By Bailey Ludlam

FRANKFORT, Kentucky: Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo (R) filed a redistricting bill on February 19. The piece of legislation itself has no specific redistricting plans attached to it, but would allow for lawmakers to add a finalized plan later in the session.^[1]

Redistricting is a major issue in northern Kentucky, where a population growth of 38 percent in the last decade necessitates more representation. Boone County’s current Representative Sal Santoro (R) represents nearly 65,000 people, around 50 percent more than the state law-mandated size of 43,000.^[1]

Following the state Supreme Court’s rejection of the legislative maps in 2012, the Legislature was required to pass new maps prior to the 2014 elections. On February 10, the Kentucky State Legislature approved a congressional redistricting compromise. The plan passed 29-7 in the Senate and 58-26 in the House. Governor Steve Beshear (D) signed the plan on the same day. These events came just one day after a lawsuit was filed asking the courts to take over the congressional redistricting process.^[2]

January 31, 2013

By Phil Sletten

CHARLESTON, West Virginia: U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Robert King removed the remainder of a case brought against the new West Virginia congressionalmaps from the U.S. federal court system, clearing the way for plaintiffs to bring the suit to the state courts.^[1] The case had gone to the U.S. Supreme Court, which sent the decision back to a lower court with an unsigned opinion approving of the maps.^[2]

The lawsuit was originally brought by the Jefferson County Commission, claiming the new districts had too much population variance and violated the United States Constitution.^[3] During the redistricting process, lawmakers simply shifted Mason County from the 2nd congressional district into the 3rd congressional district.^[1] The Jefferson County Commission argued that the population variance between these districts was too great, but the state argued that the variance was acceptable and accounted for communities of interest by avoiding splitting counties.^[4]

Although the federal court system determined that the new districts do not violate the United States Constitution, the state courts will need to decide whether the districts comply with the West Virginia Constitution‘s requirement that districts be compact. The 2nd congressional district snakes across the state from the eastern panhandle to the Ohio River in the west.^[1]

January 22, 2013

By Greg Janetka

RICHMOND, Virginia: In a stunning move, Republicans in the Virginia State Senate passed a new redistricting map yesterday on a 20-19 party-line vote. The measure, which Democrats tried to get referred to committee, did not go through the normal process and was passed in about 30 minutes. The new lines appear to draw more Republican-friendly districts, all but assuring them a future majority in the chamber.^[1]

Redistricting following the 2010 census was anything but amiable. The state Senate initially approved a plan for new districts on April 7, 2011. At the time Democrats controlled the chamber by a 22-18 margin. That plan, which also passed on a party line vote, was vetoed by Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell for a number of reasons, including the use of “partisan gerrymandering”.^[2] After a number of compromises by both sides, the governor signed a revised plan on April 29, 2011.^[3]

Thus, with compromise met, onlookers, including the governor, were surprised to see an entirely revamped map passed by the senate. Set to take effect in 2015, the plan was added onto a bill intended to make “technical adjustments” to House districts. Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) also criticized the move. With the senate tied 20-20, Bolling serves as the tie-breaking vote. He did not have that chance, however, as Republicans chose to act on the day that Democratic Sen. Henry L. Marsh was in Washington attending the inauguration of President Barack Obama.^[4]

The bill now goes to the Republican-led Virginia House of Delegates, where it is expected to be easily passed.

By Jennifer Springer

HONOLULU, Hawaii: A lawsuit over the 2011 drawing of political districts that resulted in the island of Hawaii getting a fourth state senator will be heard in January in U.S. District Court.^[1] Hawaii Island, with a 24.5 percent population increase, is the fastest-growing island in the state.^[2]

The case was brought by an Oahu group that includes three veterans and state representative K. Mark Takai.^[2] The plaintiffs argued that the Reapportionment Commission violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution when it removed nonresident military and students from population counts that determined district lines.^[1][2]

A three-judge federal panel is scheduled to hear motions from the plaintiffs and the state at 10 a.m. January 14 in Honolulu.^[1]

Although it’s too late to affect state legislative districts for the 2012 election, if the lawsuit is successful the court could require the state to redraw the boundaries before the 2016 elections.[2

Contact: Lauren Warden Rodgers
Tel: 608-255-0608
E-mail: Lauren.Rodgers@Ballotpedia.org

NEW MAPS SHOW DISTRICTS WITH CLOSEST PARTISAN VOTER REGISTRATION 

Madison – September 28, 2012: Ballotpedia and Moonshadow Mobile, Inc. have released a second round of Congressional and legislative district comparative maps for 2012 election coverage in 30 states.

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 U.S. Congressional districts as well as state legislative districts. The most recent round of maps highlights Congressional districts, state Senate districts and state House districts where the partisan registration difference between Democrats and Republicans is less than 10%.

Ballotpedia has incorporated these maps into their coverage of the statewide elections in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

About Ballotpedia
Established in 2007, Ballotpedia is an online almanac about state elections and election law. It includes information about the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, ballot measures (including ballot measure law, school bond and tax elections, recall elections and local ballot measures), and state executives. Ballotpedia’s staff includes 15 researchers and writers, as well as volunteer writers and editors. It is published by the non-profit, non-partisan Lucy Burns Institute, which is based in Madison, Wisconsin.

About Moonshadow Mobile, Inc.
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. With Moonshadow’s technology organizations can provide interactive access to large databases in a mapping environment. Data is shown on maps or satellite images instead of tables. This makes it easier to access and understand big databases and it leads to a much better user experience. Moonshadow’s visualization technology is now used in a variety of products such as VoterMapping (political campaigns), CensusViewer (demographic analysis), ConstituentMapping (government access to data), Ground Game (mobile canvassing) and Borderline (redistricting). It is Moonshadow’s mission to change the way people access, understand, analyze and work with data.

###If you’d like more information, or to schedule an interview with Ballotpedia’s project manager, please contact Lauren Warden Rodgers at Lauren.Rodgers@ballotpedia.org.

September 30, 2012

By Phil Sletten

CHARLESTON, West Virginia: The United States Supreme Court ruled that the newly redrawn Congressional districts in West Virginia were constitutional, overturning a lower court ruling. The case came before the high court after appeals by the Jefferson County Commission.^[1]

The Jefferson County Commission sued the state after the state legislature overwhelmingly passed, and Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (D) signed, a redistricting bill into law that did not have equal populations between districts.^[2] In the newly drawn maps, the highest population Congressional district of the three in the state was home to 4,871 more people than the lowest population district. Jefferson County commissioners sued the state, arguing that the legislature had not specified the reasons for the variation in population, especially given that other plans with closer population totals were available. One plan had only a one-person difference between district populations. A lower court of federal judges agreed with the commissioners, ruling 2-1 that the legislature could have better adhered to the “one person, one vote” goals of representation.^[3][4][1]

However, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the state government in an unsigned ruling, saying that West Virginia had “carried its burden” with the redistricting plan and critiquing the lower court’s insistence on “zero variance” in population between districts.^[2][3] The Supreme Court stated that “avoiding contests between incumbents and not splitting political subdivisions are valid, neutral state districting policies,” and that avoiding shifting voters to new districts was an acceptable goal as well.^[4]

Stephen Skinner, a lawyer for the Jefferson County Commission, told Reuters in a phone interview that, “The law until today has been crystal clear, and the Supreme Court has changed the standards. To place arbitrary county lines over mathematical certainty does not comport with truly representative government.”^[1] During the arguments, West Virginia state officials contended that redrawing the maps late in the election process would be time-consuming, costly, and cause “irreparable harm.”^[2]

The Supreme Court ruling alters fifty years of precedent. The high court told states in a 1964 ruling that districts must match populations “as nearly as is practicable” to retain Constitutionality. In a 1983 case, the court struck down a New Jersey map for having population variations of 0.70 percent from ideal. The redrawn West Virginia districts upheld by the Supreme Court have a population variation of 0.79 percent.^[4] About 30 cases are in court around the country regarding similar redistricting issues.^[2]

David McKinley, Shelley Moore Capito, and Nick Rahall represent West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives.

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 15, 2012

By Geoff Pallay

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama: On August 10, the Legislative Black Caucus and other African-American elected officials filed a federal lawsuit to attempt to block a new legislative redistricting plan in Alabama.^[1]

According to the suit, the new legislative maps “dilute minority voting strength, violate the principle of one person, one vote and unnecessarily and illegally split counties.”

Alabama will not hold legislative elections in 2012. The new legislative maps will next be used in 2014.

Edited by Greg Janetka

Today’s tracker features a sessions update and look at the week ahead

Note: This is an abridged version of Ballotpedia’s weekly State Legislative Tracker report. For the full version click here.

Sessions

 This week 8 out of 50 state legislatures are meeting in regular session. As of May 16, all states had convened their 2012 sessions. Delaware is projected to adjourn this week.

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

Special sessions

Snapshot of State Legislatures: Monday, June 25, 2012
There are 7,384 Total State Legislators
Total Democratic state legislators	3,306 (44.8%)
Total Republican state legislators	3,966 (53.7%)
There are 99 Total State Legislative Chambers
Total Democratic Party-controlled chambers	36
Total Republican Party-controlled chambers	58
Total tied or non-partisan chambers	5
2012 Session Information
Total Special Elections	25
Total Special Sessions	14

In 2011, special sessions were a widespread occurrence in state legislatures. This was largely due to states’ having to complete theredistricting 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 14 special sessions in 12 states. One is currently ongoing in South Carolina.

Louisiana

On June 15, some Republicans in the legislature said a special session might be necessary in order to change a law that could hurt the state’s budget. The law in question was an emergency declaration made by former Louisiana Department of Revenue Secretary Cynthia Bridges in April that has been interpreted as significantly widening the scope of a tax credit on vehicles. Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) rejected the ruling, arguing that Bridges did not follow the law properly. However, it could still go into effect and lawmakers want it clarified or rescinded and say the best way to do that is in a special session.^[1]

Meanwhile, officials are preparing for a possible special veto session, which takes place automatically if the Governor vetoes items after the session has adjourned.^[2] In order to prevent the veto session, a majority of legislators in either chamber must vote to cancel the session. If it is held, it would start on July 14.^[3]

South Carolina

The South Carolina State Legislature began a special session on June 19 to address the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The session was expected to include other big issues such as retirement reform and government restructuring. If a compromise is not reached, a continuing resolution would most likely be implemented.^[6]

 

2012 State Legislative Elections

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

1,289 (65.4%) of the country’s 1,971 state senate seats are up for election in November 2012, and 4,712 (87.05%) of the country’s 5,413 state house seats are up for election. Altogether, 5,999 (81.24%) of the country’s 7,384 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 5,999 seats up for election is 126 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

One state - Rhode Island - has a signature filing deadline this week.

So far, deadlines have passed in 41 states:

• Illinois –December 5, 2011
• Ohio - December 7, 2011
• West Virginia -January 28
• Kentucky –January 31
• Indiana –February 10
• Nebraska -February 15 (incumbents), March 1 (non-incumbents)
• Pennsylvania -February 16
• North Carolina -February 29
• Arkansas -March 1
• Oregon - March 6
• California - March 9
• Idaho – March 9
• Texas - March 9
• Montana - March 12
• Maine - March 15
• Iowa - March 16
• Nevada - March 16
• Utah - March 16
• New Mexico -March 20
• Missouri - March 27
• South Dakota -March 27
• South Carolina -March 30
• Colorado - April 2
• Tennessee - April 5
• North Dakota -April 13
• Oklahoma - April 13
• Michigan - May 15
• Washington - May 18
• Georgia - May 25
• Arizona - May 30
• Alaska - June 1
• Wisconsin - June 1
• Wyoming - June 1
• Hawaii - June 5
• Minnesota - June 5
• Massachusetts -June 5
• Florida - June 8
• Kansas - June 11
• Connecticut -June 12
• Vermont - June 14
• New Hampshire -June 15

States with upcoming deadlines:

• June 27: Rhode Island
• July 10: Delaware
• July 12: New York

Primaries

See also: 2012 election dates

There are state legislative primaries taking place this week in three states - Colorado,Oklahoma, and Utah.

So far, primaries have taken place in 21 states:

• Ohio - March 6
• Illinois – March 20
• Pennsylvania - April 24
• Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia -May 8
• Idaho - May 15
• Nebraska - May 15
• Oregon - May 15
• Arkansas - May 22
• Kentucky - May 22
• Texas – May 29
• California - June 5
• Iowa - June 5
• Montana - June 5
• New Mexico - June 5
• South Dakota - June 5
• Maine - June 12
• Nevada - June 12
• North Dakota - June 12
• South Carolina - June 12

A total of 65 state legislative incumbents have been defeated in a primary – 44 Republicans and 21 Democrats.

States with upcoming primaries:

• June 26: Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah
• July 31: Georgia
• August 2: Tennessee

 

Recalls

Wisconsin

See also: Timeline of events of the recall of Wisconsin State Senators in 2012

Recalls against four Republican state senators took place on June 5.^[15] Going into the recalls the Senate was tied 16-16, with one vacancy.^[16]

Incumbents Scott Fitzgerald (R) and Terry Moulton (R) won easy victories. Republican Jerry Petrowski easily won Pam Galloway‘s (R) former seat. Unofficial results showed John Lehman (D) defeated Van Wanggaard (R) by 779 votes and he declared victory. Wanggaard considered a recount – the county’s board of canvassars had until June 15 to submit final vote totals. ^[17] With the official canvass showing Lehman winning by 834 votes, Wanggaard called for a recount on June 15.^[18]

The recount began on June 20 and the county has until July 2 to complete it. Once the results are released, candidates have five business days to appeal in Racine County Circuit Court.^[19]

In calling for the recount, Wanggaard released a statement saying “I hope a trusted and verified result of the election will finally allow us to move forward” and that the move “is not about maintaining power.” Wanggaard had to pay a fee of $685 to request the recount, but the costs will ultimately fall to the taxpayers of Racine County.^[20]

As of mid-day on June 22, the recount had been completed for seven municipalities. It showed Wanggaard picked up a net 10 votes.^[21

 

Edited by Greg Janetka

This week’s tracker features a sessions update and look at a Wisconsin Senate recall that’s headed to a recount.

Sessions

This week 9 out of 50 state legislatures are meeting in regular session. As of May 16, all states had convened their 2012 sessions. No states are projected to adjourn this week.

Thirty-five 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

All states have convened their regular 2012 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
• March 12: Louisiana
• May 16: North Carolina

The following states have ended their regular session:

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

Special sessions

In 2011, special sessions were a widespread occurrence in state legislatures. This was largely due to states’ having to complete theredistricting 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 12 special sessions in 9 states. None are currently ongoing. The next is slated to begin in South Carolina on June 19.

Connecticut

A special session concluded shortly after midnight on June 13. The session was initially called only to approve the language of the new budget which goes into effect on July 1, but both chambers voted to expand their authority in order to take up, and subsequently pass along party lines, two lengthy bills.^[1]

A number of Republicans disagreed with the expanded scope, as Senate Minority LeaderJohn McKinney (R) asked, “Are we becoming a full-time legislature? Does the fact that the constitution sets out dates for us to meet and us to adjourn mean anything to you?” House Minority Leader Larry Cafero (R) stated that the two packed bills were the equivalent of 122 bills and that passing them without a public hearing was not fair to their constituents.^[2]

The two bills make many changes, including allowing municipalities to phase in revaluations of property for up to five years, eliminating the 1,248 minimum staffing requirement for state police, enacting a series of jobs promotion initiatives, and taxing “roll -your-out” cigarettes.^[2]

Louisiana

Last Friday, some Republicans in the legislature said a special session may be necessary in order to change a law that could hurt the state’s budget. The law in question was an emergency declaration made by former Louisiana Department of Revenue Secretary Cynthia Bridges in April that has been interpreted as significantly widening the scope of a tax credit on vehicles. Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) rejected the ruling, arguing that Bridges did not follow the law properly. However, it could still go into effect and lawmakers want it clarified or rescinded and say the best way to do that is in a special session.^[3]

Maryland

Maryland, which already held a special session in May, may have another one the week of July 9. An 11-member work group is trying to reach consensus on a plan to expand gambling in the state. If successful, Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) said he will call the legislature into session to address the issue. The workgroup is chaired by John Morton III, a business and financial services executive. Other members include four of the governor’s staff, three senators appointed by Senate President Thomas Mike Miller, Jr. (D) and three representatives appointed by Speaker of the House Michael Busch (D).^[4]

South Carolina

The South Carolina State Legislature adjourned their regular session on June 7, but will begin a special session tomorrow. The special session will address the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and could also include any measures that reached a panel of House and Senate members prior to adjournment.^[5]

In recess

As of today, June 18, 3 state’s sessions are currently in recess:

• Illinois - In recess until January 7, 2013.^[6]
• Michigan - In recess from June 17 to July 17, 2012.^[6]
• Wisconsin - In recess from March 17 to December 31, 2012.^[6]

Redistricting

State news

Alaska

On June 15, a U.S. District Judge ruled that Alaska’s election plans could move forward while the state’s interim redistricting map waits to be evaluated by a three-judge federal panel. The lawsuit was filed by a group of Alaska natives. They argue that the map may not be implemented until it is precleared by the DOJ. Specifically, they asked the judge to suspend implementation of the map until their case can be heard by a planned, three-judge panel. While this request was denied, the maps could still be suspending by the panel, placing the state’s August 28 primary elections in jeopardy.^[7]

Arizona

On June 7, Republican lawmakers filed suit in US District Court, asking that the congressional map approved by the redistricting commission be prohibited after this year’s elections. The lawsuit contends that the voter approved law that allows a commission rather than the legislature to draw congressional districts violates the Constitution. Speaker of the HouseAndy Tobin (R) stated, “Today, the Legislature is asking the federal courts to bring the constitutional redistricting process back to Arizona’s elected representatives.”^[8]

Last week, U.S. District Judge Paul Rosenblatt granted a motion to create a three-judge panel to hear the case. Rosenblatt will also serve on the commission. The two other members will be appointed by the chief judge of the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.^[9]

2012 Legislative Elections

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

1,289 (65.4%) of the country’s 1,971 state senate seats are up for election in November 2012, and 4,712 (87.05%) of the country’s 5,413 state house seats are up for election. Altogether, 5,999 (81.24%) of the country’s 7,384 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 5,999 seats up for election is 126 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

No states have signature filing deadlines this week.

So far, deadlines have passed in 41 states:

States with upcoming deadlines:

• June 27: Rhode Island
• July 10: Delaware
• July 12: New York

Primaries

See also: 2012 election dates

There are no state legislative primaries taking place this week.

So far, primaries have taken place in 21 states:

A total of 63 state legislative incumbents have been defeated in a primary.

States with upcoming primaries:

• June 26:Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah
• July 31:Georgia
• August 2:Tennessee

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, four of which resulted in the legislator being recalled. In 2012, there have been four state legislative recalls – three have failed while one has gone to a recount.

Michigan

2011 saw a wave of recall attempts in Michigan. While most of those efforts dried up, at least two campaigns continued 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) set their sights on the August 2012 ballot, but in April organizers of the Pavlov recall announced they did not have enough signatures and were abandoning their efforts.^[10] The Caswell campaign remains active.

Wisconsin

See also: Timeline of events of the recall of Wisconsin State Senators in 2012

Recalls against four Republican state senators took place on June 5.^[11] Going into the recalls the Senate was tied 16-16, with one vacancy.^[12]

Incumbents Scott Fitzgerald (R) and Terry Moulton (R) won easy victories. Republican Jerry Petrowski easily won Pam Galloway‘s (R) former seat. Unofficial results showed John Lehman (D) defeated Van Wanggaard (R) by 779 votes and he declared victory. Wanggaard considered a recount – the county’s board of canvassars had until June 15 to submit final vote totals. ^[13] With the official canvass showing Lehman winning by 834 votes, Wanggaard called for a recount on June 15.^[14]

The recount is scheduled to begin on Wednesday and the county has until July 2 to complete it. Once the results are released, candidates have five business days to appeal in Racine County Circuit Court.^[15]

In calling for the recount, Wanggaard released a statement saying “I hope a trusted and verified result of the election will finally allow us to move forward” and that the move “is not about maintaining power.” Wanggaard had to pay a fee of $685 to request the recount, but the costs will ultimately fall to the taxpayers of Racine County.^[16]

Special elections

See also: State legislative special elections, 2012

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

[edit]Looking ahead

Upcoming special elections include:

• July 17: South Carolina Senate District 41
• July 24: South Carolina House District 68
• August 7: Pennsylvania Senate District 40
• November 6: New Jersey Assembly District 16
• November 6: New Jersey Assembly District 26
• November 6: New Jersey Assembly District 68