Welcome to the Thursday, January 9, Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

1. A new way to research your ballot
2. Virginia trifecta officially takes effect with legislator swearing-in
3. Ballot measure roundup in eight states

A new way to research your ballot

Coming soon to your favorite app store...

Your favorite elections encyclopedia (that’s us) announced some big news yesterday. We’re taking our widely-used sample ballot lookup tool and rebuilding it for smartphone users!

My Vote Ballotpedia will be available in iTunes and Google Play this March. If you’ve ever used our sample ballot lookup tool to preview your ballot on your phone, you’ll be delighted by the added features and smoother user experience the My Vote app will deliver.

Ballotpedia's sample ballot tools are powered by digital maps. We pinpoint an address on a map and identify all of its corresponding districts within our coverage scope. Our tool then checks to see which elections are happening in those districts and pulls information from our database on all the candidates running in those elections, plus all the measures on the ballot. My Vote will allow users to save their choices, meaning you can reference the saved list of candidates that you’ve already researched once you get in the polling booth. Both the app and our on-site tool deliver more than just a list of names. You can dive as deep into the candidate information as you like.

Learn more about the features you can expect, and sign up to get notified when it’s available to download, by clicking the button below.

Learn more

       

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Virginia trifecta officially takes effect with legislator swearing-in

Legislators elected in Virginia in 2019 officially took office after they were sworn in yesterday—Jan. 8. As a result, Democrats now control both chambers of the legislature and—along with Gov. Ralph Northam (D)—have a state government trifecta.

In 2019, Democrats gained a 21-19 majority in the state Senate, compared to a 21-19 Republican majority before elections. The majority caucus is now led by Dick Saslaw (D) and the minority caucus by Thomas Norment Jr. (R).

Democrats acquired a 55-45 majority in the House of Delegates, compared to a 51-49 Republican majority before the elections. The Speaker of the House is Eileen Filler-Corn (D). The majority caucus is led by Charniele Herring (D) and the minority caucus is led by Todd Gilbert (R).

A state government trifecta occurs when one political party controls both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office.

Five states held elections last year where trifecta status was at stake. Before the 2019 elections, Republicans held trifecta control in Kentucky and Mississippi, Democrats in New Jersey, and Louisiana and Virginia both had divided governments. Republicans in Kentucky lost their trifecta when Andy Beshear (D) defeated Matt Bevin (R) in the gubernatorial election. Democrats in Virginia gained a trifecta with their victories in the state legislature.

There are currently 36 trifectas—21 Republican and 15 Democratic—and 14 states under divided government. In 2020, 44 states hold legislative elections while 11 governorships are at stake.

Ballot measure roundup

We are back in an even year - and that means, more ballot measure activity. Last year, voters decided 36 statewide ballot measures in eight states. The average number of statewide measures in odd-numbered years between 2009 and 2017 was 30.

Already, 50 statewide ballot measures have been certified for the 2020 ballot in 22 states. Voters decided 167 statewide ballot measures in 38 states in 2018. The average number of statewide measures nationwide in even-numbered years between 2010 and 2018 was 172.

Here are three recent updates regarding ballot measures:

Washington

The Washington Secretary of State’s office confirmed that signatures were not submitted for any of the 104 filed indirect ballot initiatives by the Jan. 3 deadline. Such measures are known as Initiatives to the Legislature. If proponents of any of the measures had submitted enough valid signatures, those initiatives would have been sent to the Washington State Legislature during its 2020 session, which begins on Jan. 13. The legislature would have then needed to either

• adopt the initiative as proposed,
• reject or refuse to act on it, in which case it would be voted upon at the next general election, or
• approve an alternative, which would result in both the initiative and the alternative would be voted upon at the next general election.

During the 20-year period from 1999 to 2019, 12 Initiatives to the Legislature were on the ballot, of which six were approved and six were defeated.

Colorado

The Colorado Secretary of State’s office announced Jan. 6 that the Gray Wolf Reintroduction Initiative had qualified for the ballot. The measure would require the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to create a plan to reintroduce and manage gray wolves on designated lands in the western part of Colorado by the end of 2023. The gray wolf was classified as a federally endangered species in 1978. Idaho and Montana began wolf reintroduction programs in 1995 and it was removed from the endangered list in those states in 2011. Three other measures are currently certified for the 2020 ballot in Colorado.

South Dakota

Earlier this week, we brought you news about an initiative that South Dakota voters will decide later this year to establish a medical marijuana program. The Secretary of State’s office announced Jan. 6 that another measure regarding marijuana—an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana—had also qualified for the ballot in 2020. Individuals would be able to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and a 15% tax would be imposed on marijuana sales. Voters will decide both measures on Nov. 3.

To stay on top of all the news about ballot measures throughout 2020, consider subscribing to State Ballot Measure Monthly—our newsletter which tracks which measures have been certified and the news that surrounds them. The latest issue comes out next week—click the link below to subscribe and have it sent right to your email!

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