US: Supreme Court case on state legislatures’ power could upend voting rules
The theory in the case, Moore v. Harper, would give state legislatures independent power, not subject to review by state courts, to set all sorts of election rules at odds with state constitutions, not least by drawing congressional maps warped by partisan gerrymandering.
TX: Texas early voting down significantly from 2018
Texas early voting this year was down significantly from the 2018 midterm election, according to the secretary of state. Total turnout in Texas was 53% in 2018, but this year, it’s expected to be closer to the 35% who voted in 2014.
CA: Governor urges California lawmakers not to tax forgiven federal student loans
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called on the California legislature to act quickly to prevent student loan borrowers from having to pay state income taxes on up to ,000 in federal debt forgiveness.
GA: Georgians get another month’s reprieve from paying gas taxes
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp again extended the suspension of Georgia’s sales tax on motor fuel for another month. Kemp is seeking reelection and has used each monthly announcement to extend the tax break to blame Democrats for high gas prices and promote his efforts to provide relief at the pump.
VT: In the race for Vermont’s AG, only one candidate is an attorney
In the election for Vermont’s next attorney general, voters will choose between Democrat Charity Clark, who most recently held the No. 2 position in the Attorney General’s Office, and Republican Mike Tagliavia, a first-time political candidate who is not an attorney and says his outsider status makes him the better choice.
MA: Boston not on track to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030
Boston is not on pace to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030, according to Northeastern University researchers, who describe the Massachusetts city’s goal as “likely out of reach” in a new report.
IL: New Illinois law gives cops choice not to jail people for small amounts of drugs
Tucked into the new and much-debated 764-page law that does away with Illinois’ cash-bail system is a single paragraph that could have a big impact. It means that people caught with small amounts of drugs won’t have to sit in jail for days until they’re brought before a judge.
KS: Kansas directs .7M to broadband expansion
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, announced that .7 million will be awarded to seven providers that bring high-speed broadband services to underserved, economically distressed and low-population areas in the Sunflower State.
NE: Nebraska’s aging prisoners costly to taxpayers
The increasingly geriatric prison population is costing Nebraska taxpayers. Spending on prison health care has doubled to million since 2006.
SD: South Dakota Medicaid expansion would benefit the most vulnerable
Expanded Medicaid coverage would likely have outsized benefits for South Dakota’s most vulnerable people. Voters will have the option to approve the expanded health coverage on Election Day ballots.
MO: Judge halts provisions of new Missouri voting law
A circuit court judge has issued a preliminary injunction halting parts of a new Missouri law that puts limits on what can be done to help register voters and reach out to absentee voters.
OR: Oregon hospitals overstuffed with patients ready to leave but with nowhere to go
Hundreds of recuperating Oregonians are stranded in hospitals, some for 100 days or longer, in what hospital officials say has become a humanitarian crisis. Upward of 1 in 5 Oregon hospital beds is now occupied by patients who are well enough to be discharged but still need some level of care as they recover.
NY: Crime emerges as key issue in New York governor’s race
The crime issue stands as Republican candidate Lee Zeldin’s best hope that he can topple New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. A recent Quinnipiac University poll of the race ranked crime as the most important issue. That poll also showed Zeldin, who proposes repealing a 2019 state law that bars setting bail for many criminal suspects, within single digits of the incumbent Democrat, who supports keeping that bail law.
WA: 4 big companies pour money into Washington elections
While Washingtonians have been casting ballots and making their voices heard in Tuesday’s midterm elections, some of Washington’s top corporations have put their money where their interests lie. Four of Washington’s largest public companies, Amazon, Microsoft, T-Mobile and Boeing, have spent a total of ,075 in political contributions for the midterm elections in Washington state.
MI: With enrollments down, most of Michigan’s public universities admitted almost everybody
With enrollments down sharply among Michigan’s public universities, most of them offered admission this fall to almost everybody who completed an application. Michigan State University, which admitted the largest entering class in its history, rejected less than 9% of its applicants.
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