Edited by Greg Janetka
This week’s tracker features news about a failed recall attempt in Louisiana.

Note: This is an abridged version of the Tracker. For the full report, click here.

Weekly highlight

State legislative recalls in Wisconsin made national headlines in 2011 as voters in Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin successfully used the process to remove a total of three senators and one representative from office. The trend continued in 2012 as Wisconsin once again saw recalls make the ballot, resulting in the removal of one senator.

Alongside those successes, however, most recall efforts fizzled out long before going to a vote. The latest recall to fail took place last week in Louisiana. In March of this year, recall organizers started circulating petitions to recall Republican Speaker of the House Charles “Chuck” Kleckley from office.

The efforts, led by a group of teachers, began largely as a result of public education reforms backed by Kleckley and Gov. Bobby Jindal (R). Organizers had to collect signatures equal to one-third of the registered voters of Kleckley’s district, which came out to roughly 9,000, by September 19.^[1] The recall effort failed to collect enough signatures by the deadline and the signatures that were collected were never turned in as organizers were worried about reprisals against those who had signed. The effort against Jindal also failed.^[2]

Three other recall campaigns are continuing on in the state as organizers have also targeted three other Republican legislators – Kevin Pearson, George Cromer and Ray Garofalo. It appears unlikely that any of them will succeed.

While the most recent round of Wisconsin recalls have been over for several months, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, the agency that oversees elections, released a new report this month detailing the cost of those elections. Their findings? Local governments spent approximately $13.5 million on the recalls, most of which ultimately falls to local taxpayers. In a statement GAB director Kevin Kennedy said, “Instead of conducting two primaries and two elections this year, Wisconsin election officials will be conducting six elections, which added approximately $13.5 million in unbudgeted costs. These unplanned elections also put significant stress on Wisconsin’s clerks, who have many other duties beyond elections.”^[3]

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. Since 2011, there have been 15 state legislative recalls in three states, five of which resulted in the legislator being recalled.

Sessions

This week 4 out of 50 state legislatures – Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania – are meeting in regular session, while Massachusetts is meeting in informal session, which it will continue to do throughout the rest of the year. As of May 16, all states had convened their 2012 sessions.

Forty states have adjourned for the year, while four states – Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas – were not scheduled to hold regular sessions in 2012.

Regular sessions

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

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

Although most states have concluded 2012 business, some states have already begun 2013 action. Drafting for 2013 has begun in Montana and North Dakota, while prefiling of legislation is going on in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and Virginia.^[4]

Special sessions

In 2011, special sessions were a widespread occurrence in state legislatures. This was largely due to states’ having to complete the redistricting process for legislative and congressional districts. Overall in 2011, there were 45 special sessions in 28 states.

Since the beginning of 2012, there have been 20 special sessions in 16 states. There are no special sessions currently scheduled.

In recess

As of today, September 24, 4 state’s sessions are currently in recess:

• California – In recess from September 1, 2012 to November 29, 2012.^[5]
• Illinois – In recess from August 17, 2012 to November 27, 2012.^[6]
• New York – In recess from June 22, 2012 to January 7, 2013.^[5]
• Wisconsin – In recess from March 17 to December 31, 2012.^[5]

2012 Legislative 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.

1,301 (65.97%) of the country’s 1,972 state senate seats are up for election in November 2012, and 4,714 (87.12%) of the country’s 5,411 state house seats are up for election. Altogether, 6,015 (81.47%) of the country’s 7,383 state legislative seats will be up for 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 6,015 seats up for election is 110 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

As of July 12, all signature filing deadlines had passed.

Primaries

See also: 2012 election dates

The 2012 state legislative primary session began on March 6 in Ohio and wrapped up for the year in New York on September 13.

A total of 197 state legislative incumbents were defeated in a primary – 123 Republicans and 74 Democrats.

Primaries took place in 44 states in 2012. For a review of what happened, click on the state below:

Greg Janetka
This week’s tracker features a partisan count update and recap of this year’s primary season.

Note: This is an abridged version of the Tracker. For the full report, click here.

Weekly highlight

The 2012 primary season came to an end last Thursday when New York voters went to the polls to make their choices known. The first primary of the year took place in Ohio over six months ago. Between then and September 13 a total of 44 states held primaries for 6,015 of the country’s 7,383 state legislative seats.

According to Louis Jacobson of Governing Magazine, the percent of state legislative turnover from an election was between 14.4 percent and 21.5 percent from 1998 to 2008. However, during the year of redistricting in 2002, that figure jumped to 24 percent. In 2010, the turnover rate was just below 2010, as the GOP boom created a higher than normal exodus of legislators. Because 2012 was another redistricting year, the rate of turnover was expected to once again be higher than usual.^[1]

Redistricting, among other factors, led to the defeat of 197 incumbents in the 2012 legislative primaries – 123 Republicans and 74 Democrats. Four states saw their number of incumbents defeated hit the double-digit mark: New Hampshire – 22, Kansas – 20, Georgia – 12, Tennessee – 12. Six states, meanwhile, saw no incumbents defeated – California, Indiana, Maine, Nebraska, Vermont and Washington. It should be noted that two of these states – California and Washington – use a blanket primary, where all candidates for a seat compete in a single primary with the two candidates receiving the most votes advancing to the general election.

Term limits will also play a role in legislative turnover. Altogether, 248 current state legislators – 79 senators and 169 representatives – will have to leave office after the November elections because of term limits. This is 13.89% of the 1,786 state legislative seats up for election in the 14 term-limited states with 2012 elections, and about 4% of the 6,015 state legislative seats that will be up for election altogether in 2012, including the non-term-limited states.

Between incumbents defeated in primaries and term-limited lawmakers, at least 445 state legislative seats will change hands. Additionally, 947 legislators not subject to term limits chose to retire rather than seek another term. Thus, a minimum of 1,392 new officials will take office following the November 6, 2012 general election.

Partisan Breakdown

As of today, September 17, 2012, the following figures represent the cumulative partisan breakdown of the 50 state senates and 49 state houses. In the 50 states, Republicans currently control 53.5% of all seats while Democrats hold 44.7%. All told, Republicans control 58 chambers while Democrats are the majority in 37 chambers. Three chambers are tied, while one is non-partisan.

The totals represent a loss of 11 Republican and 5 Democratic legislators from the August 13 Tracker.

State Senates

The partisan composition of state senates refers to which political party holds the majority of seats in the state senate. Altogether, in the 50 state senates, there are 1,971 state senators.

As of September 17, 2012, the breakdown of chamber control by party is as follows:

• 19 chambers
• 28 chambers
• 2 chambers (Alaska), (Virginia)
• 1 chamber (Nebraska)

See also: Partisan composition of state houses

Cumulative numbers

As of September 17, 2012, 1,899 state senators are affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic parties.

State Houses

The partisan composition of state houses refers to which party holds the majority of seats in the state house or the lower level of each state legislature. Altogether, in the 49 state houses, there are 5,413 state representatives.

As of September 17, 2012, the breakdown of chamber control by party is as follows:

• 18 chambers
• 30 chambers
• 1 chamber (Oregon)

Cumulative numbers

As of September 17, 2012, 5,354 state representatives are affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic parties.

Sessions

This week 3 out of 50 state legislatures – Michigan, New Jersey and Ohio – are meeting in regular session, while Massachusetts is meeting in informal session, which it will continue to do throughout the rest of the year. As of May 16, all states had convened their 2012 sessions.

Forty states have adjourned for the year, while four states – Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas – were not scheduled to hold regular sessions in 2012.

Special sessions

In 2011, special sessions were a widespread occurrence in state legislatures. This was largely due to states’ having to complete the redistricting process for legislative and congressional districts. Overall in 2011, there were 45 special sessions in 28 states.

Since the beginning of 2012, there have been 20 special sessions in 16 states. There are no special sessions currently scheduled.

September 14, 2012

By Ballotpedia’s State legislative team

The long primary season finally came to a close on Thursday as New York voters went to the polls to make their choices known.

Here’s what happened in New York:

State legislature

New York State Senate elections, 2012 and New York State Assembly elections, 2012

There are 213 total legislative seats with elections in 2012 – 63 Senate seats and 150 House seats.

There were 46 (21.60%) contested Democratic primaries and 17 (7.98%) contested Republican primaries. Thus, there were 63 races with at least two candidates on the ballot. The 14.79% figure of total contested primaries in New York is lower than the national contested average of 18.40% in 2012.

Senate

A total of 2 incumbents – Republicans Owen H. Johnson and James Alesi - did not run for re-election in 2012.

Republicans currently control the chamber by a margin of 33-29. Due to redistricting many incumbents are running for re-election in different districts. Additionally, a new district was created, bringing the total number of seats in the chamber to 63.

A total of 14 incumbents – 8 Democrats and 6 Republicans – faced a primary challenge. Twelve advanced to the general election while one was defeated and one has come down to absentee ballots.

 District 10: Incumbent Shirley Huntley first joined the Senate in 2007. She was re-elected in 2008 and 2010 unopposed. This year, however, she faced two opponents – New York City Councilman James Sanders, Jr. and real estate professional/community activist Gian A. Jones. According to unofficial results, Huntley came in second with 39.9 percent, while Sanders won with 57.1 percent. On August 27, 2012, Huntley was indicted for her role in a scheme to steal taxpayer money from her own non-profit. Huntley pleaded not guilty in the case.^[1][2]

 District 43: Incumbent Roy McDonald was among four Republican senators targeted for defeat because of their support for same-sex marriage last year. With 99% reporting, results showKathleen Marchione leading McDonald by a margin of 50.5 percent to 49.5 percent.^[3] McDonald has not conceded and the race looks like it will come down to absentee ballots.^[4]

House

A total of 18 incumbents – 8 Democrats and 10 Republicans – did not run for re-election in 2012.

Democrats currently control the chamber by a margin of 99-49-1-1.

A total of 25 incumbents – 21 Democrats and 4 Republicans – faced a primary challenge. Only one, District 80 incumbent Naomi Rivera (D), was defeated in the primary.^[3]

Facing three opponents, Rivera she came in second to Mark Gjonaj. While Rivera was initially the clear favorite in the race, she fell as allegations of nepotism and corruption arose. Late last month it was reported that the state attorney general’s office as well as the Bronx district attorney were investigating Rivera for misuse of public funds, including hiring two boyfriends to taxpayer-funded positions.^[5][6]

District 55 incumbent William Boyland has also recently been under suspicion of corruption, but he was able to win his primary as his six opponents split the rest of the vote.

Meanwhile, one race remains too close to call:

 District 99: Unofficial results show Kyle Roddey leading Colin Schmitt by a margin of 1,317-1,224.^[3] Complicating things further, a voting machine at the New Windsor Community center was improperly shutdown, temporarily invalidating the results.^[7]

September 12, 2012

By Geoff Pallay

MADISON, Wisconsin: Twice as many incumbents have been defeated in 2012 legislative primaries as in 2010, after at least 30 incumbents fell in Delaware, New Hampshire and Rhode Island yesterday. With only one legislative primary remaining, the total number of incumbents defeated in 2012 has now doubled the totals from 2010.

On July 26, 2012, Ballotpedia released an analysis of the rate at which incumbents are being defeated by challengers in state legislative primaries. That study was conducted roughly halfway through the primary season, and found that 76 incumbents had been defeated through the first 48 percent of primaries. After each primary, we will update those figures. This update focuses on Delaware, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Of the 192 incumbents that have lost a primary in 2012, 71 are Democratic incumbents and 121 are Republican incumbents. Thus far, 17.08 percent of incumbents facing a primary opponent have been defeated. In 2010, a total of 96 incumbents were defeated in legislative primaries — 52 Democrats and 44 Republicans.

Delaware

See also: Delaware State Senate elections, 2012 and Delaware House of Representatives elections, 2012

A total of 53 Delaware legislative incumbents filed for re-election. Ten incumbents faced a primary, and opponents were victorious in three of those races. Thus, 30 percent of opposed incumbents were defeated by their primary challenger.

The three total incumbents who lost last night is higher than the 1 incumbent who lost a 2010 primary in Delaware.

New Hampshire

See also: New Hampshire State Senate elections, 2012 and New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2012

A total of 310 New Hampshire legislative incumbents filed for re-election. One-hundred forty-four incumbents faced a primary, and opponents were victorious in at least 20 of those races.

In 2010, 83 incumbents faced a primary but none were defeated in the primary. There are still a number of races that are too close to call involving incumbents.

Rhode Island

See also: Rhode Island State Senate elections, 2012 and Rhode Island House of Representatives elections, 2012

A total of 101 Rhode Island legislative incumbents filed for re-election. Thirty-four incumbents faced a primary, and opponents were victorious in seven of those races.

The seven total incumbents who lost last night is less than the 10 that were defeated in 2010. In 2010, Rhode Island had the most legislative incumbents defeated of any state. This year, seven states saw more incumbents defeated than in Rhode Island.

What’s next

The final state legislative primaries takes place Thursday, September 13 in New York.

September 12, 2012

By Ballotpedia’s Congressional and State legislative teams

The primary season continued yesterday with elections in Delaware, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

Here’s a recap of what happened in New Hampshire.

Congress

United States House of Representatives elections in New Hampshire, 2012

New Hampshire has two congressional seats on the ballot in 2012. A total of 12 candidates filed to run, made up of 2 Democratic challengers, 6 Republican challengers, 2 incumbents, and 2 third-party candidates. A total of 429 U.S. House seats have held primaries. Thus far, 55.01% of possible primaries have been contested. New Hampshire’s contested figure of 50% (2 out of 4 possible party primaries) is slightly less competitive than the national average.

 District 1: Incumbent Frank Guinta successfully triumphed over a primary challenge from Vern Clough and Rick Parent in the Republican primary. Guinta will face Carol Shea-Porter in November, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

 District 2: Incumbent Charlie Bass defeated Gerard Beloin, Will Dean, Miroslaw Dziedzic, and Dennis Lamare in the Republican primary. Bass will face Ann McLane Kuster in November, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Libertarian Hardy Macia and Independent Danny Keating will also compete in the general election.

State legislature

See also New Hampshire State Senate elections, 2012 and New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2012

In New Hampshire, there are 424 total legislative seats with elections in 2012. There were 18 (7.9%) contested Democratic primaries and 68 (29.8%) contested Republican primaries. Thus, there were 86 (18.9%) races with more candidates on the primary ballot than allotted seats in that district. The 18.9% figure of contested primaries in New Hampshire is on par with the current national contested average of 18.4%.

There were a total of 144 incumbents facing primary opposition — 14 Democrats and 130 Republican. Of those 144 incumbents, 22 were defeated by primary opposition.

Senate

 District 5: In the only Democratic primary for Senate, voters had the choice between challengers Sandy Harris and David Pierce . Pierce is a current member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and Harris formerly represented in the House.

 District 9: Freshman incumbent Andy Sanborn  faced off against challengers Michael Kenney and Ken Hawkins. Hawkins is a current member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Sanborn will advance to face Lee C. Nyquist (D) in the general election.

House

 Coos 1: With 9 of 10 precincts reporting, incumbents Laurence M. Rappaport and Duffy Daugherty lead challenger Charles H. Kurtz, Jr. in votes. Rappaport holds a steady lead, with 44% of the recorded votes, while Daugherty and Kurtz remain very close, with 30% and 27% of the recorded votes.

August 29, 2012

By Ballotpedia’s Congressional and State legislative teams

The primary season continued yesterday with elections in Alaska, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Vermont.

Here’s what happened in Arizona.^[1]

Congress

U.S. Senate

United States Senate elections in Arizona, 2012

Five candidates competed in primaries for Arizona’s U.S. Senate seat yesterday – 4 Republicans and 1 Democrat. The seat is open following the retirement of incumbent Jon Kyl. In the Republican primary, U.S. Representative Jeff Flake, defeated Wil Cardon, Bryan Hackbarth, and Clair Van Steenwyk for the nomination. He will now face the lone Democratic candidate, Richard Carmona, in the general election. Sheila Bilyeu, a Libertarian, and Ian Gilyeat, an Independent, will also compete in the general election.

U.S. House

United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2012

Arizona has nine congressional seats on the ballot in 2012. A total of 54 candidates filed to run, made up of 16 Democratic challenger, 23 Republican challengers, 7 incumbent, and 8 third-party candidates. A total of 415 U.S. House seats have held primaries. Thus far, 54.94% of possible primaries have been contested. Arizona’s contested figure of 83.33% (15 out of 18 possible party primaries) is significantly more competitive than the national average.

In District 1, Ann Kirkpatrick defeated Wenona Benally Baldenegro for the Democratic nomination while Jonathan Paton defeated Patrick Gatti, Gaither Martin, and Douglas Wade in the Republican primary. The seat is open following redistricting.

In the 2nd district, incumbent Ron Barber, who was elected to replace Gabrielle Giffords in the June special election, fended off a challenge from Matt Heinz and write-in candidate Charlie Manolakis in the Democratic primary. Martha McSally defeated Mark Koskiniemi for the GOP nomination.

In District 3, Democratic incumbent Raul Grijalva easily overcame the challenge of Amanda Aguirre and J. Manuel Arreguin. Meanwhile, Gabriela Saucedo Mercer defeated Jaime Vasquez for the Republican nomination.

In District 4, Republican incumbent Paul Gosar defeated challengers Ron Gould and Rick Murphy in the Republican primary. Results are not yet final for the Democratic primary. Preliminary results show Johnnie Robinson leading Mikel Weisser with 8,754 votes to Weisser’s 8,731.^[2]

District 5 is open following redistricting. Matt Salmon defeated Kirk Adams in the Republican primary. He will face Democrat Morgan Spencer in the November general election.

In the 6th district, incumbent David Schweikert defeated fellow incumbent Benjamin Quayle in one of the most heated Republican primaries of the year. Meanwhile, Matt Jette defeated John Williamsonfor the Democratic nomination.

In District 7, Democratic incumbent Ed Pastor defeated challenger Rebecca DeWitt in the primary election.

In the 8th district, incumbent Trent Franks survived a challenge from Tony Passalacqua and write-in candidate Helmuth Hack in the Republican primary. He will face Democrat Gene Scharer in the general election.

Ten candidates competed in Arizona’s newly created 9th congressional district. Kyrsten Sinema defeated Andrei Cherny and David Schapira in the Democratic primary. On the other side of the aisle,Vernon Parker was victorious, defeating Lisa Borowsky, Leah Campos Schandlbauer, Travis Grantham, Wendy Rogers, Martin Sepulveda, and Jeff Thompson for the Republican nomination.

State legislature

See also: Arizona State Senate elections, 2012 and Arizona House of Representatives elections, 2012

There are 90 total legislative seats with elections in 2012 – 30 Senate seats and 60 House seats.

There were 28 contested primaries in the state legislative races out of a possible 180 contested major party primaries, including 8 in the state senate elections (counting one write-in campaign) and 20 in the state house elections. Each district elects two representatives to the Arizona House of Representatives, and thus only districts that have more than two contestants from the same party were considered contested districts.

Senate

There were eight contested primaries in the State Senate races, including one write-in campaign.

District 5: House District 3 Representative Nancy McLain (R), who has been in office since 2005, was defeated in her bid for a senate seat by Kelli Ward. Ward also defeated Sam Scarmardo. Incumbent Republican Sylvia Allen is not running for re-election.

District 16: District 19 incumbent Rich Crandall (R), who first assumed office in 2011, holds only a narrow lead in initial counting against challenger and House District 23 Representative John Fillmore, who first assumed office in the House in 2011.

District 24: Former Senator Ken Cheuvront (D), who was in office from 2003 to 2011, was defeated in his bid to return to the senate by House incumbent Katie Hobbs, who first assumed office in 2011.

District 25: Former Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce (R), who made a bid to return to the Arizona State Senate after he lost a recall election in 2011, was defeated by entrepreneur Bob Worsley.

House

There were 20 contested primaries in the State House of Representatives races.

District 1: Incumbents Andy Tobin (R), who first assumed office in 2007, and Karen Fann (R), who first assumed office in 2011, defeated current State Senator Lori Klein (R), who has represented Senate District 6 since 2011 and made a bid for this House seat to avoid a primary fight with Senate President Steve Pierce (R).

District 13: District 12 incumbent Steve Montenegro (R), who first assumed office in 2009, managed a victory. However, fellow incumbent from District 24 Russ Jones (R) was behind challengerDarin Mitchell after ballots were counted on election night.

District 15: District 7 incumbent Heather Carter (R) was handily re-elected, but fellow District 7 incumbent David Smith (R) trailed challenger John Allen in the first round of counting. Another challenger, James Bearup, was in fourth place.

District 30: District 14 incumbent Debbie McCune-Davis (D), who first assumed office in 2011, and Jonathon Larkin defeated Mike Snitz in the Democratic primary, and now do not face anyRepublican opposition for the seat.

A few additional House races remained unresolved, including:

District 4: Juan Carlos Escamilla, Charlene Fernandez, and Lisa Otondo are in a close three-way race.

District 7: District 2 incumbent Albert Hale, who first assumed office in 2011, won re-election in this district, but it is still unclear whether Jamescita Peshlakai or Phil Stago will be joining him.

District 16: Kelly Townsend advanced to the general election, but Doug Coleman and Jeff Davis are in a battle for second, with Judy Novalsky trailing.

District 19: Mark Cardenas has likely been elected to the House, but Lupe Contreras and Lorenzo Sierra could still both earn the second seat. Bryan Kilgore is behind, in fourth place.

District 26: Mary Lou Taylor won a spot on the general election ballot, but the battle for the second Republican slot still shows Jason Youn within possible striking distance of Raymond Speakman, who won nearly as many votes as Taylor. Buckley Merrill trails the pack.

August 27, 2012

JUNEAU, Alaska: The time to flock to the polls is almost here for Alaska residents. Tomorrow, August 28, is the state primary election, and for state voters that means two measures will be decided by later that evening.

Ballot Measure 1 and Ballot Measure 2 are on the voters’ plates tomorrow, and below is a quick glance of what impacts each one would have if enacted by voters.

Ballot Measure 1

The facts

• Ballot measure type: indirect initiated state statute
• Topic: Taxes
• Sponsors: Nadine Winters, Jim Whitaker and Eileen Cummings

If enacted…

The measure would allow a city or borough to raise the property tax exemption on a residence from $20,000 to at most $50,000. However, the tax exemption would have to be put to a vote and approved at a local election before it could be implemented.

Arguments

Support: Nadine Winters and Jim Whitaker, statement of support in the state primary election ballot measure pamphlet.

Opposition: Marty McGee, Assessor of the Municipality of Anchorage, statement of opposition in the state primary election ballot measure pamphlet.

Ballot Measure 2

The facts

• Ballot measure type: indirect initiated state statute
• Topic: Environment
• Sponsors: Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho

If enacted…

The measure would establish a new coastal management program in the state. Specifically, the management program that would be established would be formally called the Alaska Coastal Zone Management Program. Alaska is the only coastal state in the country without a federal coastal management plan, according to reports. Coastal programs are established to guarantee state and local participation in federal decisions on coastal issues that could potentially surface.

Arguments

Support: Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho, sponsor of the initiative.

Opposition: Kurt Fredriksson, chairman of the Vote No on Ballot Measure 2 committee.

Ballotpedia will update election results starting tomorrow when polls close at 8 p.m. AKDT

Edited by Greg Janetka
This week’s tracker features news about techonology that will allow voters greater access to legislative district maps.

Note: This is an abridged version of the Tracker. For the full report, click here.

Weekly highlight

Today Ballotpedia announced a new partnership with Moonshadow Mobile, Inc. Using proprietary technology and data supplied by Labels and Lists, Inc., Moonshadow has created maps comparing districts before and after the redistricting process, showing the old (2001) and new (2011) lines for state legislative districts, as well as U.S. Congressional districts.

Ballotpedia has incorporated these maps into their coverage of the statewide elections in Arizona. Maps have already been generated for Arizona’s 30 legislative districts and nine congressional districts. Over the next two months, the organizations will work to add similarly detailed maps to Ballotpedia’s election pages for the other 49 states.

Moonshadow Mobile, Inc., based in Eugene, Oregon, has developed Internet technology to instantly visualize “Big Data” inside of Bing Maps or Google Maps. With Moonshadow’s patent-pending technology databases with hundreds of millions of records can be visualized within seconds in the cloud. Moonshadow’s technology can visualize close to 100 million records per second per processor core which is roughly 100 times faster than traditional databases. It is Moonshadow’s mission to change the way people access, understand, analyze and work with data.

Redistricting was a major issue in most states in 2010-2011. While some legislative districts remained largely or wholly unchanged, many across the country were dramatically altered, often leading to confusion as to what district voters are in for the 2012 elections. Ease of access to maps and how districts changed aims to reduce this confusion.

Sessions

This week 4 out of 50 state legislatures – New Jersey, Ohio and California are meeting in regular session, while Massachusetts is meeting in informal session, which it will continue to do throughout the rest of the year. As of May 16, all states had convened their 2012 sessions. California is projected to adjourn this week.

Thirty-nine states have adjourned for the year, while four states – Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, and Texas – did not hold regular sessions in 2012.

Regular sessions

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

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

Although most states have concluded 2012 business, some states have already begun 2013 action. Drafting for 2013 has begun in Montana and North Dakota, while prefiling of legislation is going on in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and Virginia.^[1]

Special sessions

In 2011, special sessions were a widespread occurrence in state legislatures. This was largely due to states’ having to complete the redistricting process for legislative and congressional districts. Overall in 2011, there were 45 special sessions in 28 states.

Since the beginning of 2012, there have been 19 special sessions in 15 states. There are no special sessions currently ongoing.

2012 Legislative Sessions

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.

1,301 (65.97%) of the country’s 1,972 state senate seats are up for election in November 2012, and 4,714 (87.12%) of the country’s 5,411 state house seats are up for election. Altogether, 6,015 (81.47%) of the country’s 7,383 state legislative seats will be up for 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 6,015 seats up for election is 110 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

As of July 12, all signature filing deadlines have passed.

Primaries

See also: 2012 election dates

There are state legislative primaries taking place this week in three states – Alaska, Arizona, and Vermont.

A total of 156 state legislative incumbents have been defeated in a primary – 99 Republicans and 57 Democrats.

So far, primaries have taken place in 36 states.

Special elections

See also: State legislative special elections, 2012

So far in 2012 there have been 30 special elections in 12 states.

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

Looking ahead

Upcoming special elections include:

• September 4: Virginia Senate District 5, Virginia House of Delegates District 45

August 13, 2012

By Ballotpedia’s Congressional and State legislative teams

The primary season continues with elections in Wyoming tomorrow.

Here’s what to watch for in Wyoming, where polling places are open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Mountain Time on Election Day.^[1]

Congress

U.S. Senate

United States Senate elections in Wyoming, 2012

There are six candidates running for Wyoming’s U.S. Senate seat tomorrow – 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats. Incumbent John Barrasso is challenged by Emmett Mavy and Thomas Bleming in the Republican primary. On the other side of the aisle, Al Hamburg, Tim Chesnut, and William Bryk, vie for the Democratic nomination.

U.S. House

United States House of Representatives elections in Wyoming, 2012

Wyoming has a single seat on the ballot in 2012. A total of 3 candidates have filed to run, made up of 1 Democratic challenger, 1 incumbent, and 1 Libertarian candidate. Including Wyoming, a total of 404 U.S. House seats have held primaries. Thus far, 54.33% of possible primaries have been contested. Wyoming’s contested figure of 0% (0 out of 2 possible party primaries) is significantly less competitive than the national average.

Incumbent Republican Cynthia Lummis is uncontested in her primary. She will face Democratic challenger Chris Henrichsen and Richard Brubaker in the November 6, 2012, general election.

State legislature

Wyoming State Senate elections, 2012 and Wyoming House of Representatives elections, 2012

There are 75 total legislative seats with elections in 2012 – 15 Senate seats and 60 House seats.

There are 2 (2.7%) contested Democratic primaries and 31 (41.3%) contested Republican primaries. Thus, there will be 28 (22.0%) races tomorrow with at least two candidates on the ballot. The 22.0% figure of total contested primaries in Wyoming is higher than the current national contested average of 19.38% for states that have had filing deadlines.

There are 60 incumbents, 14 Senators and 46 Representatives, running for re-election in 2012. Of those incumbents, 21 (35.0%) face primary opposition. With 43 states holding 2012 elections accounted for, the national average for incumbents facing a primary opponent is 24.4%.

Senate

There are 7 Senate primaries being held tomorrow, all of which are Republican primaries where the incumbent is seeking re-election.

Those primaries are:
District 6: Incumbent Wayne Johnson is challenged by Anthony Bouchard.
District 10: Incumbent Phil Nicholas is challenged by Anne Alexander.
District 14: Incumbent Stan Cooper is challenged by Lyle Williams.
District 18: Incumbent Henry Coe is challenged by Robert Berry.
District 22: Incumbent John Schiffer is challenged by Bob Johnson.

District 28: Incumbent Kit Jennings is challenged by James Anderson and Tom Radosevich.
District 30: Incumbent Charles Scott is challenged by Bob Brechtel.

House

There are a total of 26 House primaries being held tomorrow — 2 Democratic primaries and 24 Republican primaries. There are 14 Republican incumbents facing primary opposition.

Some notable primaries:
District 4: Republicans Dan Kirkbride, Kerry Powers, and Larry Cundall face off in an open seat. The winner will be unchallenged in the general election.
District 19: Incumbent Allen Jaggi is challenged by David Evins and Tim Hamblin, with the winner going on to be unchallenged in the general election.
District 25: Republican challengers Billy Greaham, Dave Blevins, David Kellett, Steve Walker face off in an open seat.
District 35: Incumbent Kendell Kroeker faces primary challengers Jess Ollila and Patrick Bishop.
District 42: Republican challengers Bob Fecht, David Wilms, Jeff Jacoby, Lynn Hutchings, and William Edwards face off in an open seat. The winner will go on to face Democratic challenger Gary Datus in the general election.
District 50: Incumbent Pat Childers faces challengers Charles Cloud, David Northrup, and T.D. Ball. The winner will be unchallenged in the general election.

August 15, 2012

By Ballotpedia’s Congressional and State legislative teams

The primary season continued yesterday with primaries in Wisconsin.

Here’s what happened in Wisconsin, where races for State Senate, State House, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House were held.

Congress

U.S. Senate

Incumbent Democrat Herb Kohl is not running for re-election, leaving a hotly contested senate seat open. Democratic Representative Tammy Baldwin ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. She will face Republican former Governor of Wisconsin, Tommy Thompson in the general election on November 6, 2012. Thompson defeated Eric Hovde, Mark Neumann, and Jeff Fitzgerald in the August 14th primary.^[1]

U.S. House

There were two contested House races in the primary. The 2nd district seat is open as incumbent Democrat Tammy Baldwin is running for Senate. State Representative Mark Pocan won the Democratic primary, defeating Kelda Helen Roys, Matt Silverman and Dennis Hall.^[1]

In 6th, Democrat Joe Kallas ran unopposed. Incumbent Republican Tom Petri defeated Lauren Stephens in the Republican primary. Kallas and Petri face off in the general election.^[1]

State Legislature

See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2012 and Wisconsin State Senate elections, 2012

There are a total of 115 legislative seats with elections in 2012 — 99 Assembly seats 16 Senate seats.

Last night, 29 (25.21%) contested Democratic primaries and 21 (18.26%) contested Republican primaries took place between the two chambers, for a total of 50 races with more than one candidate appearing on the ballot. District 7 Democratic incumbent Margaret “Peggy” Krusick was defeated by newcomer and law student Daniel Riemer, and District 11 Democratic incumbent Jason Fields fell easily to Community Organizer Mandela Barnes in one of the earliest assembly races to be called after the polls closed yesterday.

As of 1:00pm CST the day after the election, nominees in 48 of those 50 races have been chosen to advance to the general election. The two races which have yet to be called are the Democraticprimaries for District 1 and District 71 of the State Assembly, in which the top two vote-getters are separated by 31 and 44 votes, respectively.^[2]

State Assembly races too close to call:

District 1

Note: Incumbent Gary Bies ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

August 14 Democratic primary:

• Arnie Johnsrud
• Patrick Veeser

District 71

Note: Incumbent Democrat Louis Molepske, Jr. did not seek re-election. The Democratic primary winner will face Patrick Testin in the general election. Testin ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

August 14 Democratic primary:

• Andrew Beveridge
• Laura Hauser-Menting
• Corey Ladick
• Tom Mallison
• Jerry McGinley
• Hans Schmid
• Katrina Shankland
• Robert Steinke
• David Verhage