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State Legislative Tracker: Maine recount settled

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December 15, 2014

Edited by Joel Williams
This week’s tracker includes a final update on the recount situation in Maine and a look at a controversial resignation in South Carolina.

Weekly highlight

  • Maine: The book is all but shut on this year's Maine State Senate elections after a whirlwind case in District 25 was resolved last week. As the Tracker reported in its previous two editions, Cathy Breen (D) narrowly defeated Cathy Manchester (R) for an open seat on election night, but a recount swung in the opposite direction after what looked to be the appearance of 21 extra ballots for Manchester from the town of Long Island, leading Democrats to question the validity of the process. The Senate, contrary to Secretary of State Matt Dunlap's request to seat Breen, then elected to seat Manchester in the interim when it met on December 3.[1] The legislature held elections for three constitutional offices after meeting; Tim Feeley, spokesman for state Attorney General Janet Mills, said the results would stand, as "[t]he Senate determined at the time of the Joint Convention who the members were who could vote." The effect of Manchester being seated is unknown, as the vote was kept secret.[2] A special Senate committee held a second recount last Tuesday, discovering that the "phantom ballots" did not actually exist and that 21 ballots were counted twice. After another count, Breen was found to be the winner by 40 votes.[3] Manchester submitted her resignation following the finding, commenting, "I have full confidence that no one did anything wrong, that we have human error at the recount. I believe the people of District 25 have spoken, and they have spoken to vote Catherine Breen as their state senator." Long Island town clerk Brenda Singo expressed relief at her town being cleared of wrongdoing, calling herself a "very by-the-books person." Volunteer election clerk Annie Donovan was less diplomatic: "Someone owes my town an apology." While new Senate President Mike Thibodeau (R) accepted the outcome, he initially declined comment, noting, "You can't read my word balloon, man."[1] Republicans still control the chamber 20-14 with one vacancy left by Manchester. The Senate must still vote on the winner when it reconvenes in January; barring an unusual circumstance, Breen is expected to be confirmed and sworn in at that time.[4]
  • South Carolina: Rep. Kristopher Crawford (R) tendered his resignation on December 9, 2014, a month after earning re-election to the South Carolina House of Representatives. Crawford cited both family reasons and the re-organization of the state house as the basis for his decision.[5] According to The Nerve, the resignation may have been linked to their investigation into Crawford's campaign records and annual income-disclosure reports. The site's investigation alleged misuse of campaign funds, including payment for campaign work to a company owned by his wife and registered to the State Rep.'s personal address.[6] According to Ashley Landess, president of SC Policy Council, The Nerve's findings raised questions about Crawford's activities.[7] Rep. Phillip Lowe (R), a fellow lawmaker, disagreed with the idea that Crawford's resignation was based on anything but an interest to spend more time with his family and the changes to the South Carolina House of Representatives. "Former Speaker Bobby Harrell and Kris were very close and the downfall of the former speaker probably contributed to Kris’ decision. I’m absolutely sure this has nothing to do with anything negative with Kris Crawford," Lowe told SCNow.com.[5]
Crawford was unopposed in the 2014 election, earning re-election despite being found guilty of not filing tax returns on time between 2004 and 2007. He paid a $10,000 fine but received no jail time for the misdemeanor charges. According to the South Carolina Election Commission, the primary to fill Crawford's seat will be held on February 24, 2015, and a special election will be held on April 14, 2015.[8]

Sessions

Regular sessions

Current sessions capture for the week of December 15, 2014
See also: Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions
Click here to see a chart of each state's 2014 session information.

Currently 3 out of 50 state legislatures is meeting in regular session. Ohio is meeting in Skeleton Session. A Skeleton Session typically includes very short nonvoting sessions instead of regular sessions with a full chamber.[9]

The following states have adjourned their 2014 regular session:[10]

The following states have convened their 2015 regular session:[11]

In recess

As of today, December 15, there are two state legislatures currently in recess.[12]

2014 Legislative Elections

See also: State legislative elections, 2014

A total of 87 of the 99 chambers held state legislative elections on November 4, 2014.

The 87 chambers with elections in 2014 were in 46 states. They were:

The Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico and South Carolina senates also typically hold elections in even years. However, senators are elected to 4-year terms in those states and those were not up for election again until 2016.

1,099 of the country's 1,972 state senate seats were up for re-election in November 2014, and 4,958 of the country's 5,411 state house seats were up for re-election. Altogether, 6,057 of the country's 7,383 state legislative seats were up for re-election on November 4, 2014.

Election results

Heading into the 2014 elections, Republicans held a majority of state legislative chambers. Fifty-nine chambers, counting the New York State Senate and Washington State Senate, were under Republican control. (Although the New York State Senate and Washington State Senate technically had Democratic majorities, in both states a coalition arrangement between several break-away Democrats and the minority Republicans gave the Republicans effective control of those chambers.) Democrats held effective controlling majorities in 39 chambers: 18 state senates and 21 state houses. Although technically nonpartisan, the Nebraska State Senate was controlled by a Republican majority.[13]

The following table details partisan balance in all 99 chambers.

Partisan Balance of All 99 Chambers Before and After 2014 Elections
Pre-election Post-election
Legislative Chamber Democratic Party Republican Party Split balance Grey.png Democratic Party Republican Party Split balance Grey.png
State senates 18 31* 0 1 14 35[14] 0 1
State houses 21 28 0 0 16 33 0 0
Total: 39 59* 0 1 30 68 0 1

*Note: Although Democrats had numerical majorities in both the New York State Senate and Washington State Senate, coalitions gave Republicans control of those chambers.

Fourteen independent candidates were elected to state legislatures in 2014, two in state senates and twelve in state houses. Of the 218 independent candidates that ran for election in 2014, 6.4 percent won election.[15]

Primary Information

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2014 state legislative elections

The state legislative filing deadlines and primary dates were as follows:

Note: Ballot access is a complicated issue. The dates in the table below are primarily for candidates filing for access to the primary. For more detailed information about each state's qualification requirements -- including all relevant ballot access dates for the primary and general election -- click to our detailed pages in the state column.

2014 State Legislative Primary Information
State Filing Deadline Primary Date Days from Deadline to Primary
Alabama Red padlock.png 2/7/2014 Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 116
Alaska Red padlock.png 6/2/2014[16] Red padlock.png 8/19/2014 78
Arizona Red padlock.png 5/28/2014[17] Red padlock.png 8/26/2014 90
Arkansas Red padlock.png 3/3/2014[18][19] Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 78
California Red padlock.png 3/7/2014[20][21][22] Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 88
Colorado Red padlock.png 3/31/2014[23][24] Red padlock.png 6/24/2014 85
Connecticut Red padlock.png 6/10/2014[25] Red padlock.png 8/12/2014 90
Delaware Red padlock.png 7/8/2014 Red padlock.png 9/9/2014 63
Florida Red padlock.png 6/20/2014[26][27] Red padlock.png 8/26/2014 67
Georgia Red padlock.png 3/7/2014 Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 74
Hawaii Red padlock.png 6/3/2014[28] Red padlock.png 8/9/2014 67
Idaho Red padlock.png 3/14/2014 Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 78
Illinois Red padlock.png 12/2/2013 Red padlock.png 3/18/2014 106
Indiana Red padlock.png 2/7/2014 Red padlock.png 5/6/2014 88
Iowa Red padlock.png 3/14/2014 Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 81
Kansas Red padlock.png 6/2/2014 Red padlock.png 8/5/2014 65
Kentucky Red padlock.png 1/28/2014[29][30] Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 112
Maine Red padlock.png 3/17/2014[31] Red padlock.png 6/10/2014 85
Maryland Red padlock.png 2/25/2014[32] Red padlock.png 6/24/2014 119
Massachusetts Red padlock.png 6/3/2014[33] Red padlock.png 9/9/2014 98
Michigan Red padlock.png 4/22/2014 Red padlock.png 8/5/2014 105
Minnesota Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 Red padlock.png 8/12/2014 70
Missouri Red padlock.png 3/25/2014 Red padlock.png 8/5/2014 133
Montana Red padlock.png 3/10/2014 Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 85
Nebraska Red padlock.png 3/3/2014[34] Red padlock.png 5/13/2014 85
Nevada Red padlock.png 3/14/2014 Red padlock.png 6/10/2014 88
New Hampshire Red padlock.png 6/13/2014 Red padlock.png 9/9/2014 88
New Mexico Red padlock.png 2/4/2014 Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 119
New York Red padlock.png 7/10/2014 Red padlock.png 9/9/2014 61
North Carolina Red padlock.png 2/28/2014 Red padlock.png 5/6/2014 67
North Dakota Red padlock.png 4/7/2014 Red padlock.png 6/10/2014 64
Ohio Red padlock.png 2/5/2014 Red padlock.png 5/6/2014 90
Oklahoma Red padlock.png 4/11/2014 Red padlock.png 6/24/2014 74
Oregon Red padlock.png 3/11/2014 Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 70
Pennsylvania Red padlock.png 3/11/2014 Red padlock.png 5/20/2014 70
Rhode Island Red padlock.png 6/25/2014 Red padlock.png 9/9/2014 76
South Carolina Red padlock.png 3/30/2014 Red padlock.png 6/10/2014 72
South Dakota Red padlock.png 3/25/2014 Red padlock.png 6/3/2014 70
Tennessee Red padlock.png 4/3/2014 Red padlock.png 8/7/2014 126
Texas Red padlock.png 12/9/2013 Red padlock.png 3/4/2014 85
Utah Red padlock.png 3/20/2014 Red padlock.png 6/24/2014 96
Vermont Red padlock.png 6/12/2014 Red padlock.png 8/26/2014 75
Washington Red padlock.png 5/17/2014 Red padlock.png 8/5/2014 80
West Virginia Red padlock.png 1/25/2014 Red padlock.png 5/13/2014 108
Wisconsin Red padlock.png 6/2/2014 Red padlock.png 8/12/2014 71
Wyoming Red padlock.png 5/30/2014 Red padlock.png 8/19/2014 81


Special Elections

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See also: State legislative special elections, 2014

There are no special elections scheduled this week. The next one will take place on December 30 in Iowa.

Recent results

☑ California State Senate District 35

See also: California state legislative special elections, 2014

Isadore Hall, III (D) defeated Louis L. Dominguez (D), Hector Serrano (D) and James Spencer (R) in the special election on December 9, 2014.[35][36]

The seat was vacant following Roderick Wright's (D) resignation on September 22, 2014, after he was convicted in a perjury and voting fraud case.[37]

A special election for the position of California State Senate District 35 was called for December 9, with a runoff on February 10, 2015, if necessary. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was October 17, 2014.[38]

California State Senate, District 35, Special Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngIsadore Hall, III 55.9% 17,951
     Republican James Spencer 25% 8,014
     Democratic Louis L. Dominguez 12.7% 4,067
     Democratic Hector Serrano 6.4% 2,069
Total Votes 32,101


December 9 special election candidates:
Democratic Party Louis L. Dominguez
Democratic Party Isadore Hall, III Green check mark transparent.png
Democratic Party Hector Serrano
Republican Party James Spencer

☑ Virginia House of Delegates District 4

See also: Virginia state legislative special elections, 2014

Todd E. Pillion (R) defeated Donnie W. Rife (D) in the special election on December 9.[39][36]

The seat was vacant following A. Benton Chafin's (R) election to the Virginia State Senate on August 19, 2014.[40]

A special election for the position of Virginia House of Delegates District 4 was called for December 9. Candidates were nominated by their party rather than chosen through a primary. The nominating deadline for parties was October 9.[41]

Virginia House of Delegates, District 4, Special Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngTodd E. Pillion 66.3% 4,570
     Democratic Donnie W. Rife 33.7% 2,327
Total Votes 6,897


December 9 special election candidates:
Democratic Party Donnie W. Rife
Republican Party Todd E. Pillion Green check mark transparent.png

Looking ahead

Upcoming special elections include:

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Portland Press Herald, "No fraud, just poor counting, and Senate election has new winner," December 9-10, 2014
  2. ↑ The Forecaster, "Probe shows Democrat Breen got more votes in Senate District 25; Manchester resigns," December 9, 2014
  3. ↑ WCSH, "Senate recount: "mystery ballots" didn't exist," accessed December 11, 2014
  4. ↑ Maine Public Broadcasting, "Democrat Declared Winner of Maine District 25 Race - Finally," December 9, 2014
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gavin Jackson, SCNow.com, "Florence Rep. Kris Crawford resigns from office," December 9, 2014
  6. ↑ Rick Brundrett, The Nerve, "Crawford’s Resignation Tendered After Nerve Investigation," December 10, 2014
  7. ↑ Robert Kittle, WSPA, "SC House Member Resigns Amidst Ethics Questions," December 10, 2014
  8. ↑ Seanna Adcox, Associated Press The Republic, "Florence House member Kris Crawford resigns 1 month after being elected to 5th term," December 9, 2014
  9. ↑ Cleveland.com, "Ohio's 2014 legislative calendar will be crammed with election-year politicking and backroom pleading: Thomas Suddes," December 15, 2013
  10. ↑ Stateside Associates, " Session Calendar 2014," accessed December 15, 2014
  11. ↑ Stateside Associates, " Session Calendar 2014," accessed December 15, 2014
  12. ↑ StateNet, " Daily Session Summary," accessed December 15, 2014
  13. ↑ Omaha.com, "Democrats cut into GOP lead in Nebraska Legislature," accessed May 13, 2014 (dead link)
  14. ↑ Note: West Virginia was originally tied but State Senator Daniel Hall changed from the Democratic to the Republican Party the day after the election, giving partisan control to the Republicans.
  15. ↑ ballot-access.org, "Fourteen Independent Candidates Elected to State Legislatures," November 6, 2014
  16. ↑ Alaska Statutes, "Section 15.25, Nomination of Candidates," accessed October 31, 2013
  17. ↑ Secretary of State Website, "2014 Election Important Dates," accessed November 4, 2013
  18. ↑ Running for Public Office, "A 'Plain English' Handbook for Candidates," 2012 Edition, accessed October 21, 2013 (dead link)
  19. ↑ Arkansas Code of 1987, "Title 7, Elections," accessed October 30, 2013
  20. ↑ Summary of Qualifications and Requirements for the Office of State Senator, Member of the Assembly, "June 3, 2014, Primary Election," accessed October 21, 2013
  21. ↑ California Elections Code, "Section 8100-8107," accessed October 28, 2013
  22. ↑ California Secretary of State Website, "Key Dates and Deadlines," accessed October 21, 2013
  23. ↑ Colorado Secretary of State Website, "Major Political Parties FAQs," accessed October 31, 2013
  24. ↑ Colorado Revised Statutes, "Title 1, Elections," accessed October 31, 2013
  25. ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State Website, "Frequently Asked Questions, Nominating Papers," accessed October 31, 2013
  26. ↑ Florida Department of State Division of Elections, "2013-2014 Dates to Remember," accessed November 6, 2013
  27. ↑ 2013 Florida Statutes, "Section 99.061," accessed December 2, 2014
  28. ↑ Hawaii State Legislature, "HRS §12-6 Nomination papers: time for filing; fees", accessed May 22, 2013
  29. ↑ 2014 Kentucky Election Calendar, accessed November 12, 2013
  30. ↑ Kentucky State Board of Elections "Candidate Qualifications and Filing Fees" accessed November 26, 2011
  31. ↑ Maine Secretary of State "State of Maine 2014 Candidate's Guide to Ballot Access," accessed February 11, 2014
  32. ↑ The State Board of Elections, "Candidacy," accessed November 5, 2013
  33. ↑ 2014 Massachusetts State Primary and State Election Schedule, accessed December 2, 2013
  34. ↑ Official Election Calendar for the State of Nebraska, accessed November 18, 2014
  35. ↑ California Secretary of State, "Notice to Candidates," accessed October 20, 2014
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 California Secretary of State, "Official election results," accessed December 31, 2014 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "result" defined multiple times with different content
  37. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Sen. Wright to resign Sept. 22, start sentence Oct. 31," September 15, 2014
  38. ↑ California Secretary of State, "State Senate District 35 - Special Election," accessed September 29, 2014
  39. ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Official candidate list," accessed October 31, 2014
  40. ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Unofficial special election results," accessed August 20, 2014
  41. ↑ TriCities.com, "Special election set to fill 4th District House of Delegates seat in Virginia," September 16, 2014
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