The fast-moving primary season of May and June continues tomorrow with elections in Idaho, Nebraska and Oregon. In Nebraska, voters will decided on one U.S. Senate seat, three U.S. House races and 26 state legislative seats.

The Republican primary for U.S. Senate is anticipated to be very close, as presumed frontrunner Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning faces serious competition from state Senator Deb Fischer and state Treasurer Don Stenberg.^[1]

Congress

U.S. Senate

United States Senate elections in Nebraska, 2012

Nebraska has one U.S. Senate seat on the ballot in 2012. Senator Ben Nelson is retiring, leaving the Senate seat open. Six Republicans and four Democrats are in the running.

On the Democratic primary, voters will choose between Larry Marvin, Steven P. Lustgarten, Sherman Yates, and Bob Kerrey.

Republican voters will choose between Jon Bruning, Deb Fischer, Don Stenberg, Sharyn Elander, Pat Flynn, and Spencer Zimmerman. Fischer, a state senator, has received an endorsement from Sarah Palin, and many conservative PACs are supporting her over Nebraska Attorney General Bruning.^[2] Meanwhile, state Treasurer Don Stenberg was endorsed by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint,^[3] and national conservative super PAC Club for Growth Action has funded ads supporting him.^[4]

U.S. House

United States House of Representatives elections in Nebraska, 2012

Nebraska has 3 U.S. House seats on the ballot in 2012.

A total of 14 candidates have filed to run, made up of 4 Democratic challengers, 7 Republican challengers, and 3 incumbents. Including the three states with primaries tomorrow, a total of 106 U.S. House seats have held primaries. Thus far, 58.02% of possible primaries have been contested. In Nebraska, all three incumbents face primary challenges.

• In the 1st district, incumbent Jeff Fortenberry faces Dennis Parker and Jessica L. Turek in the Republican primary. Democrat Korey L. Reiman is unopposed.
• In the 2nd district, incumbent Lee Terry is challenged by Jack Heidel, Brett Lindstrom, Glenn Freeman, Paul Anderson. In the Democratic primary, Gwen Howard faces John Ewing.
• In the 3rd district, Bob Lingenfelter is challenging Republican incumbent Adrian Smith, and Mark Sullivan is unopposed in the Democratic primary.

State legislatures

Nebraska State Senate elections, 2012

There are 26 total legislative seats with elections in 2012. There are 10 (38.5%) contested primaries in the Nebraska State Senate, which is higher than the current national contested average of 23.42% for states that have had filing deadlines. Five of the 17 incumbents who are seeking election will face primary opposition in 2012.

Nebraska’s legislature is non-partisan, meaning candidates do not declare party affiliations. The top two vote-getters in each primary will go on to the general election.^[5]

There are four unchallenged incumbents in 2012. They are: Heath Mello (District 5), Kathy Campbell (District 25), Mike Gloor (District 35), and Ken Schilz (District 47).

A total of 9 incumbents, or 18.4% of the total senate seats, are ineligible to run for the senate again due to term limits. They are: Abbie Cornett (District 45), Chris Langemeier (District 23), Deb Fischer(District 43), Gwen Howard (District 9), Lavon Heidemann (District 1), LeRoy Louden (District 49), Mike Flood (District 19), Rich Pahls (District 31), and Tony Fulton (District 29).

The 38.46% of contested primaries in Nebraska is above the current national contested average of 23.42% for states that have had signature filing deadlines.

RALEIGH, North Carolina: The primary election in North Carolina is tomorrow and voters will get to decide on one ballot measure, Amendment 1.

The contentious measure was filed in the Senate on April 5, 2011, as SB 514, sponsored by Senator Peter S. Brunstetter. The bill garnered approval from both the House and the Senate, and was eventually ratified for the ballot on September 14, 2011.

The measure seeks to define marriage in the state constitution as between one man and one woman, and would ban any other type of “domestic legal union” such as civil unions and domestic partnerships. Although same-sex marriage is already illegal in the state, supporters say the amendment is necessary to prevent future legislatures or judges from changing the law.^[1]

Support

The measure is supported in the legislature by a host of lawmakers, including, Senators James Forrester, Jerry W. Tillman, and Daniel Soucek and Representatives David Lewis, Sr., Rayne Brown,James Crawford, Jr., Paul Stam, Larry Brown, Mitch Gillespie, and Dewey Hill. In addition, the group Vote for Marriage NC has lent its support, as well as, the N.C. Values Coalition. The amendment has also received the support of some high profile religious figures, such as, Rev. Billy Graham and Catholic Bishops Peter Jugis of Charlotte and Michael Burbidge of Raleigh.

Supporters main argument for the amendment is that the issue is too important for the legislature or the courts to decide alone and that a vote on the matter is the fairest and most democratic solution.^[2]Sen. Stam argues that the state is not prepared to handle situations in which married same-sex couples move from other states and seek legal rights, like getting divorced.^[3] The response from religious leaders has been that the amendment is necessary to preserve the sanctity of marriage.^[4]

Opponents

The measure is not without resistance, however, and in the general assembly, Representatives Larry Hall and Joe Hackney and Senator Kay Hagan oppose the measure. They are joined by the Coalition to Protect NC Families, Equality North Carolina, and the Human Rights Campaign.^[5] Governor Beverly Perdue has voiced opposition to the measure, and on the national level, President Barack Obamahas come out against the measure describing it as among the “divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same-sex couples” he has long opposed.^[6] In an open letter to state officials asking them to halt efforts to approve the proposed amendment over 75 North Carolina CEOs made their position known on September 12, 2011.^[7]

Opponents primarily argue that the amendment with have far reaching negative consequences beyond banning same-sex marriage in the state, such as reducing the legal options available to people in domestic partnerships. Rep. Larry Hall argued that “Instead of creating an environment where we can create employment, attract entrepreneurs (and) attract talent, we’re going to try to put a sign up to say, ‘You are not welcome if you want to contribute to our society.’” Others argue that the issue is waste of time and should not be more important to the state than fixing the economy.

Amendment 1′s placement on ballot

The North Carolina Constitution, Section 4 of Article XIII, requires that a legislatively-referred amendment go on the ballot after it is approved by a 60% vote of each house of the North Carolina State Legislature.

On September 12, 2011 the House voted 75-42 in favor of referring the proposed amendment to the statewide ballot. The State Senate echoed the House with a 30-16 approval vote a day later onSeptember 13, 2011.^[8]

The following timeline highlights events related to the measure:

What will appear on the ballot

The official language as it will appear before voters reads:^[9]

Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.
[ ] FOR [ ] AGAINST

Gov. Mitch Daniels is prevented by term limits from seeking another term in office.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN: Four state executive offices are up for election in Indiana this year: governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and superintendent of public instruction. However, only the governor’s race is on the ballot in the primary election. In Indiana, the two major parties conduct state conventions to nominate candidates for many of the state executive offices, including lieutenant governor, attorney general and superintendent of public instruction.^[1]

This year, there is only one candidate running for governor from each of the parties, so you won’t see any surprises or upsets in tomorrow’s results. Indiana’s current governor, Mitch Daniels, is prevented by term limits from seeking another term in office. Two Republican candidates - Congressman Mike Pence and Fishers businessman Jim Wallace - submitted signatures and filed to run for their party’s nomination. But on February 24, 2012, the Indiana Election Commission voted 3-1 to remove Wallace from the May 8 primary ballot. In order to qualify for the ballot, a candidate needs 500 signatures from each of the state’s congressional districts. Wallace fell 14 signatures short of that figure, despite having submitted 1,282 signatures. The Marion County Board of Voter Registration rejected 62% of those signatures leaving Wallace with just 486 signatures from the district.^[2][3]

Pence, as the lone Republican now, will meet John Gregg (D),^[4] Rupert Boneham (L) and write-in candidate Donnie Harold Harris^[5] in the November 6th general election. In Indiana, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on a single ticket in the general election. Boneham, of Survivor fame, is running with Brad Klopfenstein; Harris has chosen George Fish as his running mate. Pence and Gregg will have to wait until the statewide party conventions to see who will share their ticket in November.

The Republican Party state convention is scheduled for June 9th and the Democratic Party state convention will be held the following week on June 16th. Once those conventions are held, the major party ballots will be set for the attorney general and superintendent of public instruction races, as well. The Democrats have yet to indicate who might be their candidate for attorney general to challenge incumbent Republican Greg Zoeller, but all signs point to Justin Oakley as the likely Democratic challenger to current Republican superintendent Tony Bennett.

The measure has garnered national attention as both sides of drummed up spending in the weeks leading up until the vote. Here’s a recap of some recent developments.

• The group Vote FOR Marriage NC launched a series of ads supporting the amendment, including one specifically targeting an ad from the opposition.^[1]
• The state chapter of the NAACP launched a radio campaign against the amendment asking that North Carolina voters oppose the amendment in the name of keeping discrimination out of the state constitution. The state NAACP says that although is opposes the amendment, its campaigning should not be viewed as a stance on gay marriage.^[2]
• On Sunday, The New York Times published an editorial opposing the measure, writing, “North Carolinians need to consider whether they really want to inflict this gratuitous bigotry on their fellow citizens and their children.”^[3]
• An April 20-22, 2012 poll by Public Policy Polling revealed that 54% would vote for the amendment, while 40% would vote against it, and 6% are undecided. A total of 1,139 likely primary voters were polled. The margin of error was +/-2.9%.^[4]

Polls will be open from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM EST on May 8.

Alabama and Pennsylvania held primary elections today for state executive seats. In Alabama, two Republican candidates went head to head in a primary runoff election for the President of the Alabama Public Service Commission. Twinkle Cavanaugh, a current member of the commission, beat out Iraq veteran and real estate developer Chip Brown for the party’s nomination.^[1] Cavanaugh will face incumbent Lucy Baxley, the only Democrat who currently holds a statewide office in Alabama in the November general election.^[2]

[hide]Alabama Public Service Commission President – Republican Primary Runoff, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Twinkle Cavanaugh	60.8%	52,371
Chip Brown	39.2%	33,734
Total Votes		86,105

77% of precincts reporting.
The story isn’t so simple in Pennsylvania. Today’s primary election was more than the usual ballot casting exercise for the commonwealth’s partisan electorate. In addition to choosing their party’s nominees for the two statewide and myriad U.S. and State legislative seats, Pennsylvania voters also participated in a dry-run of the state’s recently passed voter photo-ID law. Poll volunteers were tasked with informing people about the new requirements. They were also instructed to track the numbers of voters who showed up without proper forms of ID in order to give the state an idea of how many more IDs will need to be issued before November, when the mandatory photo-ID rule will officially go into effect.

Only two of this year’s state executive races in Pennsylvania were contested: the Democratic primary for attorney general and the Republican primary for auditor. The polls are closed and the votes have been tallied. Here are the unofficial results of the two contests:

Attorney General

The mudslinging that led up to the Democratic primary showdown tonight between ex-Lackawanna prosecutor Kathleen Kane and former Bucks County U.S. Rep Patrick Murphy is over. Despite strong showings for Murphy in and around his native city of Philadelphia, Kane ultimately edged out her opponent to score the Democratic nomination for attorney general. Kane’s upset victory was among the last to be called-major news sources like the AP and the Philadelphia Inquirer waited to declare the race until around 11:00pm EST-due to the slim, albeit consistent, margin separating the candidates’ reported votes.^[3]

Kane will now face Republican Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed in the November 6 general election.

[hide]Attorney General of Pennsylvania, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Kathleen Kane	52.9%	370,709
Patrick Murphy	47.1%	330,624
Total Votes		701,333

*98.9% of districts reporting.

Auditor

Current state Rep. John Maher easily defeated Frank Pinto in the Republican primary and will go on to face state Rep. Eugene DePasquale (who was unopposed in tonight’s Democratic primary) in November. Both Maher and DePasquale are also running unopposed for re-election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, which means that at least one of them will vacate their current seat after the general election. That also means that the commonwealth of Pennsylvania will have to hold a special election to fill their House seat, which is estimated to cost between $100,000 and $150,000.^[4]

[hide]Pennsylvania Auditor, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
John Maher	66.1%	450,928
Frank Pinto	33.9%	231,576
Total Votes		682,504

*98.9% of districts reporting.

Rep. Greg Harris was the main proponent of the bill but made note that the state’s pension problems and approval of a general budget for the state have taken precedence over this issue. Though he also noted that the issue was not dead and is hopeful it will be talked about at a future date.^[1]

Opponents to same sex marriage had attempted to get a non-binding referendum on the state wide ballot in November, 500,000 signature were needed but the group leader commented that the signatures acquired will fall short of those needed. Only around 100,000 signatures have been gathered so far and the deadline for those signatures is the end of the month. Opponents to same sex marriage though noted that although the initiative will not make the November ballot, at least they were able to show that people do not support the issue.^[1]

The measure would have prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation from anything to housing to employment. The city already has equal protection rights set as law based on gender, race religion and disabilities, this measure would have added to the current ordinance.

Gay rights activists have been advocating for legal protection since 1976, however the mayor at that time vetoed the proposed ordinance. That ordinance would have granted equal rights based on sexual orientation. A second attempt was made in 2009 to pass another ordinance, but it also was vetoed by the mayor.^[1]

This measure was placed on the ballot via a citizen initiated petition drive. Supporters collected 13,515 valid signatures to place the issue on the April 2012 ballot. Supporters said they were hopeful that the initiative would get enough support through outside groups to allow for equal rights.^[2]

Note: Next week’s roundup, March 30, will be the final edition of the Redistricting Roundup. Ballotpedia staff will still cover redistricting news, with updates being added to the State Legislative Tracker, which is published on Monday afternoons.

Acting with a sense of urgency, a three-judge federal panel approved new congressional districts for New York on Monday–the day before candidates could begin collecting signatures to qualify for the ballot. The map is nearly identical to the one proposed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Roanne Mann, who was appointed to act as special redistricting master. The panel noted that Mann was able to provide the court with a map in two weeks’ time – something the legislature has unable to do for over a year.

The new map reduces the number of congressional seats from 29 to 27, eliminating the mid-Hudson Valley seat held by retiring Democrat Maurice Hinchey and the Queens district held by Republican Bob Turner. Turner, in response, is now running for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand (D). According to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, six of the seven GOP-held U.S. House seats will be less safe for incumbents, while at least four Democratic incumbents will face less friendly districts.

New legislative districts were approved by the legislature last week and signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). The districts still need to be approved by the Justice Department to ensure that they comply with the Voting Rights Act. Additionally, a court case brought by Democrats against the addition of a 63rd seat in the Senate is pending. They argue that the new seat is nothing but an attempt by the GOP to retain their majority in the chamber, while Republicans argue it is required by the state Constitution.

Meanwhile, it is appearing more likely that New York will have two different primary dates for state legislative and congressional primaries. A judge has moved the congressional primary to June 26. While the Democrat-controlled Assembly favors moving the legislative primary to June 26 as well, the Republican-controlled Senate prefers to keep the primary on September 11, so as not to disrupt the legislative calendar.

State news

Alaska

After the Alaska Supreme Court remanded the redistricting challenge to the superior court, Judge McConahy set an April 2 deadline for submitting new plans and an April 13 deadline for review and adoption by the Board. Opponents were also invited to file their own map submissions by April 2 or file objections to the adopted plan by April 23. The board was given until April 27 to respond to any objections. McConahy set a May 7 court date for revisiting the plans.

Although the Alaska Redistricting Board had already scheduled meetings to make the necessary revisions, it questioned McConahy’s authority to establish the timeline. On March 16, attorneys for the Board asked McConahy vacate the order establishing the deadlines. On March 21, McConahy agreed to vacate the order. The board now plans to complete the revised map by June 1–Alaska’s filing deadline for legislative candidates. The board will hold a series of meetings each day next week to begin work on the new map. Citizens unable to attend the meetings in person may participate via streaming video or teleconference.

• Dates and other information on the meetings can be found here.

Arizona

On Wednesday, the Arizona State Senate approved an additional $700,000 appropriation to the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. The Senate voted 18-9 to approve the measure which had been sent to its chamber by the House. The commission had sought an extra $1.1 million.

Meanwhile, House speaker Andy Tobin (R) is considering whether the Legislature will sue to attempt to block the legislative and congressional redistricting maps.

Florida

Yesterday, the Florida State Senate passed a revised chamber map, seeking to comply with changes mandated by the Florida Supreme Court. On March 10, the state’s High Court rejected the original maps, finding eight districts unconstitutional and ruling that district numbers had been assigned as to favor particular incumbents over others. Ultimately, 24 districts were modified to accommodate the changes to the eight rejected by the court. The revised numbers were picked using Bingo machines.

Despite these modifications, Democratic leaders maintain that the revised maps still violate the 2010 “Fair Districts amendment by favoring incumbents. The plan was approved 31-6 with five Democratic senators supporting the plan. The House is expected to pass the plan.

• The overturned plan can be found here.
• The revised plan can be found here.

Meanwhile, court challenges are pending against Florida’s new congressional districts. Last Friday, a state circuit court judge said he will likely begin hearing the challenges next month. The challenges were filed by a collection of voter groups and the Florida Democratic Party. Florida’s petition filing deadline is in May and the candidate qualifying deadline is in June.

Kansas

This week, the Kansas House of Representatives rejected two competing redistricting plans, sending lawmakers back to the drawing board. The committee map, approved on March 14, floundered in the House until it was replaced by Rep. Tom Arpke (R). The replacement map passed 70-51 in a preliminary vote on Tuesday. However, House Speaker Mike O’Neal (R), an advocate of the original map, sharply criticized the map and the House promptly voted it down on Wednesday, 48-76. It now appears that neither map is destined for passage. Another, Senate-drawn congressional map appears doomed as well.

As House lawmakers begin drafting a consensus map, it appears likely that parts of Shawnee County will be used to bolster the 1st Congressional District. The now-dead committee bill moved a portion of Wyandotte County–home to Democratic-leaning Kansas City–into the conservative 1st Congressional District of Kansas. The Senate chose a bipartisan map that kept Wyandotte in the 3rd Congressional District of Kansas, drawing population for District 1 from Riley County.

Meanwhile, a Kansas State Senate panel approved a chamber map on Monday, protecting three incumbent Republicans from conservative challengers. The changes would protect Carolyn McGinn, Tim Owens, and Jean Schodorf.

Maryland

Maryland’s redistricting process was marked by rampant criticism and several lawsuits, but in the end, congressional and legislative maps were passed without great incident. Some of the greatest anger came toward the legislative maps, which became law without having hearings in the General Assembly. Lawmakers put forth a number of alternative plans, but none of them saw hearings either. With new districts in place and anger subsided, a slate of bills have been proposed to reform the next round of redistricting.

Nine bills in total have been heard by committees, but so far no votes have been taken. Most legislators don’t appear optimistic at their chances of passing. Suggested reforms include creating task forces to study redistricting, increasing the time for public comment, and creating a bipartisan commission to draw the districts and remove political considerations from the process.

Mississippi

In 2011, Mississippi lawmakers failed to redraw their legislative boundaries. As a result, the 2011 elections were held using the map from the 2000 Census. Republicans ultimately took control of both the Senate and House. Now, legislators must once again attempt to draw new districts using the 2010 Census. The legislature will be accepting public input through mid-April before embarking on another attempt at completing the constitutionally-mandated redistricting process.

Missouri

The Missouri Supreme Court has missed a scheduled hand-down day as candidates wait for it to rule on challenges to the state’s congressional and state House districts. The court could release the ruling on a special day, but some are concerned that the Court could now miss the state’s March 27 filing deadline.

South Carolina

Earlier in March, a three-judge federal panel dismissed a lawsuit that alleged racial discrimination in South Carolina’s new districts. This week, six voters have appealed that ruling up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court has not yet decided if it will take up the case.

Tennessee

Last Friday, March 16, Democrats filed a lawsuit against the Republican-drawn Tennessee State Senate redistricting maps. The suit argues that the Tennessee State Senate map unnecessarily splits too many counties. The implemented map splits eight counties while a map drawn by the General Assembly Black Caucus map would split five.

West Virginia

On January 20, the US Supreme Court stayed a federal court ruling requiring West Virginia lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional redistricting map. The state has until March 27 to file a brief with the Supreme Court or seek an extension on the stay. If the case does not go before the Court, the lower court’s ruling will take effect and the maps will be redrawn. The court will likely make a decision on whether to consider the appeal by this fall.

Wisconsin

Yesterday, a three-judge federal panel upheld Wisconsin’s new congressional and State Senate districts, but ordered two Milwaukee-area Assembly districts to be redrawn for violating the Voting Rights Act. The panel held that the map unfairly diluted Latino voting power and ordered the map back to the legislature, mandating that lawmakers redraw Districts 8 and 9 without affecting any other districts. In the meantime, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board has been barred from implementing the new map.

Although the judges upheld the great majority of the districts drawn by Republicans, they harshly criticized the process, calling it “needlessly secret” and stating that every effort was undertaken in order to complete the work out of the public eye. The legislature recently adjourned their 2012 session and it is unclear how they will take up the task, especially since the state Senate is evenly divided following Republican Pam Galloway‘s resignation on March 17.

The court challenge was first filed back in June 2011, prior to the passage of maps. Throughout the process the panel criticized Republicans for unnecessary secrecy, ordering them to release documents numerous times. Among these were agreements signed by nearly all Republican legislators stating they would not discuss the maps while they were in progress. Still, with the ruling, state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen (R) called it a win for GOP leaders.

This week’s tracker features an update on what was accomplished (and not accomplished) in those state legislatures that adjourned for the year last week and a look at special sessions in Florida, Virginia and Washington.

Sessions

This week 35 out of 50 state legislatures are meeting in regular session. One state - Louisiana - convenes this week, while no states are scheduled to adjourn.

Ten states have adjourned for the year, while four states - Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas - will not hold regular sessions in 2012.

Regular sessions

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

The following states convened their regular legislative sessions:

• January 3: Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont

• January 4: California, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York

• January 9: Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Washington

• January 10: Arizona, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin

• January 11: Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia

• January 17: Alaska, New Mexico
• January 18: Hawaii
• January 23: Utah
• January 24: Minnesota
• February 1: Oregon
• February 5: Oklahoma
• February 7: Alabama
• February 8: Connecticut
• February 13: Arkansas, Wyoming

The following states have ended their regular session:

• February 16: New Mexico
• March 6: Oregon
• March 8: Utah, Washington
• March 9: Arkansas, Florida, Wyoming
• March 10: Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia

Click here to see a chart of each state’s 2012 session information.

Special sessions

Special sessions were a widespread occurrence in the state legislatures in 2011, in particular due to the necessity of states to conduct the redistricting of state legislative and congressional districts. Overall, in 2011 there were 45 special sessions in 28 states.

Washington is currently in special session. Virginia formally began a special session last Saturday, but adjourned until March 21, while Florida is scheduled to begin one on Wednesday.

In recess

As of today, March 12, 1 states’ session is currently in recess:

• North Carolina - Mid-term recess June 18, 2011 through May 12, 2012^[1]

Sessions spotlight

So far ten states have adjourned their regular session for the year – at least three of those will be holding special sessions to finish up their work.

Florida

Following the Florida Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to reject the state’s new Senate maps, the Senate will reconvene in special session starting Wednesday in order to redraw its map.^[2]

In Florida, if the Court finds a plan unconstitutional, the Governor must call a new session within five days to correct the district lines — this session may last no longer than 15 days. The revised plan is again submitted to the court for evaluation. The court approved the new state House districts.

Virginia

The Virginia General Assembly ended their regular session on Saturday. The 60-day session was full of heated debate over bills regarding abortion restrictions and gun laws, but never included passing a new state budget. Thus, the same day that the Legislature adjourned, they also formally started a special session then adjourned until March 21.

Following the 2011 legislative elections, which left the Senate evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, Republicans claimed power in the chamber using the tie-breaking vote of Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R). The Lt. Governor, however, can not break ties on appropriations bills. In exchange for a compromise on the budget, Democrats are seeking a power-sharing agreement in the Senate.^[3]

Washington

Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) called for a special session on Thursday after it was clear the Legislature was going to end its 60-day regular session without passing a supplemental budget plan. HouseDemocrats passed a budget agreement by a 53-45 vote, but it included a delayed payment for schools, something that has previously failed in the Senate. While Democrats hold the majority in the Senate, three members broke from the party ranks to vote for a Republican plan that got rid of the delayed payment and focused instead on more spending cuts.^[4]

The special session got under way today at noon, but the first two days are only “pro forma,” meaning legislators are not required to be at the Capitol until Wednesday. Gregoire said it could last up to a month.^[5]

Issues spotlight

Nine states concluded their regular session for the year last week. Three of those will be holding special sessions (see above). Here is an update on major topics that were addressed in the other six:

• Arkansas – Arkansas’ second-ever fiscal session focused mainly on the passage of a $4.7 billion budget. Legislators attempted to get non-budget items passed, including a $4 million tax break for truckers, but those items will have to wait until next year. The House also voted to elect Darrin Williams as the first black Speaker of the House in state history.^[6]

• Indiana – Legislators ended their session by passing a spending package that includes $6 million for victims of the Indiana State Fair stage collapse and $80 million for full-day kindergarten. They also agreed to decrease the state inheritance tax beginning next year until it is completely phased out after 2021. In perhaps the most controversial move, legislators passed a bill which mandates that citizens are protected by the state’s self-defense law if they reasonably believe force is necessary in order to protect themselves from unlawful actions by a police officer.^[7]

• Oregon – The Legislature held its first-ever annual session this year, which was created by a voter-approved ballot measure passed in 2010. Lawmakers were able to pass a balanced budget to deal with a $200 million budget gap and largely deemed the session a success.^[8]

• Utah – The Legislature’s 45-day session was fairly uneventful, with the controversial issue of immigration avoided entirely. The most attention was given to what is being called the “Sagebrush Rebellion 2.0″ as legislators sought to claim 30 million acres of state land that is owned by the federal government.^[9]

• West Virginia – Legislators passed 213 bills this session, including 112 on the last day. One thing they did not accomplish, however, was passing a new budget. To that end, the session was extended, with work on the budget getting under way again yesterday. Some are predicting a special session will have to be called later in the month.^[10]

• Wyoming – The Legislature finished on March 8, a day early. During that time legislators passed a $3.2 billion budget for the next two years. It keeps spending more or less flat but gives the governorauthority to spend up to $150 million in reserve funds if necessary. They also passed a new state wolf management plan that aims to end protections for wolves under the federal Endangered Species Act.^[11]

Elections

See also: State legislative elections, 2012 and State legislative elections results, 2012

A total of 86 of the 99 chambers will hold state legislative elections on November 6, 2012.

1,267 (64.3%) of the country’s 1,971 state senate seats are up for re-election in November 2012, and 4,712 (87.05%) of the country’s 5,413 state house seats are up for re-election. Altogether, 5,979 (81.0%) of the country’s 7,384 state legislative seats will be up for re-election during the presidential election year.

• 43 of the 50 state senates are holding elections.
• 43 of the 49 state houses are holding elections.

The 5,979 seats up for election is 146 fewer than the 6,125 that were contested in 2010.

Filing deadlines

See also: Signature requirements and deadlines for 2012 state government elections and 2012 Elections preview: Comparing state legislative filing deadlines

This week five states have signature filing deadlines for candidates running for election - Montana, Maine, Iowa, Nevada and Utah.

So far, deadlines have passed in 13 states:

States with upcoming deadlines:

• March 12: Montana
• March 15: Maine
• March 16: Iowa
• March 16: Utah
• March 16: Nevada
• March 27: Missouri
• March 27: South Dakota
• March 30: South Carolina

Primaries

See also: 2012 election dates

The first state legislative primary elections of 2012 took place last week in Ohio. There are no state legislative primaries this week. The next will take place in Illinois on March 20, where all 59 Senate seats and 118 House seats will be on the ballot.

States with upcoming primaries:

• March 20: Illinois
• April 3: Maryland
• April 24: Pennsylvania
• May 8: Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia
• May 15: Idaho, Nebraska, Oregon
• May 22: Arkansas, Kentucky
• May 29: Texas

Note: Texas was originally scheduled to hold their primary on March 6. However, with newly drawn state legislative maps being fought in the courts, the date was moved to May 29.

Recalls

Currently, 18 states permit the recall of state officials. Between 1913 and 2008, there were just 20 state legislative recall elections in five states. Of the 20 state legislative recall elections, 13 out of 20 resulted in the state legislator being recalled. In 2011, there were 11 state legislative recalls in three states, 4 of which resulted in the legislator being recalled.

Michigan

2011 saw a wave of recall attempts in Michigan. While most of those efforts dried up, at least two campaigns are continuing on (the recall of Paul Scott was successful on November 8, 2011). Organizers of the campaigns to recall Bruce Caswell (R) and Phil Pavlov (R) are aiming for the August 2012 ballot.

Wisconsin

Democrats in Wisconsin filed recall petitions on November 15, 2011 against four Republican state senators - Pam Galloway, Scott Fitzgerald, Terry Moulton and Van Wanggaard.^[12] Campaign organizers turned in more than the necessary number of signatures in each of the four races on January 17, 2012.

On February 9, all four senators for recall submitted signatures challenges, and the recall committees submitted rebuttals to the challenges.^[13] A statement issued by GAB staff on Friday said they won’t be able to finish reviewing all of the signatures by the deadline and requested the board to ask for an extension to March 30. The statement also recommends the board dismiss all of the petition challenges, a move which would automatically trigger recall elections.^[14] GAB director Kevin Kennedy has said primaries could take place on May 15 with the recalls on June 12.

The full board met today and voted unanimously to order recalls against all four Republican state senators.^[15]

Special elections

See also: State legislative special elections, 2012

There are no special elections scheduled to take place this week.

Looking ahead

Upcoming special elections include:

• March 20: New York Assembly District 93
• March 20: New York Assembly District 100
• March 20: New York Assembly District 103
• March 20: New York Assembly District 145
• March 20: New York Senate District 27
• April 3: Oklahoma House of Representatives District 71
• April 3: Oklahoma Senate District 20
• April 10: Minnesota Senate District 20
• April 24: Pennsylvania House District 22
• April 24: Pennsylvania House District 134
• April 24: Pennsylvania House District 153
• April 24: Pennsylvania House District 169
• April 24: Pennsylvania House District 186
• April 24: Pennsylvania House District 197