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The State and Local Tap: New year, new mayoral elections to watch
From Ballotpedia
January 4, 2019Issue No. 142
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
State Politics: The Week in Review
Ballot Measures Update
2019:
- One statewide measure is certified for the 2019 ballot in Colorado: a transportation bond issue automatically put on the ballot when voters rejected two proposed bond issues at the November 2018 election.
- Four of the 26 states with a process for citizen-initiated measures allow for ballot initiatives or veto referendums on ballots for elections in any odd-numbered years: Colorado, Maine, Ohio, and Washington. Moreover, citizen-initiated measures could go on the Mississippi ballot because of the gubernatorial election in 2019.
- Other states that frequently feature statewide measures referred to the ballot by the legislature in odd-numbered years include Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Texas.
- Signatures for 2019 Initiatives to the Legislature in Washington were due on January 4, 2019.
- Signatures for one initiative, Washington Initiative 976, have been submitted and are pending verification. Initiative 976 would limit taxes and fees related to transportation and vehicle registration, require vehicle value assessments for tax purposes to be based on Kelley Blue Book values, and repeal authorization for certain regional transit authorities, such as Sound Transit, to impose motor vehicle excise taxes
2020:
- Five statewide measures are certified for the 2020 ballot in four states: California, Iowa, Michigan, and Nevada.
- Signatures were submitted and are pending verification for one other 2020 citizen-initiated measure: a veto referendum in California to overturn Senate Bill 10. SB 10 made California the first state to end the use of cash bail for detained suspects awaiting trials.
Monday, December 31
Michigan legislature passes distribution requirement for initiatives
- A bill creating a distribution requirement for initiative signature petitions in Michigan was enacted with immediate effect. House Bill 6595 limits the number of signatures collected in any one congressional district to 15 percent of the total required. Michigan has 14 congressional districts. The requirement applies to both initiated constitutional amendments, initiated state statutes, and veto referendums. This effectively requires valid signatures from a minimum of seven different congressional districts for a successful initiative petition.
- The bill also required the disclosure on petitions of whether a petitioner is paid or volunteer; mandated a petitioner affidavit; and made other changes regarding petitioners, valid signatures, and the timeline for certification.
- The bill was passed in the state House on December 12, 2018. It was amended and approved by the state Senate on December 21, 2018, in a vote of 26-to-12. In the Senate, 26 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, and all 11 Democrats along with one Republican, Tory Rocca, voted against the bill. The House concurred with the state Senate’s amended version on December 21, 2018, in a vote of 57-to-47. Among Republicans in the House, the bill was approved 56-to-5. Among Democrats, the bill was rejected 42-to-1.
- Michigan’s signature requirement for initiatives in 2020 and 2022 increased by 34.7 percent due to turnout at the 2018 gubernatorial election, upon which the requirements are based. In 2018, the requirement was 315,654 signatures for initiated constitutional amendments and 252,523 signatures for initiated state statutes. The requirements in 2020 and 2022 are 425,059 signatures for initiated constitutional amendments and 340,047 signatures for initiated state statutes.
- Of the 26 states with some form of ballot initiative or veto referendum petition process at the statewide level, 16 other states besides Michigan have a distribution requirement. Of those 16 states, seven states base the distribution requirement on the state’s counties (Arkansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, and Wyoming). In five states, it is calculated based on state legislative districts (Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Utah). In the other four states with a distribution requirement, it is based on U.S. congressional districts (Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, and Nevada). Washington, D.C., also has a distribution requirement based on city wards.
- Most recently, Colorado voters approved a distribution requirement specifically for initiated constitutional amendments in 2016. It was put on their ballot through a successful initiative petition.
- Legislators in Maine, Oklahoma, and South Dakota considered distribution requirements for citizen initiatives in 2018, but none of the proposals were enacted.
Tuesday, January 1
Tennessee law requiring local compliance with federal immigration laws takes effect
- House Bill (HB) 2315, a bill involving sanctuary cities, went into effect in Tennessee. In May 2018, Gov. Bill Haslam (R) allowed the bill to become law without his signature.
- HB 2315 requires local law enforcement to comply with detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under the law, localities that fail to comply could lose state funding, such as economic and community grants.
- Sanctuary cities—cities that have enacted policies that limit local officials' involvement in the enforcement of federal immigration law—are prohibited in Tennessee. In May, Haslam said he did not believe Tennessee had any sanctuary city-related issues and thought HB 2315 was "a solution looking for a problem."
- House Speaker Beth Harwell (R) said the law would "further allow our local, state, and federal officials to work together to keep our communities safe, building on the law we passed in 2009 to outlaw sanctuary city policies."
- Christian Patiño, director of operations for La Paz Chattanooga, said HB 2315 would distract law enforcement from carrying out their regular duties. "The priority for officers should be policing communities, and I think this can break the trust and relationships that people have with their police force." La Paz Chattanooga described itself as providing an environment for "area Latinos to come together in order to build community, develop leaders, and be a positive contribution to the growth and development of the Chattanooga region."
Wednesday, January 2
Wisconsin filing deadline passes
- The filing deadline passed for the 2019 statewide and local spring elections in Wisconsin. For races with more than two candidates running for an office, a primary will take place on February 19, 2019. The general election will take place on April 2, 2019. Wisconsin's filing deadline for statewide office was the first to take place in the 2019 election cycle. The next statewide filing deadline is on January 29 in Kentucky.
- One seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is up for election. Incumbent Shirley Abrahamson is not running, which leaves the seat open. Lisa Neubauer and Brian Hagedorn are competing for the seat on April 2.
- For Wisconsin Court of Appeals Districts 2 and 3, incumbents Mark Gundrum and Lisa Stark are running unopposed. In District 4, incumbent Paul Lundsten is not running and Jennifer Nashold is unopposed.
New analysis released: Democrats gained at least 308 seats in the 2018 state legislative elections
- Democrats picked up at least 308 state legislative seats in the November elections, President Trump's (R) first midterm election.
- That's less than the party out of power has gained in similar elections. For example, Republicans gained about 700 seats in 2010, President Obama's (D) first midterm, and they gained about 500 seats in 1994, President Clinton's (D) first midterm. And in President George W. Bush's (R) first midterm in 2002, Republicans (the party in power) gained more than 100 seats.
- In the 86 legislative chambers that held regularly-scheduled partisan elections on November 6, Democrats picked up 63 state senate seats and at least 245 state house seats. Republicans lost 60 Senate seats and at least 236 House seats. Two House races in Alaska and Connecticut remain uncalled.
- Democrats gained seats in 62 state legislative chambers—27 state senates and 35 state houses. Republicans gained seats in 11 chambers—seven state senates and four state houses.
- Six state legislative chambers changed party control on election night. Democrats flipped the Colorado Senate, Maine Senate, Minnesota House, New Hampshire House, New Hampshire Senate, and New York Senate. Partisan control of the Alaska House (where Republicans won at least 22 of 40 seats) is still unknown due to the potential formation of a bipartisan governing coalition.
- Democrats will control at least 37 chambers in January 2019, while Republicans will control at least 61 chambers.
Special Elections
- As of this week, 20 state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 10 states in 2019. In special elections between 2011 and 2018, one party (either Republicans or Democrats) saw an average net gain of four seats across the country each year.
Upcoming special elections include:
January 8
January 22
- South Carolina State Senate District 6 (primary)
- Minnesota State Senate District 11 (primary)
January 24
January 29
Local Politics: The Week in Review
Elections Update
- 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, which includes 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.
Tuesday, January 1
2019 mayoral election preview
- In 2019, Ballotpedia will cover 31 mayoral elections across the 100 largest cities by population in the United States. As of December 2018, the mayors of 60 of the country's largest 100 cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party, 28 were affiliated with the Republican Party, seven were independents, four had unknown party affiliations, and one seat was vacant. Of the 31 seats up for election in 2019, 20 of the current officeholders are affiliated with the Democratic Party, six are affiliated with the Republican Party, three are independents, and two are unknown.
- There were 25 mayoral elections in 2018. Of these, Democrats saw a net loss of one seat (gain of zero seats and loss of one seat), Republicans saw a net gain of one seat (gain of two seats and loss of one seat), and an unaffiliated candidate picked up one seat. A special mayoral election in Phoenix is still pending after it advanced to a general runoff that will be held in 2019. The previous mayor was affiliated with the Democratic Party.
- Thirty-six cities held mayoral election in 2017. Following the 2017 election cycle, 63 mayors were affiliated with the Democratic Party, 28 were affiliated with the Republican Party, seven were independents, and two were unknown. Democrats saw a net gain of zero seats (gain of one seat and loss of one seat), Republicans saw a net gain of one seat (gain of two seats and loss of one seat), and an independent candidate picked up one seat.
Wednesday, January 2
Two more candidates removed from Chicago mayoral race: Field now at 15
- On Wednesday, the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners removed two more candidates from the mayoral running amid petition challenges: Catherine Brown D'Tycoon and Roger Washington. The board voted D'Tycoon off the ballot for incorrectly filing paperwork. Washington had not appeared at petition hearings. The decisions brought the number of candidates in the race down to 15. The election is on Feb. 26.
- The board announced Dec. 27 that three candidates had been disqualified from the ballot. Candidates Richard Mayers and Conrein Hykes Clark did not have the required 12,500 valid petition signatures. A board representative said the third candidate, Sandra Mallory, filed her paperwork incorrectly.
- On Dec. 31, activist Ja'Mal Green became the first candidate to withdraw. Green said his campaign lacked the resources to continue amid a petition challenge launched by candidate Willie Wilson's campaign lawyer stating that Green didn't have the required number of valid signature.
- Petition challenges against three candidates are still being considered by the board: Dorothy Brown, La Shawn Ford, and Neal Sales-Griffin.
- Twenty-one candidates filed for the mayoral race, left open when Rahm Emanuel announced in September that he would not seek re-election. Chicago is the third-largest city in the U.S. by population.
Wisconsin filing deadline passes
- The filing deadline passed for the 2019 statewide and local spring elections in Wisconsin. For races with more than two candidates running for an office, a primary will take place on February 19, 2019. The general election will take place on April 2, 2019. Wisconsin's filing deadline for statewide office was the first to take place in the 2019 election cycle. The next statewide filing deadline is on January 29 in Kentucky.
- In Madison, Wisconsin, there are races for mayor and for all 20 city council seats. Incumbent Paul Soglin faces five challengers in the mayoral race: Raj Shukla, Mo Cheeks, Nick Hart, Toriana Pettaway, and Satya Rhodes-Conway. Ten of the city council races are open, with no incumbent running. The filing deadline for the city council’s District 8 seat was extended to January 7.
- Ballotpedia will cover school board races in seven school districts in Wisconsin: DeForest Area School District (three seats up for election), Madison Metropolitan School District (three seats up), McFarland School District (two seats up), Middleton-Cross Plains School District (three seats up), Milwaukee Public Schools (five seats up), Sun Prairie Area School District (three seats up), and Verona Area School District (two seats up).
- Ballotpedia is also covering circuit court elections in Dane County and Milwaukee County. Incumbent Rhonda Lanford is running unopposed for Dane County Circuit Court Branch 16. In Milwaukee County, four circuit court incumbents are unchallenged: David Swanson (Branch 11), William Pocan (Branch 26), Laure Crivello (Branch 36), and Audrey Skwierawski (Branch 41). Incumbent Andrew Jones faces challenger Danielle Shelton in Branch 40.
WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK
About
The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
