1. Arkansas’ 2020 filing deadline is today, Nov. 12
2. Colorado voters split on two statewide ballot measures in 2019
3. Register for tomorrow’s quarterly briefing on the presidential race

Arkansas’ 2020 filing deadline is today, Nov. 12

One week has passed since Election Day 2019 and already the second candidate filing deadline for 2020’s federal and state elections passes at noon today in Arkansas. Alabama’s candidate filing deadline was last week—on Nov. 8—and the filing deadlines for California, North Carolina, and Texas are in December. Here are the offices to be decided next year in Arkansas:

• One U.S. Senate seat

• All four U.S. House seats

• Seventeen of the 35 seats in the state Senate

• All 100 seats in the state House

• One of seven seats on the state Supreme Court

• Five of 12 seats on the Arkansas Court of Appeals—the state’s intermediate appellate court

• Three statewide ballot measures

Partisan primaries for the federal and state legislative seats—along with nonpartisan general elections for the judicial seats—will be held on March 3, 2020. Runoff primaries for legislative seats will take place on March 31 if no candidate receives a majority of the vote. The state uses an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

Alabama, California, North Carolina, and Texas are also holding primaries on March 3.

Arkansas' filing deadline for independent candidates running for the U.S. Senate or U.S. House seats is May 1, 2020. General elections for legislative seats—and runoff elections for the judicial seats—will take place on November 3, 2020. Voters will also decide statewide ballot measures on that date.

In order to appear on the ballot for a state or federal office, a candidate must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. Partisan candidates for the U.S. Senate or House must pay a filing fee that ranges from $10,000 to $20,000 depending on the party and office. You can read more about candidate requirements here. 

The next five statewide filing deadlines—all in 2019—are: Illinois (12/2), California (12/6), Texas (12/9), Ohio (12/18), and North Carolina (12/20). You can view the full list of filing deadlines for the 2020 election cycle here.

Learn more

       

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Colorado voters split on two statewide ballot measures in 2019 

Colorado voters approved one and rejected one statewide ballot measure last week. Both measures were required to go before voters in accordance with the state’s Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR), passed in 1992. TABOR limits the amount of money the state of Colorado can take in and spend and it requires the state to refund revenue above a spending cap to taxpayers.

Colorado voters rejected Proposition CC, 54% to 46%. It would have allowed the state to keep revenue above the state spending cap to provide funding for transportation and education. The Colorado Legislative Council Staff estimated that the measure would have allowed the state to retain about $310 million in additional revenue in 2019-2020 and $342 million in 2020-2021. It would have required the state auditor to hire a private entity to conduct an annual financial audit regarding use of funds as provided under the measure. 

The Colorado State Legislature placed Proposition CC on the ballot along party lines. Legislative Democrats voted for the bill referring the measure to voters, while legislative Republicans voted against the bill. Gov. Jared Polis (D) supported Proposition CC. Supporters raised $4.45 million and opponents raised $1.75 million. 

Colorado voters approved Proposition DD, 51% to 49%. The measure legalizes sports betting in the state and authorizes the legislature to levy a tax of 10% on those conducting sports betting operations to fund state water projects. It required voter approval under TABOR since it proposed to implement a new tax. Colorado becomes the 14th state with an active sports betting industry. 

According to the legislature's fiscal impact statement, the 10% tax on sports betting proceeds is expected to generate around $10 million in revenue for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 and between $13.5 to $15.2 million for FY 2021-22. Revenue from the tax was designed to create and fund the Water Plan Implementation Cash Fund and to fund expenses related to the administration and regulation of sports betting in Colorado.  

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