February 15, 2013

By Zac Humphrey

LANSING, Michigan: Michigan’s legal drunk driving blood alcohol limit could rise to .10 come October 1st if state lawmakers do not act.^[1]

Legislation passed in 2003 by the Michigan State Legislature lowered the legal drunk driving blood alcohol from .10 to .08. The Michigan House Criminal Justice committee has heard testimony on a bill that would keep the limit at .08. This bill is expected to pass out of committee and be voted on by the full Michigan House of Representatives sometime next week.^[1]

The bills advocates say that by maintaining the current limit, the state would save $50 million in federal highway funding. This bill has the support of law enforcement and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Andrea LaFontaine (R), the bill sponsor, says that, “this is really common sense and shouldn’t have any problems.”^[1]

According to statistics available from the 10 years since the limit was first lowered to .08%, drunk driving arrests have fallen in Michigan by 32%. Deaths related to alcohol have dropped from 340 in 2003, to 253 in 2011.^[1]

Michigan Police Sgt. Perry Curtis regularly does demonstrations on the effects of alcohol and how a person becomes intoxicated. He described exercises done where participants are given a set of fake keys and then told to return them when they feel that they are too impaired to drive. He mentioned that they often turn them in “between 0.04% and 0.06%.”^[1]

January 29, 2013

By Zac Humphrey

LANSING, Michigan: Some Michigan state lawmakers are debating the merits of maintaing a full-time legislature versus converting to a part-time legislature.^[1]

State Senator John Proos (R) introduced a bill to the Michigan Senate that would give the voters of Michigan the power to decide whether the Legislature should transition to part-time. This would mean that state lawmakers would be in session for only 90 days per year, with the ability to be called back in cases of emergency. State RepresentativeTom McMillin (R) plans on introducing a similar bill in the Michigan House. Proos and McMillin cite cutting cost and improving efficiency and government transparency as the chief reasons for introducing this legislation. This idea does not have widespread support at this time, Gov. Rick Snyder being a chief opponent.^[1]

In the transition to part-time, state legislators would see a 75% pay cut as well as staff reductions. Some lawmakers also believe that term limits should be re-examined at the same time. Jim Stamas(R) has said that shorter sessions combined with current term limits could have a negative impact the institutional knowledge within the chambers of the legislature. Presently, representatives can serve three two-year terms and senators can serve two four-year terms.^[2]

This is not a new issue, McMillin sponsored similar legislation in 2012.

January 12, 2013

By Zac Humphrey

LANSING, Michigan: Revenue projections for the coming year vary widely in the Michigan state government. With more than $1 billion left over from fiscal year 2012, Michigan state officials see the 2013 budget remaining stable, but there is a bit of uncertainty with respect to fiscal year 2014. The economy is expected to continue improving but the pace at which it does so could be slower than expected. Michigan’s general fund and the school aid fund are the two main budgets in the state.^[1]

There are differing projections that have been released by the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency and the Michigan House Fiscal Agency. The senate report is more conservative and highlights potential shortfalls in the school aid budget. The state is projected to bring in $19.8 billion in this fiscal year, which is down $372 million from earlier projections.^[2]No projection has yet been be released by Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration.^[1]

Lawmakers and Synder will use these projections to create their plan of action for the coming year.^[1]

By Ballotpedia’s Congressional team

MADISON, Wisconsin: Michigan had 14 U.S. House seats on the ballot in 2012. Twelve total incumbents sought re-election on November 6, 2012. Due to redistricting, some incumbents changed districts and one district was removed. All of the 12 incumbents who sought re-election were re-elected. There were three incumbents who did not run, and no districts where a party change occurred.

Here are the candidates who won election in Michigan.

District	General Election Candidates	Incumbent	2012 Winner	Partisan Switch?
1st	Gary McDowell  Dan Benishek  Emily Salvette  Ellis Boal (write-in)	Dan Benishek	Dan Benishek	No
2nd	Willie German, Jr. (write-in)  Bill Huizenga  Mary Buzuma  William Opalicky  Ronald Graeser (UST)	Bill Huizenga	Bill Huizenga	No
3rd	Steve Pestka  Justin Amash  Bill Gelineau	Justin Amash	Justin Amash	No
4th	Debra Freidell Wirth  Dave Camp  John Gelineau  Pat Timmons  George Zimmer (UST)	Dave Camp	Dave Camp	No
5th	Dan Kildee  Jim Slezak  Gregory Creswell  David Davenport	Dale E. Kildee	Dan Kildee	No
6th	Mike O’Brien  Fred Upton  Christie Gelineau  Jason Gatties	Fred Upton	Fred Upton	No
7th	Kurt R. Haskell Tim Walberg  Ken Proctor  Richard Wunsch	Tim Walberg	Tim Walberg	No
8th	Lance Enderle  Mike Rogers  Daniel Goebel  Preston Brooks	Mike Rogers (Michigan)	Mike Rogers	No
9th	Sander Levin  Don Volaric  Jim Fulner  Julia Williams  Les Townsend (UST)	Gary Peters	Sander Levin	No
10th	Chuck Stadler  Candice Miller  Bhagwan Dashairya	Candice Miller	Candice Miller	No
11th	Syed Taj  Kerry Bentivolio  John Tatar  Steven Paul Duke  Daniel Johnson (NLP)	Thaddeus McCotter	Kerry Bentivolio	No
12th	John D. Dingell  Cynthia Kallgren  Richard Secula	Sandy Levin	John D. Dingell	No
13th	John Conyers, Jr.  Harry T. Sawicki  Chris Sharer  Martin Gray (UST)	Hansen Clarke	John Conyers, Jr.	No
14th	Gary Peters  John Hauler  Leonard Schwartz  Douglas Campbell	John Conyers, Jr.	Gary Peters	No
15th	District Removed in Redistricting	John D. Dingell, Jr.	N/A	N/A

Margin of victory for winners

There were a total of 14 seats up for election in 2012 in Michigan. The following table shows the margin of victory for each district winner, which is calculated by examining the percentage difference between the top-two vote getters. If the race was uncontested, the margin of victory is listed as 100%.

District	Winner	Margin of Victory	Total Vote	Top Opponent
Michigan, District 10	Candice Miller	39.1%	328,612	Chuck Stadler
Michigan, District 11	Kerry Bentivolio	6.4%	358,124	Syed Taj
Michigan, District 12	John D. Dingell	39%	319,223	Cynthia Kallgren
Michigan, District 13	John Conyers, Jr.	69.1%	284,270	Harry T. Sawicki
Michigan, District 14	Gary Peters	66.6%	328,792	John Hauler
Michigan, District 1	Dan Benishek	0.5%	347,037	Gary McDowell
Michigan, District 2	Bill Huizenga	26.9%	318,267	Willie German, Jr.
Michigan, District 3	Justin Amash	8.4%	326,281	Steve Pestka
Michigan, District 4	Dave Camp	29.5%	312,949	Debra Freidell Wirth
Michigan, District 5	Dan Kildee	33.5%	330,146	Jim Slezak
Michigan, District 6	Fred Upton	12%	320,475	Mike O’Brien
Michigan, District 7	Tim Walberg	10.3%	318,069	Kurt R. Haskell
Michigan, District 8	Mike Rogers	21.3%	345,054	Lance Enderle
Michigan, District 9	Sander Levin	27.9%	337,316	Don Volaric

National picture

Both chambers of the United States Congress remain split after the November 6, 2012 election. Democrats increased their majority in the U.S. Senate while cutting into the Republicans majority in theU.S. House. Of the 435 candidates who won election to the U.S. House, 85 of them were challengers, which represents 19.5 percent of U.S. House members. Of those 85, 50 are Democratic and 35 are Republican. A total of 27 incumbents were defeated — 10 Democratic and 17 Republican.

By Zac Humphrey

LANSING, Michigan: In a 5-9 vote by the Michigan House of Representatives’ Health Policy committee, the creation of a state-based health exchange was defeated on Thursday.^[1]

Each state was given the deadline of December 14, 2012, to create their own exchange program. According to the Speaker of the House Jase Bolger (R), this issue will not be brought up again before that deadline.^[1]

Gov. Rick Snyder has said that he hoped the non-profit, online, state-based exchange would be set up before the end of the year, but with the committee’s recent vote this does not seem likely.^[1][2]

Tea party activists and the conservative Americans for Prosperity spoke to their opposition of Obamacare, the name that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has come to be known. They claimed that for this reason, the state exchange should be opposed. They also made it clear that how representatives voted would be remembered.^[3][1]

Many doctors and hospitals were in favor of a state-run exchange, saying that it would be better for the state to have as much control over the exchange as possible. This echoed the sentiments of the governor.^[4]

This vote, however, does not stop the establishment of the health exchange in Michigan. The federal health care law provides that these health exchanges can either be a state-run, a federal-state partnership or a federally run program.^[2]

This matter is not closed, though. If the state wants to make the exchange state-run in the future, it has the ability to do so.^[1]

October 24, 2012

Florida. Ohio. Colorado. New Hampshire. You’ve no doubt heard a lot of talk about the presidential swing states. With just two weeks left until the general election, political reporters across the country consider anywhere from 3 to 10 states to be toss-ups in the race for the presidency. Here at the Lucy Burns Institute, our election analysts have focused on nine of those states with significant non-presidential races to present a full picture of the 2012 elections in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Whether it’s a congressional race pitting two incumbents against each other, a state legislative chamber that is one seat away from switching from a Democratic to a Republican majority, or a judicial election that will decide the balance of a state Supreme Court, the teams at Ballotpedia and Judgepedia have a breakdown of everything you’ll want to watch in these key states.

Colorado

Colorado voters will decide an important ballot measure this year; Amendment 64, on the November 6, 2012 ballot as an initiated constitutional amendment, which would legalize recreational marijuana in the state. The measure will ask whether or not to legalize the use and possession of, at most, an ounce of marijuana for residents who are 21 and older. President Barack Obama‘s and Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s stance regarding marijuana legalization, regulation and taxation like alcohol is expected to influence the young voter population in Colorado.

After redistricting, two Congressional districts are considered to be up for grabs: the 6th district where incumbent Republican Mike Coffman is facing current state representative Joe Miklosi (D). The other seat that could swing is in the 3rd district, where freshman GOP representative Scott Tipton will attempt to hold off a challenge from Democratic state representative Sal Pace.

In the state House and state Senate, 32 incumbents are not seeking re-election – 16 from each party. One seat to pay close attention to is House District 47, from which Keith Swerdfeger (R) is retiring, leaving a seat for Democrats to potentially pick up. Netto Charles Rodosevich (D) will face Clarice Navarro-Ratzlaff (R) in the general election.

Florida

In 2010, the Florida Supreme Court upheld three lower court rulings that struck three legislatively referred ballot measures from appearing on the statewide ballot that year. This year, the Florida Legislature passed a measure to the 2012 general election ballot that would revise provisions relating to repeal of court rules, limit readoption of repealed court rule and stipulate that all appointments to the Florida Supreme Court be subject to confirmation by the Florida State Senate. The proposed legislation also grants the state House access to investigate files of the Judicial Qualifications Commission. Although the measure, Amendment 5, is not an issue being discussed in the presidential race, any controversial or scrutinized measure in this swing state could send a rush of voters to the polls. On a related note, conservatives are leading a strong effort to oust Supreme Court Justices Barbara Pariente, Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince. The justices are under fire for various rulings in support of federal healthcare legislation, the death penalty and other controversial topics.

Florida gained two Congressional seats as a result of redistricting. Predictions vary, but as many as eight U.S. House seats could be in play. Perhaps more significant is the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Bill Nelson (D) and U.S. House Rep. Connie Mack (R). The seat leans in Nelson’s favor and he has polled out front. With the control of the Senate a toss-up, any close Senate battle is pivotal to both parties.

Iowa

An anti-retention effort against Justice David Wiggins is underway, led by conservatives who are upset with Wiggins’ participation in a unanimous 2009 ruling to overturn the state’s ban on gay marriage. The other three justices who voted in the case were not retained to their positions in 2010.

Iowa lost one Congressional seat as a result of redistricting. This has prompted an incumbent-vs-incumbent battle between Leonard Boswell (D) and Tom Latham (R) in the 3rd District. Though it’s not an incumbent match up, the race in 4th District is also expected to be very close, as incumbent Steve King (R) faces former First Lady of Iowa Christie Vilsack (D).

In the state Senate, Democrats hold a slim 26 to 24 majority, while Republicans have a 59 to 40 majority in the state House. Races to watch include Senate district 26, where incumbent Mary Jo Wilhelm (D) will face incumbent Merlin Bartz (R), and House district 13 with incumbents Chris Hall (D) and Jeremy Taylor (R) battling it out for the seat.

Maine

One of the most closely-watched ballot measures of the year comes from Maine. The state is one place in the country where the issue of gay marriage is starting to draw serious attention from both sides. Maine Question 1 would overturn a voter-approved 2009 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in the state.

With Republican incumbent Olympia Snowe retiring, the U.S. Senate seat in Maine is now considered a toss-up. The current frontrunner is former Governor of Maine Angus King, an Independent, who is expected to caucus with Democrats should he win the seat. King faces Cynthia Dill (D) and Charles Summers (R) in the election (along with several other third party candidates).

Republicans hold small majorities in both state legislative chambers. In Senate District 27, incumbent Douglas Thomas (R) is challenged by representative Herbert Clark (D). Clark is attacking Thomas by drawing attention to an unpopular proposed highway project that passes through the district. House district 94 will see the Assistant Democratic Leader Teresea Hayes opposed by Timothy Turner(R). Hayes narrowly kept her seat in 2012, escaping with a 2,122 – 2,012 victory.

Michigan

Though the Michigan Supreme Court race is technically non-partisan, it has been riddled with partisan conflict between the three Republican-endorsed candidates (Stephen Markman and Colleen O’Brien for the full term; Brian Zahra for the partial term) and three Democratic-endorsed candidates (Connie Marie Kelley and Bridget Mary McCormack for the full term; Shelia Johnson for the partial term). The loaded races have a total of ten candidates running for three seats on the court.

Michigan lost one congressional seat via redistricting. Of particular note is the 11th District, where incumbent Thaddeus McCotter (R) failed to qualify for the ballot and then subsequently resigned his seat. Tea Party-backed candidate Kerry Bentivolio will attempt to hold the seat for Republicans in both the regular election and a concurrent special election as well. He will face Syed Taj in the general election — and David Curson (D) in the special election.

One measure garnering attention in Michigan is Proposal 4. The initiative would place features of the Michigan Quality Community Care Council in the state constitution, in addition to providing home health care providers with limited collective bargaining. Collective bargaining rights has been an issue under much debate since 2011, when Ohio’s Senate Bill 5 took center stage.

New Hampshire

Incumbent Democratic Governor John Lynch (D) is not running for re-election. Former state senator Maggie Hassan (D) faces Ovide Lamontagne (R) in the general election. Polls are indicating a very close race for the governorship, which is one of only eleven gubernatorial races this year.

Both congressional districts in New Hampshire are in play. Currently, both seats are held by Republicans. Both races feature rematches from 2010, between Democrat Carol Shea-Porter and Frank Guinta in the 1st district and between Democrat Ann Kuster and Charlie Bass in the 2nd district.

North Carolina

After winning control of the state legislature in 2010, Republicans in North Carolina redrew the congressional redistricting map to swing in the GOP favor. Presently, seven of the 13 seats are held by Democratic incumbents, but several seats are expected to change hands in North Carolina on election night. The races of particular note are the 7th, 8th, 11th and 13th districts.

A total of 10 state executive positions are up for election this year in North Carolina. Democratic governor Bev Perdue is not running for re-election and Republican Pat McCrory is polling comfortably ahead of the Democratic nominee, current lieutenant governor Walter Dalton. The Republican Party is expected to gain a trifecta on election night by winning the governorship and maintaining control of both chambers of the legislature.

This year’s North Carolina Supreme Court election could shift the balance of the court. Though the state’s judicial races are technically nonpartisan, the political parties have each made their positions clear. The Republican-backed incumbent, Justice Paul Martin Newby, is challenged by Democrat-endorsed Sam Ervin. Currently, the political balance favors conservatives 4-3. A number of laws passed by Republicans in the General Assembly are currently being challenged in lawsuits that could find their way to the high court — raising the stakes of this election even higher.

Ohio

With three contested races for the Ohio Supreme Court, a variety of outcomes is possible. The results won’t shift the court’s conservative composition, which is 6-1 Republican, but they could serve as a bellwether for other Ohio races. Appointed incumbent Justice Yvette McGee Brown is competing in her first race to the court. If she wins election, Brown will be the first Democrat elected to the court since 2000. A willingness for Ohio voters to elect a Democrat to the high court may signify a shift of opinions in the perennially watched state.

The redistricting process in Ohio this year didn’t come without controversy, leading to Issue 2 on the general election ballot. The measure would create a 12-person citizen commission to draw legislative and congressional district maps. According to supporters of the measure, the commission would create districts that would reflect the state’s geographic, racial, ethnic and political diversity. The initiative would also bar lobbyists and elected officials from joining the commission. Currently, the Ohio Legislature redraws district maps every ten years following U.S. Census results.

Ohio lost two congressional seats this year. In one of the tightest U.S. Senate races of the year, incumbent Sherrod Brown (D) is being challenged by current state treasurer Josh Mandel (R). Brown has maintained a slight lead in the polls as well as in fundraising. For the U.S. House, the 16th District race features an incumbent-vs-incumbent battle between Betty Sutton (D) and Jim Renacci (R). Another close race to watch is the rematch in the 6th District between incumbent Bill Johnson (R) and Charlie Wilson (D).

Pennsylvania

While the governor is not up for election, there are still three state executive elections taking place in Pennsylvania. The current attorney general, Linda Kelly, was appointed to the post by Gov. Tom Corbett and will not seek election to a full term. Democratic candidate Kathleen Kane, who edged out Patrick Murphy, the presumptive nominee, is polling out front of David Freed (R). Since the position became an elected post in 1980, no Democrat has ever won the office in a general election.

Both chambers of the legislature have the potential to swing from Republicans to Democrats. Republicans have a nine seat advantage in the Senate and a nineteen seat advantage in the House, but all four retiring Senators are Republicans. Close races in the Senate include open seats in Districts 15 and 49, while in the House Districts 3, 5, 37, and 197 (which is currently vacant) look to be some of the most competitive.

Pennsylvania lost one congressional seat as a result of redistricting. Currently Republicans hold 13 of the 19 seats in the state. Several races are considered to be competitive, including the 6th district,7th district, 8th district and 12th district. The 12th district is of particular note because it featured an incumbent-vs-incumbent battle in the primary, where Mark Critz (D) emerged victorious over Jason Altmire. Critz faces a strong challenge from Keith Rothfus (R) in the general election. If Rothfus wins, it would mean two incumbents lost within the same district in one election cycle — an extremely rare occurrence.

September 18, 201

By Al Ortiz and Eric Veram
Campaign season is upon us, and with that, the Tuesday Count stands at 185 ballot measures on 38 state ballots. 173 of those measures will be decided on November 6, 2012 in 37 states.

Before then, however, there is one more ballot measure election slated for voters.

It is a rare sight to see a statewide ballot measure on a September ballot, but deep down south, that’s exactly what voters are going to get.

The Alabama Medicaid Amendment will appear on the September 18, 2012 special election ballot today in the state of Alabama. This legislatively-referred constitutional amendment would authorize the transfer of $145.8 million from an oil and gas trust fund to the General Fund for the state Medicaid budget, prisons, courts and other non-education functions of government.

Although the measure is the only item on the special election ballot in the state, it has been garnering much heated attention from both supporters and opponents.

The main argument that supporters are making is that without the enactment of the amendment, the state Medicaid Agency and the Department of Corrections could have significant cuts that could have a negative impact on health care and public safety.

Proponent Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, stated that the measure is needed to cover major funding shortfalls in the state’s budget that begins on October 1, 2012.

On the other side of the argument, opponents say that Alabama legislators are delaying a funding issue that will rear its head again in three years when the Trust Fund money runs out.

According to State Senator Paul Sanford, “I’m against the amendment. I and the people I talk to don’t see the willingness to trust that the government is going to do the responsible thing…One of my bills that passed this year consolidated two agencies: Department of Labor and Department of Industrial Relations. I think we need to do more measures like that and curtail some cost. A lot of these suggestions have been put on the desk and are collecting dust.”^[1]

Election results will be posted on this page and on Amendment 1′s ballot measure page when polls close at 7 p.m. CST and numbers begin to come in.

Arkansas casino backers not folding cards just yet

It has been a bumpy road for supporters of a citizen-initiated casino amendment in the state of Arkansas.

Legal action and signature gathering debacles have plagued a proposal that would allow the operation of casinos in Arkansas, as supporters are nearing the end of what has been a complicated matter in the Natural State.

On June 28, 2012, supporters of the measure stated that they had more than 70,000 signatures on hand, enough to send the measure to the ballot, if enough valid signatures were counted. Organizers of the measure turned in signatures by the state’s petition drive deadline.^[2]

On July 23, 2012, secretary of state spokesman Alex Reed stated that the initiative had fallen short of the required amount of signatures needed to make the ballot. According to reports, the initiative effort had 30 days to collect those additional signatures.^[3]

Then, the group behind the measure submitted new ballot language after the Arkansas Secretary of State claimed the language was insufficient. The supporting group stated that the new language did not alter the law, so signatures should still be counted when submitted by the deadline. Additional signatures were then filed by the deadline.

However, the Arkansas Secretary of State rejected the newly submitted language, causing a lawsuit to be filed by Nancy Todd, supporter of the measure, with the Arkansas Supreme Court.^[4]

The lawsuit was filed on August 24, which stated: “The secretary of state’s threatened refusal to carry out this legal duty is a violation of his statutory obligations to the petitioners and the people and an abridgement of their rights under Amendment 7.”^[5]

While the lawsuit was being reviewed, election officials stated on September 14 that the initiative collected the required amount of signatures to make the ballot, pending the legal challenge.^[6]

A ruling on the case is expected soon.

Quick hits

Polls released for several Michigan ballot measures: An EPIC-MRA poll conducted on September 8-11, 2012, found that 48 percent were in support of Proposal 2, while 43 percent were opposed, and another 9% were undecided. The results are based on a poll of 600 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent. The same poll found found that 47 percent were in support of Proposal 6, while 44 percent were opposed, and another 9% were undecided.^[7]

Polling information released on Colorado Marijuana Legalization Initiative: A SurveyUSA poll conducted on September 9-12, 2012, found that 51 percent were in support of Amendment 64, while 40 percent were opposed, and another 8% were undecided. The results are based on a poll of 615 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.^[8]

Local Oregon voters flock to polls for light rail measure election

In last week’s Tuesday Count report, the Spotlight highlighted an extraordinary local measure in Oregon that will appear on the November 6 ballot in Multnomah County.

However, that isn’t the only measure that will appear on a local Oregon ballot this year, as today, September 18, voters in Clackamas County, Oregon will chime in on a light rail question.

This measure seeks to provide for a law requiring that any decision on a light rail in the county would have to be approved by public vote.

This measure was brought to the ballot through a successful petition drive by residents, who obtained 9,728 valid signatures when 9,378 were needed. Proponents of the measure want to allow for voter approval of the local TriMet project which would contribute $1.5 billion to the Portland-Milwaukie light rail project. According to reports, supporters did not think it fair for the county to invest so much money without voter approval first.

On the other hand, opponents say that this measure would halt the county’s contribution to the TriMet program.

The Tuesday Count Spotlight highlights notable developments from local ballot measures across the country as well as international ballot measures. 

BALLOT LAW UPDATE

Lawsuit aimed at delaying Colorado’s blue book dismissed: On September 13, 2012, Denver District Court Judge Robert Hyatt dismissed a lawsuit filed by supporters of Colorado Amendment 64. The lawsuit sought to delay the printing of the state’s ballot information booklet, know as the blue book, because, according to the plaintiffs, the legislative committee struck final draft key language in the section describing arguments in support of the initiative. The lawsuit was, reportedly, dismissed due to a “jurisdictional issue”.^[9]

Supporters of the North Dakota Medical Marijuana Initiative sue for ballot access: Supporters of the measure filed a lawsuit directly with the North Dakota Supreme Court on Friday, September 14, 2012, asking that the measure be placed on the ballot. The measure was previously kicked off the ballot after North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger determined that a number of the signatures were faked by petition gatherers. Supporters claim that Secretary Jaeger failed to follow constitutional and statutory legal requirements by rejecting whole pages of petitions containing fraudulent signatures rather than investigating each name.^[10]

September 17, 2012

By Chuck Stewart

Livingston, Michigan: Recent polls show that Michigan’s two primary ballot initiatives are closely contested among voters. A collective bargaining amendment stands at 48 for and 43 percent against, with 9 percent remaining undecided. The international crossings proposal would require the state-wide and local approval to build any international bridge or tunnel. It stands at 47 percent for and 44 percent against. While Michigan does not require a supra-majority to pass ballot initiatives, Pollster Bernie Porn was quoted in the Livingston Daily as saying these are “pretty high negatives.”^[1] At least 50 percent would be required for either initiative to pass.

Additionally, an emergency manager law was passed last year, but the bill’s opponents successfully petitioned for a referendum. This bill would increase the state’s power over localities and school districts in finical distress. Michigan voters are in favor of repelling this law 46 percent to 44 percent, with 10 percent undecided. ^[2]

By Ballotpedia’s Congressional and State legislative teams

The primary season continued yesterday with elections in Michigan.

Here’s a recap of what happened in Michigan, where elections were held for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and State House.

Congress

U.S. Senate

United States Senate elections in Michigan, 2012

Incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow won her primary with no opposition. Pete Hoekstra defeated Clark Durant, Gary Glenn, and Randy Hekman to secure the Republican nomination.

U.S. House

United States House of Representatives elections in Michigan, 2012

Michigan had a total of 14 seats on the ballot in 2012. A total of 56 candidates filed to run, made up of 20 Democratic challengers, 14 Republican challengers, 13 incumbents and 9 third-party candidates. A total of 353 U.S. House seats have held primaries. Thus far, 57.51% of possible primaries have been contested. Michigan‘s contested figure of 46.43% (13 out of 28 possible party primaries) is less competitive than the national average.

Six incumbents ran unopposed in their primary yesterday: Dan Benishek (R) of District 1, Bill Huizenga (R) of District 2, Justin Amash (R) of District 3, Dave Camp (R) of District 4, Sander Levin (D) of District 9, and Candice Miller (R) of District 10.

One incumbent was defeated by another in District 14. Incumbent Gary Peters defeated fellow incumbent Hansen Clarke and challengers Brenda Lawrence, Bob Costello, and Mary Waters in the Republican primary election.

The remaining five incumbents won their primary battles convincingly.

District 6: Incumbent Fred Upton defeated former state representative Jack Hoogendyk.

District 7: Incumbent Tim Walberg easily defeated Dan Davis, receiving 76% of the vote.

District 8: Incumbent Mike Rogers won his primary battle with Vernon Molnar and Brian Hetrick, garnering a whopping 86% of the vote.

District 12: Incumbent John D. Dingell, Jr. received nearly 80% of the vote to defeat Daniel Marcin.

District 13: Incumbent John Conyers, Jr. defeated his four primary opponents, securing 55% of the vote.

In Michigan‘s 11th district, Kerry Bentivolio successfully staved off Nancy Cassis‘s write-in campaign. He will now face Syed Taj (D) in the general election.

State legislature

See also Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2012

There were 110 total legislative seats with elections – Only the House is holding elections in 2012.

There were 51 (46%) contested Democratic primaries and 36 (33%) contested Republican primaries. Thus, there were 87 races with at least two candidates on the ballot. The 87 major party primaries represented 40% of possible primaries. This figure was higher than the national contested average of 19.38% for states that have had filing deadlines.

Five incumbents were defeated in the Michigan State Legislature yesterday.

The defeated incumbents were:

• Tim Bledsoe (D), District 2
• Jimmy Womack (D), District 3
• Maureen Stapleton (D), District 6
• Lesia Liss (D), District 28
• Kurt E. Damrow (R), District 84

House

Other races of note in the House:

District 4: Rose Mary Robinson beat out ten other challengers in the Democratic primary.

District 40: Michael D. McCready narrowly won with only 32% of the vote, with runners-up David W. Potts and David Wolkinson each garnering 30%.

District 83: Republican incumbent Paul Muxlow escaped with a tight victory in one of the most anticipated races of the night, beating challenger Bob Eick 5,198 to 5,066.^[1]

District 88: In an exceptionally close race for this open seat, Roger Victory defeated Amanda Sue Van Essen by 88 votes, among more than 12,000 cast in the district.^[1]

District 107: In a race that has yet to be officially called, Suzanne Shumway (D) leads Jim Martin by 27 votes.^[1]

August 7, 2012

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Edited by Al Ortiz

A downpour of ballot measures has engulfed the Tuesday Count. Seven ballot measure certifications recently made it to the ballot; all but one was sent by state legislatures in four states.

The count has bulked up to 162 ballot measures in 36 states.

In addition, today, August 7, is Primary election day for the state of Missouri. Thus, voters will finally get to chime in on Amendment 2, the public prayer measure.

Starting with ballot-certifications, Colorado voters saw the state’s petition drive deadline pass on August 6. Although two measures submitted petitions to the Secretary of State, signatures are still being verified.

However, one more measure was added to the statewide 2012 ballot, compliments of the Colorado Legislature. Amendment S was placed on the ballot for the fall, which was proposed to change aspects to the state personnel system.

Specifically, the measure would implement certain testing methods for job applicants, restrict the number of finalists for a particular job or position, place limits on thehiring of temporary workers and require that applicants be residents of the state, according to reports. The formal title of the measure was House Concurrent Resolution 1001.

Meanwhile, although Missourians will vote on one measure today, another one was added to the statewide general election ballot. The measure was added as acitizen initiative and was placed on the ballot after a court ruling that decided that the Missouri Secretary of State had correctly written the language of the proposal. Also included in that ruling, was that the state auditor has the constitutional right to prepare the financial summaries of the measures. The state auditor’s role in the initiative process had previously been legally questioned.

The ruling ends what was a tangled web in the state initiative process that began with a simple legal challenge to a potential tobacco tax initiative. That initiative, along with one other, is still having signatures reviewed to determine if they can be placed on the ballot.

The state of New Mexico also added three more measures to the statewide ballot, resulting in the state’s final total of eight ballot measures. The three measures all relate to bonds, with Bond Questions A, B and C dealing with bonds for senior citizen facilities, public library resource acquisitions and higher education improvements.

Since 1998, every even-numbered year in the state of New Mexico has had bond measures on the ballot. With the addition of the three bond issues for 2012, New Mexico voters will have voted on a total of 31 bond issues since 1998.

Finally, Washington voters will head to the polls this November to find eight measures of their own to vote on after two advisory questions were added to the ballot.

The first of the two would delay the expiration of the pollution liability insurance agency’s funding until July 1, 2020. The second measure would declare an intent to improve the long-term sustainability of the state budget.

An advisory question is a type of ballot measure in which citizens vote on a non-binding question. The largest difference between an advisory vote and any other type of ballot measure is that the outcome of the ballot question will not result in a new, changed, or rejected law or constitutional amendment. Rather, the advisory question symbolically makes heard the general opinion of the voting population in regard to the issue at hand.

[edit]Missouri primary election

As previously stated, the statewide primary election in Missouri is today, August 7, and voters will be deciding on one ballot measure, Amendment 2.

If passed, the measure would alter the state constitution by expanding the general statewide constitutional right to religious freedom. The measure specifies that citizens have the right to express their religious beliefs through worship “in private or public settings, on government premises, on public property, and in all public schools.” The measure also mandates that public schools display the U.S. Bill of Rights.

Read more about this measure in Ballotpedia’s preview article.

[edit]Quick hits

Oregon ballot measures receive formal number and title: The Oregon Secretary of State has finished verifying signatures for submitted ballot initiatives and has numbered the qualifying measures. Voters this fall will see nine total measures of varying types, two measures are legislatively-referred constitutional amendments, four are initiated state statutes, and three are initiated constitutional amendments. The nine are counted beginning with Measure 77 through Measure 85 and have each received their official ballot title. For more information on these measures, click here.

Initiative supporters in North Dakota gear up for deadline: According to reports, four ballot proposals are preparing to submit signatures on the August 8 deadline. The four proposals cover diverse topics, including: farming and ranching, oil taxes, animal cruelty, and a smoking ban. Those same reports also state that supporters of the North Dakota University Nickname Amendment have not yet decided whether or not to submit their proposal.^[1]

Four states host local election today

Today, August 7, in the states of Washington, Ohio, Michigan and Missouri, residents will decide on several local issues.

In Washington, fifteen counties have items on their election ballot. One notable measure is a vote in King County concerning the local youth center. The measure seeks to increase the current property tax rate in order to help pay for rebuilding and refurbishing the current center. Those in favor believe the facility badly needs upgrades to ensure that services are up to current standards. On the other hand opponents state that funds could be used elsewhere and higher taxes lead to further burdens on residents.

In Ohio, thirty counties have posted information about issues on their ballots for the election. A measure in the Buckeye Valley School District will let voters decide on a combined income tax and bond measure option. The income tax would go towards school operational costs and the bond would go towards paying for a new school facility as well as renovation coats.

In Michigan, forty counties posted information about local issues for the August 7 ballot. A notable measure is in the city of Detroit where the Detroit Institute of Arts is seeking to have its own permanent levy to fund services and programs. Those in favor of the levy have stated that with a dedicated levy, the museum would not have to worry about funding. Opponents have stated that those who use the museum should pay and that it would not be beneficial to residents to have further tax increases in the city.

In Missouri, several counties have posted election information, and in Springfield. two proposed charter amendments are of significance to future petitions in the city. One seeks to change the signature requirement amount for proposed petitions in the city. The amendment would make it so that there would need to be signatures from 7 percent of all total registered voters for a petition to be valid. The current requirement is 10 percent of voters who participated in the last election. Opponents to the amendment have stated that this would result in a more difficult path to the ballot for initiative proposals, while proponents have stressed that this will encourage those wanting to place issues on a future ballot to work harder for the extra signatures.

Results for these measures will be posted on Ballotpedia as soon as they are reported by County officials.

The Tuesday Count Spotlight highlights notable developments from local ballot measures across the country as well as international ballot measures. 

No quiz this week! But check out past quizzes here!

BALLOT LAW UPDATE

Arkansas legislature orders study on initiative process: Following the disqualification of thousands of signatures for proposed ballot initiatives, the Arkansas House and Senate committees on state agencies and government affairs voted for a study on the laws and procedures related to the initiative process. Reportedly, a number of complaints were raised by critics claiming that there are no repercussions for political campaigns that submit high numbers of invalid petition signatures. According to some legislators, one solution may be to prohibit campaigns from paying signature gatherers. According to theAssociated Press, over two-thirds of the names submitted for some of the proposals were thrown out as invalid.^[2]

Michigan Emergency Manager Referendum officially back on the ballot: Following a contentious court battle, a narrow 4-3 vote by the Michigan Supreme Court on August 3 placed the referendum back on this fall’s ballot. According to reports, Justice Mary Beth Kelly, who wrote the controlling opinion, was the only justice who felt the font sizes were correct. Three other justices did not share that exact opinion but believed that “substantial compliance” with the law regarding the petition process was enough and voted to qualify the measure. The court’s remaining three justices felt that strict compliance with the law is necessary and voted to keep the issue off the ballot.^[3]

A new update will be released later this month. Click here for past Ballot Law Update reports!