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Welcome to The State and Local Tap
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June 26, 2021
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Our weekly summary of state & local news highlights the results from this week’s mayoral primary elections in New York City and the latest news regarding the recall effort targeting California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Read all about it in this week’s edition of the State & Local Tap:
We won’t publish the Tap next week due to the Independence Day holiday. Our next edition will be on July 10. |
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BALLOTPEDIA |
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Eric Adams leads in early results from New York City's Democratic mayoral primary
Early results from New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary on June 22 have Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams leading 12 other Democrats with 32% support in the first round of voting. Former Mayoral Counsel Maya Wiley and former City Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia have 22% and 20%, respectively. Up to 207,000 absentee ballots remain to be counted in the Democratic primary.
This was the first time ranked-choice voting (RCV) was used for a mayoral primary in the city's history. Final RCV tabulations are not expected until the week of July 12 due to the deadlines for voters to submit absentee ballots and fix ballot issues.
Curtis Sliwa defeated Fernando Mateo in the Republican primary, receiving more than 70% of the vote. Sliwa and the Democratic nominee will advance to the general election on Nov. 2. Incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) is not running for re-election due to term limits.
California secretary of state determines there are sufficient signatures to hold recall election of Gov. Newsom
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) announced on June 23 that a recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will take place. On that day, Weber directed the state Department of Finance to develop a cost analysis for the election.
Voters who signed recall petitions had until June 8 to withdraw their signature. Forty-three signatures were removed during this period, leaving 1,719,900 valid signatures on the petitions. A total of 1,495,709 valid signatures were necessary to trigger a recall election. Based on the remaining procedural steps required by state law, an election is likely to take place in October or November 2021.
Political analysts and legislators have speculated that an election could take place as early as August. The California Association of Clerks and Election Officials wrote a letter to Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis (D) requesting that a recall not take place before Sept. 14, citing supply chain issues with paper and envelopes given the unknown number of candidates. Kounalakis is responsible for setting the date of the recall election.
Ballot Measures Update
Twenty-nine statewide measures have been certified for the 2021 ballot in seven states so far.
Two new measures were certified for the 2021 ballot last week:
Fifty-five statewide measures have been certified for the 2022 ballot in 26 states so far.
One new measure was certified for the 2022 ballot last week:
Signatures have been submitted and are pending verification for three additional 2022 initiatives in California and Michigan.
Michigan, West Virginia end statewide face-covering requirements
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) ended most remaining statewide coronavirus restrictions, including the statewide mask mandate, on June 22. Vaccinated and unvaccinated people still have to wear masks on public transportation and at public transportation hubs, such as bus stations and airports.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) ended the statewide mask requirements for unvaccinated individuals on June 20. Vaccinated and unvaccinated people still have to wear masks on public transportation and at public transportation hubs.
Thirty-nine states issued statewide public mask requirements during the pandemic. Ten states currently have statewide mask orders. All 10 have Democratic governors. Nine of those 10 states exempt fully-vaccinated people from most requirements.
New state legislators appointed in Hawaii, New Mexico
Two new state legislators were appointed in Hawaii and New Mexico:
Lynn DeCoite (D) was appointed on June 17 to the District 7 seat in the Hawaii State Senate, which became vacant in May after former state Sen. Jamie Kalani English (D) retired. Kalani English cited the long-term health effects of a past COVID-19 infection as his reason for leaving office. Governor David Ige (D) appointed DeCoite to serve the remainder of Kalani English’s term, which expires in November 2022. At the time of her appointment, DeCoite was serving her fourth term in the Hawaii House of Representatives.
DeCoite’s appointment to the state Senate creates a vacancy in the state House. When a vacancy occurs in the Hawaii legislature, the governor must appoint a replacement within 60 days. The appointee will serve the remainder of DeCoite’s term until the next general election in November 2022.
The Bernalillo County Commission appointed Pamelya Herndon (D) to District 28 of the New Mexico House of Representatives on June 22. Herndon replaces Melanie Ann Stansbury (D), who was elected to New Mexico's 1st Congressional District on June 1. Herndon was one of eight candidates seeking Stansbury’s former seat and will serve the remainder of Stansbury’s term, which ends on Jan. 17, 2023.
Special Elections
Forty state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 17 states so far this year. Twenty-nine (29) specials have taken place already. Heading into those races, Democrats had previously controlled 15 of the seats, and Republicans previously controlled 14. No seats have changed party hands as a result of the special elections.
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In special elections between 2011 and 2020, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of four seats nationally each year.
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An average of 57 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past six even years (2010: 30, 2012: 46, 2014: 40, 2016: 65, 2018: 99, 2020: 59).
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An average of 88 seats were filled through special elections in each of the past five odd years (2011: 94, 2013: 84, 2015: 89, 2017: 98, 2019: 77).
Upcoming special elections include:
June 29
July 13
July 27
Michigan Supreme Court considers extending state's redistricting deadlines
On June 21, the Michigan Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission’s request to extend the state's constitutional deadline for adopting new district maps.
Under the Michigan Constitution, the commission must publish plans for public comment by Sept. 17 and adopt new redistricting plans by Nov. 1. The commission said it wouldn't be able to meet that timeline due to delays in receiving census data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The commission is asking that the state supreme court issue an order directing the commission to propose plans within 72 days of the receipt of redistricting data and to approve plans within 45 days thereafter.
The state supreme court asked the Michigan attorney general’s office to assemble two separate teams to make arguments, one in support of the commission's request and another opposed. It did not indicate when it would issue a decision in the matter.
Alex Kasser resigns from Connecticut Senate
Connecticut state Sen. Alex Kasser (D) resigned from the legislature on June 22. Kasser, who represented District 36, cited her ongoing divorce proceedings as the reason for her resignation.
Kasser said in a statement, “It is with deep sadness that I announce my resignation as State Senator. Serving the residents of Connecticut’s 36th Senate district has been a profound honor and a great joy. However, due to personal circumstances, I cannot continue.” Kasser was first elected to the state Senate in 2018, defeating incumbent Scott Frantz (R) 50% to 49%. She won re-election in 2020, defeating challenger Ryan Fazio (R) 51% to 49%.
When a vacancy occurs in the Connecticut state Senate, the governor must call for a special election within 10 days. After the governor declares the special election, it must be held within 46 days. Ballotpedia has identified 57 vacancies in state legislatures in 2021. Twenty-eight of these vacancies were in seats previously held by Democrats, and 29 were in seats held by Republicans. Forty-one of the vacancies have been filled.
States in session
Thirteen states—Arizona, California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin—are in regular session.
Local Ballot Measures: The Week in Review
In 2021, Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population and all state capitals. 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 also covers all local recall elections, as well as all local ballot measures in California and a selection of notable local ballot measures about elections and police-related policies. Recent and upcoming local ballot measure elections are listed below:
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June 15 - Maine: Voters in Augusta approved two ballot measures: a bond issue to fund a new police station and a school budget validation measure.
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June 29 - California: Voters in San Marino Unified School District, which is in Los Angeles County, will decide a measure to renew a $968 parcel tax.
New York governor allows statewide COVID-19 emergency order to expire
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) allowed the statewide COVID-19 emergency order to expire on June 25. Cuomo first declared a disaster emergency in response to the pandemic on March 7, 2020.
Governors and state agencies in all 50 states issued orders declaring active emergencies in response to the coronavirus pandemic. These orders allowed officials to access resources unavailable to them during non-emergencies, like stockpiles of medical goods and equipment, and to
waive or suspend certain rules and regulations. Governors and state agencies relied on emergency power authority to enact lockdown and stay-at-home orders, mask mandates, and other restrictions on businesses and individuals. Fifteen states have ended their COVID-19 emergency orders. |
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