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The State and Local Tap: 2020 candidate filing concludes in Illinois, California
From Ballotpedia
December 7, 2019Issue No. 186
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
State Politics: The Week in Review
Ballot Measures Update
2020:
- Forty-three statewide measures in 20 states have been certified for the 2020 ballot so far.
- Eight of the 43 certified 2020 measures are citizen-initiated measures. Thirty-four are legislative referrals. One is an automatic constitutional revision commission question.
- Proponents of 13 ballot initiatives in California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota submitted signatures, which are pending verification by state officials.
- These include an initiative in Florida that would establish a top-two open primary system for primary elections for state legislators, the governor, and other state offices in Florida. The Florida Secretary of State unofficially reported that enough submitted signatures were valid to qualify the measure for the ballot.
- On December 5, proponents of a California initiative to allow local governments to adopt rent control on housing units reported submitting about 1 million signatures. At least 623,212 submitted signatures (or around 62.3 percent) need to be valid for the initiative to be certified.
Monday, December 2
Illinois candidate filing period ends
- The candidate filing deadline for Illinois established party candidates was December 2, 2019. The primary is scheduled for March 17, 2020, and the general election is November 3, 2020. Offices on the ballot in 2020 include 20 of the 59 state Senate seats, all 118 state House districts, four state Supreme Court judgeships, 10 intermediate appellate court seats, and local offices.
- Two other Illinois statewide ballot access deadlines for the November general election are scheduled. Judges with seats up for retention election must file a Declaration of Judicial Candidacy by May 3, 2020. Independent and new party candidates for regular election have a filing deadline on June 22. Additionally, write-in candidates must file their intent 61 days before an election, meaning they have until January 16, 2020, to file their intent for the primary and until September 3 for the general.
- The Illinois filing deadline was the third statewide filing deadline for the 2020 general elections. It was preceded by Alabama on November 8 and by Arkansas on November 12.
Wednesday, December 4
Washington governor announces supreme court appointment
- Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D) appointed Judge Raquel Montoya-Lewis to succeed Chief Justice Mary Fairhurst on the Washington Supreme Court. Fairhurst is retiring January 5, 2020, for health reasons. Montoya-Lewis is Inslee's second nominee to the nine-member supreme court.
- At the time of her appointment to the state supreme court, Montoya-Lewis was a judge for the Whatcom County Superior Court in Whatcom County. Before her appointment to the Whatcom County Superior Court, Montoya-Lewis served as the chief judge for the Nooksack and Upper Skagit Indian Tribes in Washington. She is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Isleta and a descendant of the Pueblo of Laguna Indian tribes.
- In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a replacement to the Washington Supreme Court. The appointee serves until the next general election, at which point he or she may run to serve for the remainder of the predecessor's term. The nine justices of the supreme court compete in contested elections without reference to party affiliation and must run for re-election when their terms expire. Supreme court justices serve for six years.
- The Washington Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has nine judgeships. Three of the court's nine justices were appointed by Democratic governors. The other six were elected by voters.
- In 2019, there have been 22 supreme court vacancies across 14 of the 29 states where replacement justices are appointed instead of elected. Retirements caused 14 of the vacancies. Two former justices took jobs in the private sector. One vacancy occurred when a justice was elevated to chief justice of the court, one occurred when a chief justice died, and four others occurred when the justices were elevated to federal judicial positions.
- Fairhurst is the first supreme court justice slated to retire in 2020.
Thursday, December 5
Vermont governor nominates state supreme court justice
- Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) nominated Judge William "Bill" Cohen to succeed Marilyn Skoglund as a justice on the Vermont Supreme Court. Skoglund retired on September 1, 2019. Cohen was Gov. Phil Scott's (R) second nominee to the five-member supreme court.
- At the time of his state supreme court appointment, Cohen was a superior court judge in Rutland County, Vermont. Governor Howard Dean appointed him to that office in 1999.
- Selection of state supreme court justices in Vermont occurs through gubernatorial appointment with state Senate confirmation. A judicial nominating commission submits a list of names to the governor, who then selects an appointee. The Vermont State Senate must also confirm the appointment. Approved nominees serve for six years, at which point they face retention by a vote of the Vermont General Assembly.
- The Vermont Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has five judgeships. If Cohen is confirmed, three of the court's justices will have been appointed by Republican governors and two were appointed by a Democratic governor.
Georgia Supreme Court justice announces retirement
- On December 5, 2019, Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham announced he is retiring March 1, 2020.
- Benham became an associate justice of the nine-member Georgia Supreme Court in 1989. He was appointed to the court in December of that year by Governor Joe Frank Harris (D).
- Selection of state supreme court justices in Georgia occurs through nonpartisan election of judges; however, the governor appoints judges with the help of a nomination commission in the event of a midterm vacancy. Benham’s replacement will be Governor Brian Kemp’s (R) first nominee to the nine-member supreme court. Judges serve six-year terms.
- The Georgia Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the state. It currently includes the following justices:
- Justice Keith Blackwell – appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R)
- Justice Robert Benham – appointed by Gov. Joe Frank Harris (D)
- Justice Michael P. Boggs – appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R)
- Justice David Nahmias – appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue (R)
- Justice Harold Melton – appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue (R)
- Justice Nels Peterson – appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R)
- Justice Sarah Warren – appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R)
- Justice Charlie Bethel – appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal (R)
- Justice John Ellington – Elected
- In 2020, there will be two state supreme court vacancies in two of the 29 states where replacement justices are appointed instead of elected. The vacancies were caused by retirements. One vacancy occurred in a state where a Republican governor appoints the replacement with the help of a nomination commission, and the other occurred in a state where a Democratic governor appoints the replacement with the help of a nomination commission.
Friday, December 6
California candidate filing period ends
- The filing deadline to run for elected office in California was December 6, 2019. In California, prospective candidates may file for the following offices:
- State Senate
- State Assembly
- Ballotpedia is also covering local elections in the following areas:
- 12 counties
- 17 cities
- 94 school districts
- The California Secretary of State will release the official candidate list on December 26. The primary is scheduled for March 3, and the general election is scheduled for November 3, 2020.
- California's statewide filing deadline is the fourth to take place in the 2020 election cycle. The next statewide filing deadline is on December 9 in Texas.
- California has a Democratic state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.
Special Elections
- So far this year, 77 state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 24 states. Special elections have been held for 73 seats so far; heading into those races, Democrats had previously controlled 37 of the seats while Republicans previously controlled 36. Five seats have flipped from Democratic control to Republican control. Two seats have flipped from Republican control to Democratic control. One seat has flipped from Republican control to an independent officeholder.
- Another 11 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2020 in seven states.
- In special elections between 2011 and 2018, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of four seats nationally each year.
- An average of 91 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past four odd years (2011: 94, 2013: 84, 2015: 88, 2017: 98).
- An average of 55 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past five even years (2010: 26, 2012: 45, 2014: 40, 2016: 65, 2018: 99).
Upcoming special elections include:
December 10
December 19
January 7
Local Politics: The Week in Review
- In 2019, Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. This encompasses every office on the ballot in these cities, including their municipal elections, trial court elections, school board elections, and local ballot measures. Ballotpedia is also covering all local recall elections as well as all local ballot measures in California and North Carolina. Below is a summary of recent and upcoming local ballot measure elections.
- December 10 - One measure in Oklahoma City
- Oklahoma City voters will vote on a proposition to levy a sales tax of 1% for eight years from April 2020 through April 2028 to fund the city's MAPS 4 projects. It would continue the current total sales tax rate in the city of 8.625% since the city's existing 1% transportation sales tax was set to expire in April 2020.
- November 16 - Four measures in New Orleans
- Four measures were on the ballot for New Orleans voters—a $500 million bond proposition, a charter amendment to establish a local Human Rights Commission, a property tax levy, and a measure to enact a tax on short-term rentals. The property tax measure was defeated, and the others were approved.
- December 10 - One measure in Oklahoma City
Tuesday, December 3
McLean wins mayoral runoff election in Boise, becomes city’s first elected woman mayor
- Lauren McLean defeated incumbent David Bieter in the runoff election for mayor of Boise on Tuesday—Dec. 3—receiving 65.5% of the vote. This was Boise's first runoff election for mayor in over 50 years. McLean and Bieter were the top two finishers in the city's general election Nov. 5, with McLean receiving 46% of the vote and Bieter 30% in a seven-candidate field.
- Bieter was first elected mayor of Boise in 2003 and has served four terms. McLean has been a member of the Boise City Council since 2011 and is the first woman elected to be the city's mayor. Although municipal elections in Boise are officially nonpartisan, McLean describes herself as a Democrat and Bieter is a former Democratic member of the Idaho House of Representatives.
- Boise is the largest city in Idaho and the 97th-largest city in the U.S. by population.
WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK
State Politics: What's On Tap Next Week
Monday, December 9
Candidate filing period to end in Texas
- The major-party filing deadline to run for elected office in Texas is on December 9, 2019. Independent candidates must submit their declaration of intent to run on the same date, but the final filing deadline for independent candidates is June 25, 2020. In Texas, state and local prospective candidates may file for the following offices:
- Texas Railroad Commissioner
- Texas State Board of Education - eight seats
- Texas State Senate - 16 seats
- Texas House of Representatives - 150 seats
- Texas Supreme Court - four seats
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals - four seats
- Texas Court of Appeals - 23 judgeships
- Ballotpedia is also covering multiple municipal and school board elections in Texas in 2020.
- The primary is scheduled for March 3, and the general election is scheduled for November 3, 2020.
- Texas’s statewide filing deadline is the fifth to take place in the 2020 election cycle. The next statewide filing deadline is on December 18 in Ohio.
- Texas has a Republican state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.
States in session
Four states—Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, and Wisconsin—are in regular session. Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia are in recess. Forty-two states have adjourned their 2019 legislative sessions.
Local Politics: What's On Tap Next Week
Tuesday, December 10
Early voting ends December 10 for Houston Independent School District runoff elections
- Early voting for runoff elections for two open seats on the Houston Independent School District (HISD) school board ends on December 10. The runoff election will be held on December 14, since no candidate received more than 50% of the vote during the November 5 elections. Katherine Blueford-Daniels and John Gibbs Sr. advanced in the race for District II, defeating three other candidates. In District IV, Patricia Allen and Matthew Barnes advanced from a four-candidate field.
- Four out of nine seats on the HISD school board were up for general election on November 5. On November 6, Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath notified the district of his decision to appoint a board of managers to replace the elected school board. This decision came as a result of a Texas Education Agency (TEA) investigation into the board’s governance and as a result of repeatedly poor academic performance ratings at a high school in the district
- Under a state-appointed board, elected board members would function as non-voting representatives until they were phased back in by the commissioner.
- As part of an ongoing lawsuit, HISD filed a request for a preliminary injunction to prevent state intervention on October 29. Judge Lee Yeakel of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas did not issue a ruling from the bench during the December 5 hearing but stated that he would issue a written opinion as soon as possible.
Early voting ends in Houston mayoral race
December 10 is the last chance for voters to cast an early ballot in Houston’s December 14 mayoral runoff race. Voters must choose between incumbent Mayor Sylvester Turner, who advanced from the 12-candidate general election field with 46.9% of the vote, and former Texas A&M Board of Regents member Tony Buzbee, who advanced from the general with 28.4% of the vote.
- In 2015, Turner won the runoff election against Bill King by 678 votes or about a 0.4% margin.
- Turner says his accomplishments in office include balancing the city's budget, leading the recovery effort after Hurricane Harvey, reforming the city’s pension system, easing traffic congestion, filling potholes, creating jobs, and strengthening the economy. He has also compared Buzbee to Trump
- Buzbee says corruption is creating inefficiency in Houston's government. He has proposed independent financial audits, process audits, and zero-based budgeting to improve the efficiency and transparency of the city’s resource allocation. He also says he wants to focus on local issues as mayor, not national, partisan divisions.
- The candidates have received several endorsements since the general election, including Turner’s endorsements from Congresswoman Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (D) and the Texas Democratic Party, and Buzbee’s endorsements from former 2019 Houston mayoral candidate Sue Lovell and the Houston Professional Firefighters Association.
- Houston’s mayor serves as the city’s chief executive and is responsible for proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors, and overseeing the city’s day-to-day operations. He or she also presides over the city council with voting privileges.
About
The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
