died as a result of complications caused by COVID-19 On Dec. 17.

Kansas governor selects new lieutenant governor

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) announced on Dec. 14 that she would appoint David Toland to the position of lieutenant governor to fill the vacancy created by her appointment of Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers (D) on Dec. 10 as state treasurer. Toland will take office after Rogers is sworn in as treasurer on Jan. 2, 2021.
Toland is currently the secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce, and he will continue to serve in that position while taking on the duties of lieutenant governor. Rogers will serve as treasurer until 2022, when all elected state executive offices, including the governor, are up for election. Kelly’s appointments of Toland and Rogers do not require state legislative confirmation.
Toland will be the 52nd person to serve as Kansas’ lieutenant governor. Of the previous five officeholders dating back to 2007, two were gubernatorial appointees, and three were elected.
Rogers will be the 41st Kansas state treasurer and the sixth Democrat to assume the position. Of the previous 40 treasurers dating back to 1859, 33 were Republican, five were Democrat, and two were Populist.

Hawaii governor modifies quarantine requirement for out-of-state, inter-island travelers, Maryland issues new travel restrictions

Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) issued an executive order on Thursday reducing the required self-isolation period for untested out-of-state and inter-island travelers from 14 days to 10 days.
- The change follows updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which shortened on Dec. 2 the recommended quarantine period for individuals who do not report symptoms from 14 days to 10 days.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) issued an order on Dec. 17 requiring out-of-state travelers and returning residents to obtain a negative COVID-19 test result or quarantine for 10 days. The order does not apply to people traveling to or from Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. The order requires all residents of the state to limit travel to essential purposes.

Delaware, Maine expand mask-wearing requirements

Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) formally issued an updated mask order requiring individuals to wear face coverings anytime they are indoors with a member of another household, effective Dec. 14, 2020. Previously, the state’s mask order was limited to public settings.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) expanded face-covering enforcement requirements for businesses on Dec. 11. All business owners or operators of an indoor space open to the public (like schools) must deny entry to anyone not wearing a mask. Previously, enforcement requirements were limited to specific settings like schools and restaurants.
Thirty-eight states have effective 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 14 out of 26 Republican states require face coverings. Mississippi is the only state that has allowed a statewide face-covering requirement to expire.

Leeser wins mayoral runoff election in El Paso, Texas

Oscar Leeser defeated incumbent Donald “Dee” Margo in the mayoral runoff election on Dec. 12 in El Paso, Texas. Leeser received 79.5% of the vote, while Margo received 20.5%. Leeser was the mayor of El Paso from 2013 to 2017, and Margo was elected mayor in 2017 after Leeser did not run for re-election.
Although mayoral elections in El Paso are officially nonpartisan, The Texas Tribune reported that Leeser identifies as a Democrat. Margo served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013 as a Republican.
Leeser and Margo advanced from the general election on Nov. 3 after neither candidate received a majority of the vote to win outright. Leeser received 42.6%, while Margo received 24.6%.

Maine state legislator switches parties

Maine Rep. John Andrews announced on Monday that he was leaving the Republican Party and joining the Libertarian Party of Maine. In a Facebook post on Dec. 12, Andrews cited House Minority Leader Kathleen Jackson Dillingham as his reason for leaving the party, saying, "My leaving the Republican party is a direct reflection of Kathleen Dillingham's lack of leadership and vindictive nature. The House GOP is in severe lack of leadership.”
Ballotpedia had identified four additional state legislators that switched parties since Nov. 3
- West Virginia Rep. Jason Barrett announced on Dec. 11 that he was leaving the Democratic Party to join the Republican Party. After changing his party affiliation at the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office, Barrett said, “For me to be able to be the most effective legislator I can be and really move good policy forward in West Virginia, I think that joining the Republican Party in West Virginia is a way to do that.”
- Georgia Rep. Valencia Stovall announced on Dec. 7 that she was leaving the Democratic Party to become an independent. In a Facebook post, Stovall cited misleading, disruptive behavior from both parties during the Nov. 3, 2020 election as her reasons for switching.
- Minnesota state senators David Tomassoni and Thomas Bakk left the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party caucus to form an independent caucus on Nov. 18. The senators cited extreme partisanship at the national and state level and a desire to work across the aisle.
Since 1994, Ballotpedia has identified 131 legislators who have switched parties. Thirty-seven of those were state senators, and 94 were state representatives. Seventy-two switched from Democrat to Republican, while 19 switched from Republican to Democrat.

Guajardo defeats McComb in Corpus Christi mayoral runoff

Paulette Guajardo defeated incumbent Joe McComb, 56% to 44%, to win the mayoral runoff election in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Tuesday. McComb was elected mayor in 2016, and Guajardo is an at-large member of the Corpus Christi City Council.
McComb and Guajardo received 33.0% and 32.2%, respectively, in the nine-candidate general election on Nov. 3. Although municipal elections in Corpus Christi are officially nonpartisan, The Washington Post and KIII-TV (Corpus Christi) have described McComb as a Republican.
Mayoral elections were held in 29 of the 100 largest U.S. cities this year. Although most municipal races are officially nonpartisan, Ballotpedia has determined that the mayor’s partisan affiliation changed in seven of those cities this year. Republicans lost five offices, and Democrats lost two. Democrats picked up three offices, independents picked up two, and Republicans picked up one. Ballotpedia has not identified Corpus Christi mayor-elect Guajardo's partisan affiliation.

Standridge sworn in as Kansas Supreme Court justice

Melissa Standridge was sworn in on Monday as a justice on the Kansas Supreme Court. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) appointed Standridge on Nov. 30 to succeed Justice Carol Beier, who retired on Sept. 18. Standridge was Gov. Kelly's third nominee to the seven-member supreme court.
Under Kansas law, the governor selects a supreme court justice from a list submitted by the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission.
Prior to her appointment, Standridge was a judge on the Kansas Court of Appeals from 2008 to 2020. She was appointed to that court by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D). Before that, Standridge was chambers counsel for Magistrate Judge David Waxse of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas from 1999 to 2008; an attorney for Shook, Hardy & Bacon from 1995 to 1999; and chambers counsel for Judge Elmo Hunter of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri from 1993 to 1995.
In 2020, there have been 23 supreme court vacancies in 16 of the 29 states where replacement justices are appointed instead of elected. One vacancy occurred when a chief justice died, one vacancy occurred when a justice was not retained, and 21 vacancies were caused by retirements.

Voters in Texas state Senate district to decide runoff election

Voters in Texas State Senate District 30 will decide a special runoff election today. Shelley Luther (R) and Drew Springer (R) are running to represent the district, which is located to the north and west of Dallas.
The winner will fill the remainder of Pat Fallon’s (R) term, which is set to expire in 2023. Fallon was selected to replace U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R) on the general election ballot after Ratcliffe was confirmed as President Trump’s Director of National Intelligence.
Luther and Springer advanced to a runoff election after no candidate won a majority of votes in the Sept. 29 special election. Five Republicans and one Democrat were on the ballot. Springer led with 31.8% of the vote, followed by Luther with 31.7%. No other Republican won over 10% of the vote.

Ballot Measures Update

A total of 129 statewide ballot measures were certified for 2020 ballots in 34 states for elections on seven different dates. Ninety-three of the measures were approved, and 36 were defeated.
Forty-three of the certified measures were citizen-initiated measures. Eighty-one were legislative referrals. One was an automatic constitutional revision commission question. Four were advisory measures in Washington.
Click here to see all ballot measure election results, including highlighted measures.
On Dec. 5, Louisiana voters rejected a constitutional amendment 76.5% to 23.5% that would have allowed the governor to appoint at-large members to the boards of supervisors for the public university systems from out-of-state if there are multiple at-large seats and at least one at-large seat is filled by a member that resides within the state.
One statewide measure has been certified for the 2022 ballot.
Two indirect initiatives in Nevada were certified to the legislature on Dec. 15, which means enough valid signatures were submitted to qualify the measures to go to the legislature and then potentially to the ballot. They will first go to the legislature. If the legislature approves and the governor signs them, the measures will not go on the ballot. Otherwise, they will appear on the November 2022 ballot.
- Nevada Gaming Tax Increase on Monthly Revenue above $250,000 Initiative (2022) - This initiative would increase the rate of the tax on monthly gross gaming revenue above $250,000 to 9.75% for nonrestricted gaming licensees.
- Nevada Sales Tax Increase for Public Schools Initiative (2022) - This initiative would authorize an additional sales and use tax of 1.5% to fund public schools. It would generate an estimated $340 million annually and increase the total statewide minimum sales tax rate from 6.85% to 8.35%.

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December 19, 2020

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First coronavirus vaccines administered to healthcare workers

Incumbent concedes in North Carolina Supreme Court race

Louisiana lieutenant governor tests positive for COVID-19

Kansas governor selects new lieutenant governor

Hawaii governor modifies quarantine requirement for out-of-state, inter-island travelers, Maryland issues new travel restrictions

Delaware, Maine expand mask-wearing requirements

Leeser wins mayoral runoff election in El Paso, Texas

Maine state legislator switches parties

Guajardo defeats McComb in Corpus Christi mayoral runoff

Standridge sworn in as Kansas Supreme Court justice

Voters in Texas state Senate district to decide runoff election

Ballot Measures Update

Special Elections

States in Session

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