What's on your ballot? - May 5, 2015
May 4, 2015
By Ballotpedia staff Follow @ballotpedia
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| Elections on May 5, 2015 |
| Alaska |
| California |
| Colorado |
| Indiana |
| Michigan |
| Mississippi |
| Montana |
| Nebraska |
| New York |
| Ohio |
A special election to replace scandal-plagued former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm (R) in New York and a contentious sales tax measure in Michigan headline an otherwise placid round of elections on May 5. Ten states are holding elections covered by Ballotpedia, including 11 local ballot measures in California, one local measure in Michigan and competitive municipal primaries in two Indiana cities.
Voters in New York's 11th Congressional District will fill the vacancy created by Rep. Grimm's resignation on January 5 after pleading guilty to felony tax evasion. Republicans are expected to retain the seat, with Richmond County District Attorney Daniel Donovon considered the front-runner in the race. Donovan, who gained notoriety for his role in the Eric Garner case in 2014, faces Democratic candidate Vincent J. Gentile and Green Party candidate James Lane.[1]
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's (R) support for a sales tax amendment to fund roads has created odd bedfellows in the Wolverine State. The amendment put forward in Proposal 1 would generate $1.6 billion per year by increasing the fuel tax and the sales tax on non-fuel items. Proposal 1's sales tax increase to 7 percent would make Michigan's rate the second highest in the United States behind California. Snyder and Proposal 1 supporters, including the AFL-CIO and the Michigan Municipal League Board of Trustees, have argued that the state needs an influx of transportation funding to counter years of budget cuts.[2] Opponents spanning the ideological spectrum, from the Michigan Green Party to Attorney General Bill Schuette (R), have expressed concerns about the measure's complexity and the distribution of tax revenues.[3][4][5]
The Denver mayoral race features Mayor Michael B. Hancock against three candidates on the ballot and three registered write-ins. Hancock's strength in the race compelled the League of Women Voters not to schedule a debate, a rarity in recent elections. In Indianapolis, there will be a five-way Republican primary to see who gets the opportunity to succeed retiring Mayor Greg Ballard (R). Larry Vaughn will face Joseph Hogsett in the Democratic primary. Fort Wayne Mayor Thomas Henry (D) will face four challengers in the Democratic primary for the opportunity to extend his eight-year stay in office. Meanwhile, four Republicans are running in the Republican mayoral primary.
A special election in New York Assembly District 43 will take place to replace retired Democrat Karim Camara. No Democrats filed for the seat, though one candidate filed for the Working Families Party, which is typically associated with the Democratic Party in the state's fusion voting system.
Two school districts, Billings Public Schools in Montana and Lincoln Public Schools in Nebraska, are holding general elections for four and three seats, respectively. All of the Billings candidates are running unopposed, and one seat doesn't have an official candidate, so a write-in candidate will win the fourth seat. The Lincoln race only features one incumbent running for re-election, so the board will add two new members in 2015.
Note: Click on the links below for more details about each race and election results.
Alaska
Municipal government
California
Local ballot measures
Colorado
Municipal government
Indiana
Municipal government
Michigan
State ballot measures
- See also: Michigan 2015 ballot measures and Michigan elections, 2015
Local ballot measures
- See also: Local ballot measure elections in 2015
Mississippi
State legislatures
- Mississippi House of Representatives - District 45 (Special general election)
Montana
School boards
- See also: School board elections, 2015 and Montana elections, 2015
- Billings Public Schools - Four seats up for general election
Nebraska
Municipal government
School boards
- Lincoln Public Schools - Three seats up for general election
New York
Congress
- The special election will fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Michael Grimm (R).[6]
State legislatures
- New York State Assembly - District 43 (Special general election)
Ohio
Municipal government
- See also: United States municipal elections, 2015 and Ohio elections, 2015
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Gentile Is Underdog in Staten Island Race," March 2, 2015
- ↑ WMRA, "Republican Gov. Rick Snyder Turns To Voters To Approve Tax Increase," January 30, 2015
- ↑ MLive, "Michigan lawmakers approve road funding deal, send tax proposal to statewide ballot," December 19, 2014
- ↑ Green Party of the United States, "Michigan Greens Urge "NO" Vote May 5 on Sales-Tax Hike, Transportation-Funding Shift," February 2, 2015
- ↑ MLive, "Roads proposal 'has a lot of potholes,' says Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette," March 4, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Michael Grimm announces resignation," accessed January 5, 2015
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