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State Legislative Tracker: Mississippi House supermajority may depend on a coin flip

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November 16, 2015

Edited by Jackie Beran

This week’s tracker includes a look at a tied election in Mississippi and a state senator in Missouri who is trying to block a doctoral student's dissertation on abortion.

Weekly highlight

Mississippi House of Representatives

MISSISSIPPI: A game of chance is all that separates Republicans from gaining a supermajority in the state House of Representatives.[1] Last week, the party switch by incumbent Jody Steverson from Democrat to Republican gave Republicans 73 seats and left them one seat away from a supermajority.[2] On November 12, 2015, certified results showed that the election in District 79 between incumbent Bo Eaton (D) and Republican challenger Mark Tullos ended in a tie.[1] Both candidates received 4,589 votes.[3] Eaton initially appeared to lose his seat in the general election by six votes, but the candidates became tied after 12 affidavit ballots were counted.[4] According to state law, if a multi-county election is tied, the winner "shall be determined by lot."[4] In the past, some Mississippi elections were determined by a coin toss or by drawing straws.[4] The local government or election boards will determine the method, and the secretary of state and governor will oversee it.[4] Eaton said he would appeal to Gov. Phil Bryant (R) to call a special session before the current term ends to change the law on how tied elections are decided and then hold a new election.[3] Eaton thinks that "the casting of lots is medieval and not suitable for today’s society."[3] Under state law, either candidate can also appeal to the full House and ask the chamber to determine who should represent the district.[3]

State Sen. Kurt Schaefer (R)

MISSOURI: A conservative state senator is looking to block a dissertation by a University of Missouri doctoral student on the effects of the state's 72-hour waiting period before an abortion can be carried out. Kurt Schaefer (R), chair of the Senate's Interim Committee on the Sanctity of Life, says that the study violates state law and that it serves "as a marketing aid for Planned Parenthood — one that is funded, in part or in whole, by taxpayer dollars." In Missouri, public funds and resources cannot be used to "encourage or counsel a woman to have an abortion not necessary to save her life."[5] Lindsay Ruhr, a student at the university's School of Social Work and a Planned Parenthood research coordinator, is conducting the study under school director Marjorie Sable, a member of a regional Planned Parenthood board of directors. Schaefer argues that Ruhr's and Sable's connections to the organization present a conflict of interest. Laura McQuade, regional president of Planned Parenthood, called upon the university to maintain "academic freedom" and charged Schaefer with attempting to advance his political career.[6] Ruhr told Al Jazeera America last Wednesday that the study was objective, adding, "Whether this policy is having a harmful or beneficial effect, we don’t know." The university said that Ruhr had not received any scholarship or grant monies.[7]

Last year, the state passed a law requiring a 72-hour waiting period before a woman could obtain an abortion.[8] Missouri also requires an ultrasound scan and counseling before an abortion can be administered.[5]

Earlier this year, Schaefer led an investigation into Planned Parenthood following claims that the organization sold fetal tissue.[9][5] The senator has also been vocal about the recent Concerned Student 1950 protests at the university, calling for the termination of a faculty member and a staffer who were shown confronting a journalist in a viral video.[10]

Sessions

Current sessions capture for the week of November 16, 2015
See also: Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions
Click here to see a chart of each state's 2015 session information.

Regular sessions

Currently four out of 50 state legislatures are meeting in regular session. Two states are in recess, 43 states have adjourned their 2015 legislative sessions and one state is in special session.

The following states are in regular session:[11]

In recess

As of today, November 16, there are two state legislatures currently in recess.[12]


Adjourned

The following states have adjourned their 2015 regular sessions:[13]

  • February 27, 2015: Virginia; one-day special session ended on 8/17[14]
  • March 6, 2015: Wyoming
  • March 12, 2015: Utah; one-day special session ended on 8/19
  • March 14, 2015: West Virginia
  • March 21, 2015: New Mexico; one-day special session ended on 6/8
  • March 23, 2015: Kentucky
  • March 30, 2015: South Dakota
  • April 2, 2015: Arkansas; three-day special session ended on 5/28
  • April 2, 2015: Arizona; three-day special session ended on 10/30
  • April 2, 2015: Georgia
  • April 2, 2015: Mississippi
  • April 11, 2015: Idaho; one-day special session ended on 5/18
  • April 13, 2015: Maryland
  • April 22, 2015: Tennessee
  • April 24, 2015: Washington; special sessions were from 4/29 to 5/28, 5/29 to 6/27 and 6/28 to 7/10
  • April 27 , 2015: Alaska; 1st special session was from 4/28 to 5/21; 2nd special session was from 5/21 to 6/11; 3rd special session was from 10/24 to 11/5
  • April 28, 2015: Montana
  • April 29, 2015: Indiana
  • April 29, 2015: North Dakota; one-day special session ended on 6/16
  • May 1, 2015: Florida; 1st special session was from 6/1 to 6/19; 2nd special session was from 8/10 to 8/21; 3rd special session was from 10/19 to 11/5
  • May 6, 2015: Colorado
  • May 7, 2015: Hawaii
  • May 15, 2015: Missouri
  • May 16, 2015: Vermont
  • May 18, 2015: Minnesota; one-day special session ended on 6/13
  • May 22, 2015: Oklahoma
  • May 29, 2015: Nebraska
  • June 1, 2015: Texas
  • June 1, 2015: Nevada
  • June 3, 2015: Connecticut; special session was from 6/29 to 6/30
  • June 4, 2015: South Carolina; special veto session was from 6/16 to 7/9
  • June 4, 2015: Alabama; 1st special session was from 7/13 to 8/11; 2nd special session was from 9/8 to 9/16
  • June 5, 2015: Iowa
  • June 11, 2015: Louisiana
  • June 12, 2015: Kansas
  • June 25, 2015: Rhode Island
  • June 25, 2015: New York
  • June 30, 2015: Delaware; special session was from 6/30 to 7/1
  • July 1, 2015: New Hampshire
  • July 6, 2015: Oregon
  • July 16, 2015: Maine
  • September 12, 2015: California
  • September 30, 2015: North Carolina

Special sessions

As of today, November 16, there is one state legislature currently in special session.

  • November 6, 2015: Wisconsin; convened extraordinary session

2015 Legislative Elections

See also: State legislative elections, 2015

In the 50 states, there are 99 state legislative chambers, of which seven chambers have held or are holding state legislative elections in November 2015.[15]

There are seven chambers in four states with elections in 2015:

A total of 131 of the country's 1,972 state senate seats and 407 of the country's 5,411 state house seats were or will be up for a vote. This accounts for 6.6 percent of the country's state senate seats and 7.5 percent of the country's state house seats. Altogether, 538 (7.3%) of the country's 7,383 state legislative seats were or will be up for election. Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia hold elections in odd-numbered years. The New Jersey State Senate is the only chamber in those four states without scheduled elections in 2015.

Primary Information

The state legislative filing deadlines and primary dates in 2015 were as follows:

Filing Deadlines

Primary Dates

Special Elections

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See also: State legislative special elections, 2015

There are no special elections scheduled for this week.

Recent elections results

November 10, 2015

☑ New Hampshire House of Representatives District Strafford 1

See also: New Hampshire state legislative special elections, 2015

A special election for the position of New Hampshire House of Representatives District Strafford 1 was called for November 10. A primary election took place on September 22.[20]

The seat was vacant following Robbie Parsons' (R) death on June 22, 2015.[21]

Larry Brown (D) was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Robert Graham defeated Frank Emiro in the Republican primary. Brown was defeated by Graham in the special election.[22][23]

New Hampshire House of Representatives, Strafford1, Special Election, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Graham 77.8% 259
     Democratic Larry Brown 22.2% 74
Total Votes 333
New Hampshire House of Representatives, Strafford1 Republican Primary, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Graham 92.9% 92
Frank Emiro 7.1% 7
Total Votes 99
Democratic Party September 22 Democratic primary candidates:
Republican Party September 22 Republican primary candidates:
November 10 Special election candidates:
Democratic Party Larry Brown
Republican Party Robert Graham Green check mark transparent.png

☐ Oklahoma State Senate District 34

See also: Oklahoma state legislative special elections, 2016

A special election for the position of Oklahoma State Senate District 34 was called for January 12, 2016. A primary election took place on November 10, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 2, 2015.[24]

The seat was vacant following Rick Brinkley's (R) resignation on August 20, 2015. He resigned before admitting in federal court that he stole $1.8 million from the Better Business Bureau.[25]

J.J. Dossett defeated Lisa Franklin in the Democratic primary, while David McLain defeated Mark Williams, John Feary and Chuck Daugherty in the Republican primary. Greg Douglass withdrew from the race before the Republican primary.[26] Dossett defeated McLain in the special election.[27][28]

Oklahoma State Senate, District 34, Special Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJ.J. Dossett 56.3% 2,173
     Republican David McLain 43.7% 1,687
Total Votes 3,860
Democratic Party November 10 Democratic primary candidates:
Republican Party November 10 Republican primary candidates:
Note: Greg Douglass withdrew from the race before the primary.[26]
January 12 Special election candidates:
Democratic Party J.J. Dossett
Republican Party David McLain

Looking ahead

Upcoming special elections include:

  • December 1:
  • December 8:

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gulf Live, "Tied Mississippi House race may be decided by luck of draw," accessed November 13, 2015
  2. ↑ Sun Herald, "GOP poised to take supermajority in Mississippi House," accessed November 13, 2015
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 djournal.com, "GOP’s super majority could hinge on coin flip," accessed November 13, 2015
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Clarion Ledger, "State House race ends in tie," accessed November 13, 2015
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Associated Press, "Missouri senator objects to study on 72-hour abortion waiting period," November 6, 2015
  6. ↑ MissouriNet, "Schaefer Says MU Study of Missouri 72-Hour Abortion Wait Violates State Law," November 8, 2015
  7. ↑ Al Jazeera America, "Missouri state senator aims to block student's dissertation on abortion," November 11, 2015
  8. ↑ KBIA, "Missouri Senator Objects to Study on Abortion Waiting Period," November 6, 2015
  9. ↑ KOMU, "Opponents pressure MU's Loftin to cut ties with Planned Parenthood," November 6, 2015
  10. ↑ KOMU, "Sen. Schaefer says he's "outraged" over actions caught on video," November 12, 2015
  11. ↑ Stateside Associates, "Session Calendar 2015," accessed November 16, 2015
  12. ↑ StateNet, "Daily Session Summary," accessed November 16, 2015
  13. ↑ StateNet, "Daily Session Summary," accessed November 16, 2015
  14. ↑ Special session abruptly adjourned on August 17 with no agreement in place over redistricting congressional districts. The deadline to create new congressional maps was September 1. The courts determined that the state's 3rd Congressional District must be re-drawn. The courts are expected to rule on a new congressional map in November.
  15. ↑ Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia held general elections on November 3, 2015. Louisiana's general elections will be held on November 21.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2015 Elections," accessed January 2, 2015
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 New Jersey Department of Elections, "2015 Primary Election Timeline," accessed February 2, 2015
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Virginia State Board of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
  20. ↑ Fosters, "Special election to be held in state rep. District 1," accessed September 3, 2015
  21. ↑ fosters.com, "State rep. loses battle with kidney cancer," accessed June 26, 2015
  22. ↑ fosters.com, "Graham, Brown to face off for state representative seat," accessed September 23, 2015
  23. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "Strafford County District No. 1 (Middleton, Milton)," accessed November 20, 2015
  24. ↑ theadanews.com, "Oklahoma governor sets special election to replace senator," accessed August 12, 2015
  25. ↑ koco.com, "Oklahoma state senator pleads guilty to wire fraud, tax evasion; resigns position," accessed August 20, 2015
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Oklahoma State Election Board, "Candidates for State Senator District 34 Special Election," accessed September 3, 2015
  27. ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Special Legislative Races Special Election — November 10, 2015," accessed November 11, 2015
  28. ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Special Legislative Races Special Election — January 12, 2016," accessed January 13, 2016
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