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The State and Local Tap: Recall of California Gov. Newsom meets signature requirement

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May 1, 2021Issue No. 252

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Week in review
On tap next week

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Here's what happened in State and local politics last week.

State Politics: The Week in Review

Ballot Measures Update

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Saturday, April 24

Voters decide appeals court, state education board seats in Louisiana

  • Louisiana held runoff elections on April 24 for one seat on the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), one state Circuit Courts of Appeal seat, and one seat in the state House of Representatives.The elections became necessary after no candidates received a majority of the votes in the primary election on March 20.
  • Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education: In the District 4 election, Michael Melerine (R) defeated Cassie Williams (D) with 62% of the vote. The BESE election was called after Tony Davis (R) left office to devote more time to his job as a senior director at the National Association of Manufacturers on Jan. 20. Davis served from 2016 to 2021.
  • Louisiana Second Circuit Courts of Appeal District 1: In this election, Marcus Hunter (D) defeated J. Garland Smith (D) with 62% of the vote. The seat became vacant on Oct. 1, when Judge Felicia Toney Williams (D) retired. Williams served on the court from 1993 to 2020.
  • Louisiana House of Representatives: In the District 82 election, Laurie Schlegel (R) defeated Edwin Connick (R) with 52% of the vote. The seat became vacant on Jan. 12, when Charles Henry (R) resigned. Henry served from 2020 to 2021.

Monday, April 26

California secretary of state announces recall effort of Gov. Gavin Newsom met signature requirement

  • The California Secretary of State announced it had validated more than 1.62 million signatures in the campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Supporters needed to collect 1,495,709 valid signatures by March 17 to trigger a recall election. They turned in 2.1 million signatures by the deadline.
  • Until June 8, voters can request their signatures be removed from the petition. Requests must be sent in writing to a county election official. If enough valid signatures remain after the June 8 deadline, the recall campaign will enter a budgeting and scheduling phase.
  • A recall election would present voters with two questions. The first would ask whether Newsom should be recalled, and a majority of voters would need to approve this for him to be recalled. The second would ask who should succeed Newsom if he is recalled. The candidate with the most votes on the second question would win the election, no majority required.
  • Since 1911, there have been 55 attempts to recall a sitting California governor. Six of those—including the present one—have targeted Newsom. The only successful recall campaign was in 2003, when voters recalled then-Gov. Gray Davis (D). That year, voters elected Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) out of 135 candidates as Davis' replacement.
  • Several individuals have already announced their campaign if the recall goes to the ballot, including former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer (R), 2018 gubernatorial candidate John Cox (R), former U.S. Rep. Doug Ose (R), and Caitlyn Jenner (R).

West Virginia to give $100 savings bonds to people under 35 who get COVID-19 vaccine

  • Here are some notable changes to vaccine availability and distribution in various states during the past week:
    • West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) announced on April 26 an initiative to give a $100 savings bond to people age 16 to 35 who choose to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The initiative will be retroactive to include anyone in that age group who has already gotten vaccinated.
    • Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) issued Administrative Order 321 on April 26, prohibiting the state from requiring proof of vaccination for people to travel to or within Alaska.
    • Part-time Vermont residents became eligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine on April 29. Part-time residents include college students and people who own second homes in the state.

Wednesday, April 28

Louisiana becomes 14th state to end statewide mask requirement

  • Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards (D) issued an order easing mitigation requirements and lifting the statewide public mask requirement effective April 28. Masks are still required on public transit, in state government buildings, at K-12 schools, at early childhood education centers, at colleges and universities, and at healthcare facilities. State agencies outside of the governor’s cabinet can choose to opt-out of the remaining mask requirements. Businesses can still require patrons to wear masks. The state’s mask mandate took effect July 13, 2020, and lasted 290 days.
  • In total, 39 states issued statewide public mask requirements during the pandemic. Twenty-five states currently have statewide mask orders, including 20 of the 23 states with Democratic governors and five out of the 27 states with Republican governors.

Thursday, April 29

Aaron von Ehlinger resigns from Idaho House of Representatives

  • Idaho state Representative Aaron von Ehlinger resigned on April 29 after the Idaho House Ethics and Policy Committee found his “conduct unbecoming” of a representative and voted unanimously to recommend his immediate suspension and expulsion from the House.
  • Von Ehlinger had allegedly raped a House intern and romantically pursued four women in the statehouse. He said in his resignation letter, “I maintain my innocence of any wrongdoing of which I have been accused in this matter, let alone any violation of any law, rule, or policy of the state of Idaho or of this body.”
  • Representative Wendy Horman (R) said, “His behavior has poisoned the reputation of all of us and tarnished and discredited other elected officials who serve.”
  • Von Ehlinger was appointed to the Idaho House of Representatives to represent District 6A by Gov. Brad Little (R) on June 3, 2020.

Friday, April 30

Bert Reeves resigns from Georgia House of Representatives

  • Georgia State Representative Bert Reeves (R) resigned from the state's General Assembly on April 30 to take a new role at Georgia Tech. He represented District 34 from 2015 to 2021.
  • Reeves will serve as the school’s vice president for institute relations, working on government and community relations and economic development. Reeves graduated from Georgia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in management and served as the school’s mascot, “Buzz,” from 1997 to 2000.
  • Reeves was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2014 after defeating incumbent Charles Gregory in the Republican primary, 52% to 48%. He was re-elected in 2016 and 2018, and most recently in 2020, defeating challenger Priscilla Smith (D), 56% to 44%.
  • When a vacancy occurs in the Georgia state legislature, the governor must declare a special election within ten days of the vacancy. The election must be held between 30 and 60 days after the governor’s announcement.

Special Elections


Local Politics: 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:
    • April 6 in Alaska: Voters in Anchorage decided eleven ballot measures: seven bond measures, one property tax measure, and three annexation issues. Voters approved nine measures and defeated two measures.
    • April 6 in Colorado: Voters in Colorado Springs approved one local charter amendment concerning the length of ballot titles for tax or bonded debt increases.
    • April 6 in Missouri: Voters in Kansas City and St. Louis renewed local 1% earnings taxes. Voters in the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District also approved five local charter amendments and one bond issue. Voters in the Platte County R-III School District approved a $73 million bond issue.
    • April 6 in Wisconsin: Voters in Madison decided on four advisory questions concerning the Madison Common Council. They advised the city to
      • not make the common council full time,
      • leave the size of the common council the same,
      • not increase the length of terms for alderpersons from two years to four years, and
      • enact term limits of 12 consecutive years for alderpersons.
    • May 1 in Texas: Voters in Austin, Dallas, Lubbock, and San Antonio will decide 13 local ballot measures on May 1, 2021. Below are some highlights:
    • May 4 in Ohio: Voters in Cincinnati and a school district that overlaps with Columbus will decide four local ballot measures on May 4, 2021. Cincinnati voters will decide an initiative—Issue 3—to create a new fund and governing board dedicated to providing housing affordable to households with income below certain thresholds.
WHAT'S ON TAP NEXT WEEK

Here's what is happening in State and local politics this week.

State Politics: What's On Tap Next Week

Saturday, May 1

Maine to drop quarantine requirement for all out-of-state travelers

  • Beginning May 1, travelers coming from outside New England will no longer need to quarantine or present a negative COVID-19 test to enter Maine. Currently, only travelers from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont are exempt from the quarantine or test requirement.
  • Governor Janet Mills (D) announced the change in travel restrictions on March 5 as part of her “Moving Maine Forward” reopening plan but said the new policy would only take effect May 1 if approved by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC Director Nirav Shah announced the changes had been approved on April 27.
  • Governor Mills first implemented a quarantine requirement on out-of-state visitors on April 3, 2020.
  • To read more about active state travel restrictions, click here.

States in session

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Thirty-five states—Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin—are in regular session.


Local Politics: What's On Tap Next Week

Saturday, May 1

Voters to decide municipal, school board elections in Texas

  • Voters across Texas will decide elections for mayor, city council, other municipal offices, and school board seats on May 1. If no candidate receives over 50% of the vote, a runoff election will be held between the top two vote-getters. Here is a summary of some major races:
    • Fourteen candidates are running in a nonpartisan general election for mayor in San Antonio, Texas. Incumbent Ron Nirenberg and Greg Brockhouse lead the field in fundraising and expressed opposing positions in debates on issues such as pandemic response measures and Proposition B. Nirenberg defeated Brockhouse, 51% to 49%, in the city’s 2019 mayoral runoff election. If necessary, a runoff election will take place on June 5.
    • Seven candidates are running in the nonpartisan general election for mayor of Arlington, Texas. Incumbent Jeff Williams is not seeking re-election due to term limits. Former Mayor Pro Tempore Michael Glaspie and attorney Jim Ross have received several noteworthy endorsements. Glaspie was endorsed by The Dallas Morning News and former Mayor Elzie Odom. Ross was endorsed by incumbent Mayor Williams and former Mayor Richard Greene. If necessary, a runoff election will take place on June 5.
    • Ten candidates are running in the nonpartisan general election for mayor of Fort Worth, Texas. Incumbent Mayor Betsy Price is not running for re-election. Brian Byrd, Mattie Parker, Deborah Peoples, and Ann Zadeh have led the field in fundraising and endorsements. If necessary, a runoff election will take place on June 5.
    • All 14 seats on the Dallas City Council are up for election. Districts 2, 11, and 13 are open races, since the incumbents are term-limited and cannot run for re-election. All fourteen races are contested. If necessary, a runoff election will take place on June 5.
  • In total, Ballotpedia is covering 225 municipal and school board races in seven Texas cities. These include five races for mayor, 48 for city council, 160 for school board, and 12 for other municipal offices.


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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

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