Poll Measures Replace
Sixty-four statewide measures have been licensed for the 2022 ballot in 30 states up to now. No new measures have been licensed for the poll final week.
Signatures have been submitted and are pending verification for six further initiatives in Alaska, Florida, Massachusetts, and Ohio:
States in session
Thirty-eight state legislatures—Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin—are in regular session.
Particular Elections
Thirty state legislative special elections have been scheduled in 15 states up to now this yr. Seven specials have taken place already. Heading into these races, Democrats had beforehand managed six of the seats, and Republicans beforehand managed one.
- In particular elections between 2011 and 2021, one occasion (both Republicans or Democrats) noticed a mean web acquire of 4 seats nationally every year.
- A median of 57 seats have been stuffed by particular elections in every of the previous six even years (2010: 30, 2012: 46, 2014: 40, 2016: 65, 2018: 99, 2020: 59).
- A median of 85 seats have been stuffed by particular elections in every of the previous six odd years (2011: 95, 2013: 84, 2015: 89, 2017:98, 2019: 77, 2021: 66).
Upcoming particular elections embrace:
Jan. 25
Feb. 8
Feb. 15
New Hampshire Secretary of State retirement triggers triplex standing change
On Jan. 10, 2022, New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner (D), the longest-serving secretary of state in U.S. historical past, retired. The New Hampshire legislature first elected Gardner to the place in 1976.
Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan (R) was sworn in after Gardner resigned. In line with the New Hampshire Structure, the deputy secretary of state replaces the secretary till a brand new secretary is appointed. Scanlan will serve the rest of Gardner’s time period, which ends in December 2022.
Scanlan’s swearing-in created a Republican triplex in New Hampshire, that means that Republicans management the manager workplaces of governor, legal professional normal, and secretary of state. In New Hampshire, a joint session of the state legislature chooses the secretary of state.
In 2022, 27 states are holding an election for secretary of state. Click on here to learn extra about these elections. There are 21 Democratic secretaries of state and 26 Republican secretaries of state. The place doesn’t exist in Alaska, Hawaii, or Utah.
Marijuana coverage could possibly be on quite a few statewide ballots this yr
Ballotpedia is monitoring 20 citizen-initiated measures in nine states associated to marijuana that would seem earlier than voters in 2022. As of 2022, leisure marijuana is authorized in 18 states and Washington, D.C., and medical marijuana is authorized in 36 states and D.C.
In Ohio, sponsors of an initiative to legalize leisure marijuana submitted an extra 29,918 signatures on January 13, after the secretary of state verified their preliminary petition contained 119,825 legitimate signatures–13,062 lower than the quantity required. If sufficient of the extra signatures are discovered to be legitimate, the initiative will go earlier than the state legislature. If the state legislature doesn’t enact it outright, sponsors should accumulate a second spherical of 132,887 signatures to position it on the 2022 poll. In 2015, Ohio voters defeated Challenge 3 with a margin of 63.65% to 36.35%.
In Arkansas, voters may resolve on two marijuana initiatives. One initiative would decriminalize marijuana, give restricted immunity to hashish companies, and create laws on the hashish trade. The opposite would legalize marijuana use for people 21 years of age and older no matter residency. Each campaigns have till July 8, 2022, to gather 89,151 legitimate signatures.
Florida voters may resolve modifications to the state’s medical marijuana modification permitted by voters in 2016 with two separate initiatives. Initiative #18-02 would add 9 psychological well being problems to the listing of qualifying situations to buy and use medical marijuana. Initiative #18-05 would redefine medical use beneath the measure to incorporate rising as much as 9 marijuana vegetation.
Nebraska has 4 initiatives cleared for circulation associated to marijuana. Three of the initiatives would set up a state medical marijuana program and are sponsored by State Senators Anna Wishart (D) and Adam Morfeld (D). One initiative is a constitutional modification, and the opposite two are state statutes. The Nebraska Hemp Firm filed a constitutional modification to legalize leisure marijuana. The Nebraska signature deadline is July 7, 2022.
In North Dakota, an initiative was cleared for signature gathering that will legalize marijuana use for residents 21 years of age and older and permit an individual to own, develop, course of, or transport as much as 12 hashish vegetation for private use. In 2018, North Dakota voters defeated Measure 3, an initiative that will have legalized marijuana, in a vote of 59.45% to 40.55%.
Type Idaho filed an initiative to ascertain a state medical marijuana program. Sponsors tried to qualify an equivalent initiative for the 2020 Idaho poll however suspended their signature-gathering marketing campaign in April 2020 as a result of coronavirus pandemic. Voters may additionally resolve on an initiative to legalize leisure marijuana. The initiative is sponsored by The Idaho Method. The campaigns must submit 64,945 legitimate signatures by Could 1, 2022.
In Missouri, there are three initiatives cleared for circulation that will legalize and regulate leisure marijuana. The initiatives have been filed by three totally different sponsors. A constitutional modification to alter the state’s medical marijuana program permitted by voters in 2018 was additionally cleared for circulation. It will enable medical marijuana sufferers to develop marijuana for private use, lower the price of a affected person identification card from $100 to $25, and permit as much as three major caregivers for a medical marijuana affected person. The signature requirement for constitutional amendments is 160,199 signatures by Could 8, 2022.
Oklahomans for Accountable Hashish Motion filed three initiatives. Two initiatives would (1) amend the state structure to legalize marijuana for individuals 21 years previous and older and (2) impose a 15% excise tax on marijuana gross sales for purchases by a person with no medical marijuana license. The third initiative would make modifications to the state’s medical marijuana program to create the State Hashish Fee to exchange the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority.
In South Dakota, an initiative to legalize marijuana was cleared for signature gathering. In 2020, 54.18% of voters permitted Modification A, which might have legalized marijuana, nevertheless it was later overturned by a supreme courtroom ruling that discovered the initiative violated the state’s single-subject rule and constituted a revision of the structure quite than an modification. The 2022 initiative was filed by New Strategy South Dakota, which additionally sponsored the 2020 modification.
Click here to maintain up-to-date on marijuana-related statewide poll measures in 2022.
Ohio Redistricting Fee meets to develop new legislative maps
The Ohio Redistricting Fee met Jan. 18 and 20 forward of a court-established Jan. 22 deadline to create new legislative maps. The Ohio Supreme Courtroom ruled on Jan. 12 that state legislative district maps permitted by the fee have been partisan gerrymanders in violation of the state structure. The Republican-controlled fee voted 5-2 alongside occasion traces to approve the maps on Sept. 16, 2021.
In its ruling, the courtroom cited a constitutional amendment permitted by Ohio voters in 2015 that revamped the state’s redistricting course of by creating the bipartisan fee answerable for drawing state legislative maps with out partisan bias. Voters permitted the modification with 71% of the vote.
The modification additionally included a proportionality requirement, which directed the fee to attempt to match districts with statewide vote totals over the previous decade. Throughout the redistricting course of, it was decided that Republicans had gained 54% of the statewide vote since 2010 and Democrats had gained 46%. The courtroom mentioned the fee’s maps favored Republicans in 68% of the Home districts and 70% of the Senate districts, in violation of the modification.
Kentucky adopts new legislative district boundaries
Kentucky adopted new legislative district boundaries this week after the Common Meeting overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) veto of laws establishing new state Home districts on Jan. 20. The vote to override the governor’s veto was 24-10 within the state Senate with all votes in favor by Republicans and eight Democrats and two Republicans voting towards. The override vote was 69-23 within the state Home, with all votes solid in favor by Republicans and 22 Democrats and one Republican voting to maintain Beshear’s veto.
In his veto statement, Gov. Beshear mentioned he felt the redistricting plan cut up counties for partisan causes. He additionally mentioned, “Furthermore, in line with the demographic knowledge the Home launched after it handed this invoice, this plan seems to dilute the voices of sure minority communities.”
After the Home voted to override the governor’s veto, state Consultant Jerry Miller (R) said, “That is constitutional, it totally meets the voting [rights act]. And I feel he was silly to veto it.”
Gov. Beshear allowed the redistricting proposal for brand new state Senate districts to change into regulation with out his signature on Jan. 21. That laws handed the state Senate on Jan. 6, 28-4, and the state Home on Jan. 8, 67-23.
Kentucky statewide submitting deadline is Jan. 25
Kentucky’s submitting deadline for candidates looking for to run for workplace this yr is Jan. 25. The deadline was initially Jan. 7, however Gov. Andy Beshear (D) and the Kentucky Common Meeting pushed again the date to present themselves extra time to enact new state legislative and congressional maps.
The deadline applies to candidates operating in U.S. Senate and House races, in addition to state Senate and state House races.
The one state whose submitting deadline has handed is Texas, the place candidates had till Dec. 13 to file. Texas might be holding the earliest primaries of the 2022 election season, scheduled for March 1. Kentucky, Alabama, and West Virginia are among the many 12 states holding primaries in Could.
After Kentucky, the following deadline for candidates operating in state and federal workplaces might be in Alabama, on Jan. 28, adopted by Jan. 29 for candidates in West Virginia.
The next five filing deadlines for statewide and federal workplace might be:
- February 1 (New Mexico)
- February 2 (Ohio, state-level candidates solely)
- February 4 (Indiana)
- February 15 (Nebraska)
- February 22 (Maryland)
