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State Legislative Tracker: Nevada joins list of Republican trifectas

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November 17, 2014

Edited by Joel Williams
This week’s tracker includes a look at the new Republican trifecta in Nevada.

Weekly highlight

  • Nevada: Fresh off of an election victory that saw them retake not only the Nevada State Senate, a Ballotpedia battleground chamber, but also the Nevada State Assembly, Nevada Republicans appear to be reviving the issue of voter identification well ahead of February's start to the new legislative session. Barbara Cegavske (R), an outgoing state senator recently elected as Nevada Secretary of State, told MSNBC's Zachary Roth last week that at least two bills relating to voter ID are being written and could be unified.[1] Cegavske was a vocal proponent of voter ID in her bid for executive office. Her soon-to-be predecessor, Ross Miller (D), unsuccessfully pushed a 2013 bill that would have required voters without identification to have their picture taken and sign an affidavit; Cegavske criticized the bill, which would have cost $800,000 to implement, as too expensive.[2][3] Current election law requires a voter's signature given at the polls to match the one on his or her voter registration; poll workers may request other identification, such as a driver's license, if the signature is not considered a match. Supporters including Cegavske say that voter ID is necessary to fight voter fraud, while opponents say that voter fraud is not a significant problem and that such laws are discriminatory against women, minorities, senior citizens, the poor and the disabled.[1][4] Zach Hudson, a spokesman for the Nevada Democratic Party, told The Huffington Post, "It's unfortunate that after spending her two decades in the legislature trying anything and everything to disenfranchise voters, Barbara Cegavske is planning to continue her war on voting when she becomes Secretary of State by pushing a discriminatory voter id (sic) bill. ... This is a solution in search of a problem that Nevada doesn't need and can't afford."[4] U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D) is up for re-election in 2016, and Pres. Barack Obama (D) is term-limited. While a flip in the state Senate was considered likely, the surprise flip in the Assembly gave the Nevada GOP its first state government trifecta since 1929.[4] If a voter ID bill is passed, Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) is likely to sign it, having voiced general support in 2012.[5]
  • New Jersey: On November 13, 2014, the New Jersey State Assembly passed a bill that legalizes assisted suicide. The Assembly passed A-2270 by a vote of 41 to 31, which comes after the bill was pulled from consideration in June.[6] This vote comes just over a week after 29-year-old Brittany Maynard died using Oregon's assisted suicide law, sparking public debate.[6] The bill establishes a plan for patients suffering from a terminal disease to request to end their lives.[7] The patient, who must have a prognosis of six months or less to live, would first have to verbally request a prescription from their attending physician for the drug, followed by the confirmation of their terminal illness by a second doctor.[8] The second doctor must also reaffirm that the patient is capable of making the decision and offer a chance to rescind their request.[8] According to the advocacy group Compassion & Choices, there are currently three U.S. states - Oregon, Washington and Vermont - that have adopted laws similar to Assembly Bill 2270, while doctors in Montana and New Mexico can write aid-in-dying medication for terminally ill patients because of court decisions.[6] The companion bill, S-382, currently sits stalled in the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee in the New Jersey State Senate. It is unclear if the Senate will pass the legislation, but Gov. Chris Christie (R) has said that he opposes the measure.[9]

Sessions

Regular sessions

Current sessions capture for the week of November 17, 2014
See also: Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions
Click here to see a chart of each state's 2014 session information.

Currently 1 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.[10]

The following states have adjourned their 2014 regular session:[11]

In recess

As of today, November 17, 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

SLP badge.png
See also: State legislative special elections, 2014

There are no special elections scheduled this week. The next special election will take place on December 6 in Texas.

Looking ahead

Upcoming special elections include:

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 MSNBC, "After takeover, Nevada GOPers ready voter ID," November 12, 2014
  2. ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Cegavske backs voter ID law for Nevada," September 26-28, 2014
  3. ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Miller calls for voter photo ID law in Nevada," November 27, 2012
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Huffington Post, "Nevada GOP Unsurprisingly Prioritizes Voter ID Law With New Majority," November 12, 2014
  5. ↑ Ralston Reports, "Miller causes stir with voter ID proposal," November 27, 2012
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Reuters, "New Jersey state Assembly approves assisted suicide bill," November 13, 2014
  7. ↑ Daily Record, "New Jersey Assembly passes physician-assisted suicide bill," November 14, 2014
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 NJ.com, "N.J. Assembly passes 'Aid in Dying' bill," November 13, 2014
  9. ↑ CBS Local New York, "New Jersey Assembly Approves Assisted Suicide Bill," November 13, 2014
  10. ↑ Cleveland.com, "Ohio's 2014 legislative calendar will be crammed with election-year politicking and backroom pleading: Thomas Suddes," December 15, 2013
  11. ↑ Stateside Associates, " Session Calendar 2014," accessed November 17, 2014
  12. ↑ StateNet, " Daily Session Summary," accessed November 17, 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
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