Daily Brew: September 17, 2018

September 17, 2018

Today's Brew introduces you to our newest email that will keep you up to speed on this election cycle + a webinar from our ballot measure experts   Welcome to the Monday, Monday Brew. Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Happy Constitution Day 185 state legislative leaders running for re-election or new offices Learn how to navigate Cal-Access Happy Constitution Day! Stay informed about this cycle to celebrate Today is the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Here at Ballotpedia, we are big fans and want to give everyone the power to become an active and engaged citizen. A major pillar to our mission is to empower our audience to engage in democracy by delivering exceptionally high-quality information. One way we will be doing this in 2018 is through our new Election Updates weekly newsletter. Primary season has ended, but Election Updates picks up where the Heart of the Primaries left off, diving into the details of all the most highly-contested races of the general election. We'll carry you through to November 6 with weekly email updates from the front lines of 2018 midterm battles. In each email, you’ll find information on the key races defining this election season. We’ll help you stay updated on polling, moves by political operatives, campaign and satellite spending, endorsements, and more. This newsletter will focus on the congressional and state government landscape. Each week, we'll feature a midterm race that we find fascinating (and that we think you will, too) and a state legislative battleground chamber. You'll also get a chance to hear from candidates who have responded to our signature Candidate Connection survey. Click here to subscribe now to stay on top of this year's biggest midterm election news! Learn more Judge orders Missouri Amendment 1 off the 2018 general election ballot Missouri Amendment 1, which would make changes to the state's lobbying laws, campaign finance limits for state legislative candidates, and legislative redistricting process, was removed from the general election ballot on Friday. Judge Daniel Green of the Cole County Circuit Court ruled that Amendment 1 violated the state’s single-subject rule, which says that ballot initiatives "shall contain not more than one subject." Clean Missouri, the PAC behind Amendment 1, said the measure's policies relate to one subject—ethics. Judge Green, however, said Amendment 1’s substantive changes relate to “at least two different and extremely broad purposes: (One), the organization of the General Assembly, and (two), ethics or campaign finance regulation aimed at avoiding misconduct by public officials in multiple branches and levels of government.” Clean Missouri's lawyer Chuck Hatfield said the group would appeal. Hatfield stated, "We have always thought that this legal matter would be decided at the Appeals Court level. This is a speed bump, but the law is on our side, the people are on our side, and Amendment 1 will be passed in November to clean up Missouri politics.” Missouri GOP spokesperson Chris Nuelle responded to the ruling, saying, "From the beginning, Clean Missouri has used the guise of ethics reform and sleek marketing to distract Missourians from their real aim: radically redistricting Missouri to solely benefit liberal Democrats." An appeal would go to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District. Typically, a three-judge panel, rather than all 11 judges of the appeals court district, hear and decide a case. Of the 11 judges on the Court of Appeals, Western District, former Democratic governors appointed 9 of 11. Former Republican governors appointed 2 of 11. Judge Green was elected to the Cole County Circuit Court as a Republican. Voters in Colorado, Ohio, and Utah will also weigh in on ballot measures related to redistricting this year. Learn more→ Learn how to navigate Cal-Access Every year, voters in California decide state and local ballot measures on as many as a dozen different election dates. A central piece of reporting on these ballot measures involves the online political disclosure system Cal-Access. One of the most common questions our ballot measure writers get from journalists is how to navigate Cal-Access. With a filing deadline coming up on September 27, we thought it would be the perfect time to host a webinar to teach others how to navigate the site. In this webinar, our ballot measure experts will walk you through how to use Cal-Access to get the answers you need. The registration fee for this webinar is $10. Reserve your spot here→