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The Tap: Tuesday, April 5, 2016

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

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #11 of The Tap, which was published on April 11, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • Presidential primary in Wisconsin
    • Bernie Sanders extended his winning streak to six states in a row on Tuesday, defeating Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin 56 to 43 percent. Sanders won contests in Washington, Hawaii, Alaska, Utah, and Idaho in late March. The Vermont senator carried 71 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. He lost Milwaukee County by four points. Despite his win in Wisconsin, Sanders still trails Clinton in the delegate count. By CNN’s estimate, Clinton had 1,297 pledged delegates to Sanders’ 1,068 as of April 6. With superdelegates included, Clinton leads 1,780 to 1,099.
    • Ted Cruz won the Wisconsin Republican primary with 48 percent of the vote. Republican front-runner Donald Trump came in second with 35 percent, followed by John Kasich in third with 14 percent. Ballotpedia Senior Writer Jim Barnes noted that a critical component of Cruz’s victory was his ability to stitch together “a new coalition of primary voters,” including voters who described themselves as “conservative” and “somewhat conservative.” Barnes’ full analysis of the Wisconsin primary can be read here. Similar to Sanders’ situation on the Democratic side, Cruz still trails Trump in the delegate count, despite his win in Wisconsin. As of April 6, Cruz had 510 pledged delegates to Trump’s 746, based on CNN estimates. Kasich, who did not win any delegates in Wisconsin on Tuesday night, had 145.
  • Justice Elena Kagan reflected on the possibility of tie votes in the Supreme Court due to the vacancy created by the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia: “I will say there is a reason that courts do not typically have an even number of members … And we are going to try as hard as we can to make it have as little difference as possible.” The last time there was a tie was in 2011, when Justice Kagan recused herself from an equal protection challenge to immigration law. What happens in the event of a tie? Read about it here.
  • Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio made remarks that were reported by The Columbus Dispatch. Brown described the unwillingness of Senate Republicans to take up Merrick Garland’s Supreme Court nomination as "reprehensible ... Never in history has a person been nominated Supreme Court Justice and the Senate just absolutely refused to do its job."
  • The Washington Post published a Trump campaign memo detailing how he would force Mexico to pay for a border wall. According to the memo, Trump would consider a number of scenarios, including “a small increase in visa fees” or changing existing rules to leverage payment from Mexico, such as redefining regulations on financial transactions between the countries to include “a requirement that no alien may wire money outside of the United States unless the alien first provides a document establishing his lawful presence in the United States.”
  • FILING DEADLINE: Colorado’s congressional filing deadline.
  • FILING DEADLINE: New Jersey’s congressional filing deadline.
    • New Jersey has 12 U.S. House seats up for election in 2016. The delegation is divided evenly, with six seats held by Republicans and six seats held by Democrats. New Jersey has no districts currently designated as battlegrounds, but two districts (NJ-3 and NJ-5) are considered races to watch. Both seats are currently held by Republican incumbents. The remaining 10 seats are considered safe for the party that currently holds the seat.
    • All 12 congressional incumbents are seeking re-election in 2016. Three of those 12 will not face a primary challenger in June. However, in all 12 districts at least one member of each party filed to run.
  • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service announced new federal protections for green sea turtles, which have been federally protected since 1978 under the Endangered Species Act. The turtles will be separated into 11 distinct population segments in 11 regions. Three of the turtle populations will be considered endangered species, which receive stronger federal protections and are considered more at risk for extinction. Endangered green sea turtle populations are found primarily in Florida. The other eight turtle populations will be considered threatened species, which are considered less vulnerable but still receive some federal protection. Two of the 11 turtle populations will have their status changed from “endangered” to “threatened” due to conservation efforts, including a prohibition on the direct harvest of turtles.

State

  • Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) vetoed three pieces of school choice legislation. One bill would have created a school voucher program, in which parents could have used 90 percent of the state’s per-student funding figure for their children to attend a private school or be homeschooled. Another bill would have had the Virginia Board of Education identify 12 failing schools in the state and allow students at those schools to transfer to another district. The third bill would have created a statewide virtual school that could enroll up to 5,000 students. McAuliffe said the first two bills would have undermined local school districts and remarked that the school voucher bill was potentially unconstitutional for the possibility of public funds going to religious schools. Though the virtual school bill was vetoed, McAuliffe did request the creation of “a working group to study virtual learning.”
  • Ballotpedia released a study about the impact of fracking on property values and sales in Colorado in 2015. The study found that "across seven counties in Colorado there was no definitive evidence that fracking negatively or positively impacted 2015 home values and previous home sales … Additionally, we do not find any definitive evidence that fracking negatively or positively impacts home prices for those using private water wells." This study coincides with several proposed ballot measures being prepared for the November 2017 ballot that attempt to regulate where and how fracking occurs on the local level in Colorado. Supporters of this and similar measures have said that the measures were proposed on the premise that home values are negatively impacted by oil and gas development. This study also comes a day after a bill that would have given cities more control over oil and gas drilling failed in the Colorado House of Representatives. The full study is available here.
  • Louisiana had its credit rating downgraded to AA- by Fitch Ratings. This is the second ratings drop for the state in 2016; Moody’s also downgraded Louisiana in February 2016. State government has been wrestling with a $750 million budget gap. New Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards (D) passed tax increases during the most recent legislative session, working with the Republican legislature. Many of those increases are set to expire in 2018, which the Fitch rating report indicated was a contributing factor in the new rating. State credit ratings, among other things, impact insurance rates on bonds.

Special elections

Local

  • Anchorage, Alaska: Five of the 11 seats on the Anchorage Assembly were up for general election. Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska and the 63rd-largest city in the United States.
  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin: The mayor's office and all 15 seats on the Milwaukee Common Council were up for general election. In the mayoral race, incumbent and two-time former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett defeated District 8 Common Councilman Robert G. Donovan. Mayor Barrett received 70.21 percent of the vote. Donovan did narrowly win re-election to his District 8 seat with 51.81 percent of the vote in the closest of the 15 council races. Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin and the 30th-largest city in the United States.
  • In 2016, Ballotpedia is covering 43 municipal elections across America's 100 largest cities by population.
  • Some of the largest school districts in Alaska, Missouri, and Wisconsin held general elections for school board positions:
    • Alaska: The state’s largest public school system, the Anchorage School District, held a general election for two of seven seats on the board. Although the race was nonpartisan, candidate partisan affiliations were common knowledge. The Seat A race featured Democratic incumbent Bettye Davis against challenger Brent Hughes, who did not have a known political party affiliation. The Seat B race pitted Republicans David Nees and Kay Schuster and Democrat Starr Marsett against one another. Davis won the Seat A race, but the winner of the Seat B race was still too close to call between Schuster and Marsett as of April 9, 2016.
    • Missouri: A total of 40 school board seats across 19 of the state’s largest school districts were up for general election. This included the St. Joseph School District, which had two of its seven board seats up for election following a multi-year administrative scandal in the district that resulted in investigations conducted by the FBI, U.S. Department of Education, Internal Revenue Service and Missouri state auditor. Newcomers Bryan Green and Tami Pasley defeated the other eight candidates to win the two seats. Click here to read Ballotpedia’s coverage of the St. Joseph story.
    • Wisconsin: Of the state’s 50 largest public school systems, 49 districts held a general election for 141 school board seats. The state’s largest school district, Milwaukee Public Schools, did not hold elections in 2016. The Racine Unified School District, which is the state’s fifth-largest school system, held a general election for all nine board seats following a switch in the district's election system away from at-large elections. AFL-CIO-endorsed candidates won seven of the nine seats. Click here to read Ballotpedia’s review of Wisconsin’s school board elections in 2016.
    • In 2016, Ballotpedia is covering 642 school board elections across America's 1,000 largest school districts by student enrollment.
  • Wisconsin held its general election for 40 Wisconsin county circuit court judgeships. A quarter of the seats featured a contested election, but the remaining 30 seats were won by unopposed candidates. Of the 30 unopposed candidates, 25 were incumbents running for re-election. The state held its primary election on February 16, 2016. In 2016, Ballotpedia is covering local judicial elections across the United States.
  • In Alaska, North Slope Borough Mayor Charlotte Brower lost her recall election. More than 61 percent of voters supported the recall. The recall organizers alleged in their petition application that Brower had spent thousands of dollars in public money on clothing for her daughter and basketball camp for her grandchildren. They also noted that she was fined $34,970 by the Alaska Public Offices Commission in September 2015 for her failure to file 2014 campaign disclosure reports. The mayor's supporters highlighted her advocacy for revised ethics rules, removal of purchasing rights for some staff members, and her request for an investigation into allegations of misused public funds. In 2015, Ballotpedia covered 180 recall efforts organized against 275 officials. Of the 61 officials whose recalls made it to the ballot, 40 were ousted and 21 were retained.
  • In Colorado, Parachute Mayor Roy McClung and town trustees Tim Olk and Tom Rugaard survived a recall election. Trustee John Loschke was also targeted for a recall, but the effort against him was dropped since he was up for re-election in a regular election at the same time. Loschke also won re-election. A citizen group called Let the People Vote filed the recall petition because the targeted officials voted to repeal a town ban on shops and other businesses selling marijuana. The group also filed a lawsuit against the town for failure to adhere to zoning laws when approving licenses for two marijuana businesses.
  • In Oregon, Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District board members Sharon Clyde, Garry Smith, and Linda Beck-Sweeney survived a recall election. All three received at least 57 percent of the vote. The recall effort originated after the fire district protection’s board terminated fire chief Mike Balzer. A letter signed by seven volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians stated that Balzer was fired in a "disrespectful, cold and calculating" manner, which involved being locked out of his office, forced to collect his belongings with a police escort on hand, and sent to walk home in the rain. In response to these allegations, the board members stated that the termination was "strictly business, not personal," and said Balzer lacked the necessary clerical and administrative skills for the position. After his termination, Balzer filed a lawsuit against the Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District, seeking more than $677,000, the reinstatement of his employment benefits, and relief from "further retaliation or harassment." Balzer accused the board of firing him for "personal animus" because of comments his wife made on social media. Those comments included criticisms of the fire district protection board and staff that were deemed “inappropriate” in the board’s 2014-2015 performance evaluation of Balzer.

Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #10 of The Tap, which was published on April 4, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • Presidential primary in Wisconsin
    • The Wisconsin primaries mark the first presidential primary contests of April 2016. For the Democrats, 86 pledged delegates are at stake. They will be allocated proportionally. Polling conducted in late March showed Hillary Clinton leading Bernie Sanders 50 percent to 44 percent in Wisconsin. Polling in February, however, showed Sanders leading by one point, 44 percent to 43 percent. In 2008, Clinton lost Wisconsin to Barack Obama, 41 percent to 58 percent. The Wisconsin Democratic primary comes on the heels of three major victories for Sanders in Washington, Hawaii, and Alaska on March 26. As of March 28, Clinton leads in the pledged delegate count, 1,251 to 1,012. With superdelegates included, she leads 1,733 to 1,039.

State

Special elections

Local

  • Two of America’s largest cities are holding municipal elections for city official positions:
    • Anchorage, Alaska: Five of the 11 seats on the Anchorage Assembly are up for general election. Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska and the 63rd-largest city in the United States.
    • Milwaukee, Wisconsin: The mayor's office and all 15 seats on the Milwaukee Common Council are up for general election. In the mayoral race, incumbent and two-time former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett will face District 8 Common Councilmember Robert G. Donovan. Barrett received 46.14 percent of the primary election vote on February 16, 2015, compared to Donovan’s 32.44 percent. The third-place finisher, Joe Davis, received 18.51 percent and endorsed Donovan after his loss and stated, “[Donovan] certainly has a passion for what I consider the areas of greatest needs and that is specifically the African-American community.” Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin and the 30th-largest city in the United States.
    • In 2016, Ballotpedia is covering 43 municipal elections across America's 100 largest cities by population.
  • Some of the largest school districts in Alaska, Missouri and Wisconsin are holding general elections for school board positions:
    • Alaska: The state’s largest public school system, the Anchorage School District, is holding a general election for two of seven seats on the board. Although the race is nonpartisan, candidate partisan affiliations are common knowledge. The Seat A race features Democratic incumbent Bettye Davis against challenger Brent Hughes, who does not have a known political party affiliation. The Seat B race pits Republicans David Nees and Kay Schuster and Democrat Starr Marsett against one another.
    • Missouri: A total of 40 school board seats across 19 of the state’s largest school districts will be up for general election. This includes the St. Joseph School District, which has two of its seven board seats up for election following a multi-year administrative scandal in the district that resulted in investigations conducted by the FBI, U.S. Department of Education, Internal Revenue Service and Missouri State Auditor. Click here to read Ballotpedia’s coverage of the St. Joseph story.
    • Wisconsin: Of the state’s 50 largest public school systems, 49 districts are holding a general election for 141 school board seats. The state’s largest school district, Milwaukee Public Schools, is not holding elections in 2016. The Racine Unified School District, which is the state’s fifth-largest school system, is holding a general election for all nine board seats following a switch in the district's election system away from at-large elections. Click here to read Ballotpedia’s preview of Wisconsin’s school board elections in 2016.
    • In 2016, Ballotpedia is covering 642 school board elections across America's 1,000 largest school districts by student enrollment.
  • Wisconsin is holding its general election for 40 Wisconsin county circuit court judgeships. A quarter of the seats will feature a contested election, but the remaining 30 seats will be won by unopposed candidates. Of the 30 unopposed candidates, 25 are incumbents running for re-election. The state held its primary election on February 16, 2016. In 2016, Ballotpedia is covering local judicial elections across the United States.
  • In Alaska, North Slope Borough Mayor Charlotte Brower faces a recall election. The recall organizers alleged in their petition application that Mayor Brower had spent thousands of dollars in public money on clothing for her daughter and basketball camp for her grandchildren. They also noted that she was fined $34,970 by the Alaska Public Offices Commission in September 2015 for her failure to file 2014 campaign disclosure reports. The mayor's supporters highlighted her advocacy for revised ethics rules, removal of purchasing rights for some staff members and her request for an investigation into allegations of misused public funds. In 2015, Ballotpedia covered 180 recall efforts organized against 275 officials. Of the 61 officials whose recalls made it to the ballot, 40 were ousted and 21 were retained.
  • In Colorado, Parachute Mayor Roy McClung and Town Trustees Tim Olk and Tom Rugaard are facing a recall election. Trustee John Loschke was also targeted for a recall, but the effort against him was dropped since he will be up for re-election in a regular election at the same time. A citizen group called Let the People Vote filed the recall petition because the targeted officials voted to repeal a town ban on shops and other businesses selling marijuana. The group also filed a lawsuit against the town for failure to adhere to zoning laws when approving licenses for two marijuana businesses.
  • In Oregon, Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District board members Sharon Clyde, Garry Smith and Linda Beck-Sweeney are facing a recall election. The recall effort originated after the fire district protection’s board terminated Fire Chief Mike Balzer. A letter signed by seven volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians stated that Balzer was fired in a "disrespectful, cold and calculating" manner, which included being locked out of his office, forced to collect his belongings with a police escort on hand and sent to walk home in the rain. In response to these allegations, the board members stated that the termination was "strictly business, not personal," and said Balzer lacked the necessary clerical and administrative skills for the position. After his termination, Balzer filed a lawsuit against the Cannon Beach Rural Fire Protection District, seeking more than $677,000, the reinstatement of his employment benefits and relief from "further retaliation or harassment." Balzer accused the board of firing him for "personal animus" because of comments his wife made on social media. Those comments included criticisms of the fire district protection board and staff that were deemed “inappropriate” in the board’s 2014-2015 performance evaluation of Balzer.



The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
March: 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
April: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
May: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
June: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
July: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
August: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
September: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
October: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7• 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
November: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
December: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 31
January: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
February: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17
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