Dates set in court-ordered Wisconsin special elections

This week's State and Local Tap covers upcoming elections in Wisconsin, the latest pension news, and upcoming California special elections [Forward This](mailto:?&subject=State and Local News from Ballotpedia&body=Dates%20set%20in%20court-ordered%20Wisconsin%20special%20elections.%20Find%20out%20more%20in%20this%20week's%20State%20and%20Local%20Tap%20from%20Ballotpedia.%20https%3A//ballotpedia.org/The_State_and_Local_Tap%3A_Dates_set_in_court-ordered_Wisconsin_special_elections) [blank][Tweet This]( [blank][Send to Linkedin]( [blank][Send to Facebook]( [blank] Just for you this week we take a look at upcoming elections in Wisconsin, California, and Alaska. We also have some pension news and a possible same-day voter registration measure. Let's dive in! As always, you can click below for the full two weeks of state and local news. [Link to full version →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Governor Walker calls for court-ordered special election - On March 29, Gov. Scott Walker (R) [called a special election]( for June 12, 2018, to fill vacant seats in [Wisconsin State Senate District 1]( and [Wisconsin State Assembly District 42](. Judge Josann Reynolds of the Dane County Circuit Court, Wisconsin, had ordered Walker on March 22 to call special elections for the seats which were vacated in December 2017. - Wisconsin's legislative session ended March 22, 2018. Individuals elected in a special election would not cast votes unless the governor called a special session. Both seats are up for election in 2018. Timeline: - March 29: Gov. Walker issued Executive Order #280 calling for a special election on June 12, 2018, to fill the vacancies in Senate District 1 and Assembly District 42. A press release from the governor's website announced that the filing deadline was April 17 and a primary election, if necessary, would be held May 15. - March 27: Dane County Circuit Court Judge Richard Niess denied a request from Gov. Walker to delay the March 29 deadline for special elections ordered by Judge Reynolds. - Walker requested to postpone the deadline until April 6. He planned to call an extraordinary session of the legislature on April 4 for legislators to pass a bill which would prohibit a governor from calling a special election until the seat had been vacant for at least four months and would not allow special elections after the state's spring election in even-numbered years. The legislation would apply retroactively, meaning it would cover the Senate District 1 and Assembly District 42 vacancies. - Niess said of Walker's request, "It is certainly the Legislature's prerogative to change the law. But until they do, it is the obligation of this court to enforce the law. And the law right now, in this state and under that statute, and by order of this court, is that this election shall be held as promptly as possible and that it should be ordered by no later than Thursday at noon." - March 22: Dane County Circuit Court Judge [Josann Reynolds]( ordered Gov. Scott Walker (R) to call special elections for vacant seats in Senate District 1 and [Assembly District 42]( by March 29. - Reynolds, who was appointed by Walker in 2014 and elected to a full term in 2015, ruled that Walker misinterpreted state law regarding filling legislative vacancies. She said that the defendant's reading of the law would have left a four-month window in a two-year period for special elections, "open[ing] the possibility that residents of Wisconsin could go unrepresented for almost two years if any governor declined to issue an order calling for a special election." - Walker's representation argued that he wasn't required to fill the seats—that state law required the governor call a special election only if a vacancy occurred between January 1 and the second Tuesday in May of an election year. Walker also said calling special elections before a November general election would be a waste of taxpayer funds. - Elisabeth Frost, who represented a group of voters from both districts, argued that the lack of elections deprived residents of equal representation. - February 26: ​​​​​​​The National Redistricting Foundation, a group led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, filed a lawsuit asking that Walker hold special elections for Senate District 1 and Assembly District 42. - Holder said in a statement: "Governor Scott Walker’s refusal to hold special elections is an affront to representative democracy. Forcing citizens to go more than a year without representation in the General Assembly is a plain violation of their rights, and we’re hopeful the court will act quickly to order the governor to hold elections." - Gov. Walker's spokeswoman Amy Hasenberg responded, "This D.C.-based special interest group wants to force Wisconsin taxpayers to waste money. The Legislature will be adjourned for 2018 before these seats could be filled in special elections, and staff in these offices are working for constituents until new leaders are elected." --------------------------------------------------------------- ​​​​​​​ Ballotpedia to cover 196 seats and state treasurer elimination ballot measure in Wisconsin spring general election - Wisconsin will be holding its statewide spring [general election]( on April 3. On the ballot are nonpartisan statewide and local seats and ballot measures, including the [Wisconsin Supreme Court]( election, Wisconsin [Question 1](, and [school board]( elections. A spring primary election was held on February 20, 2018, for seats where more than two candidates per seat filed for election. - Ballotpedia will cumulatively cover 196 judicial and local seats up for general election; one Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, two [intermediate appellate court]( seats, 11 local trial court seats, 55 county supervisor seats in [Dane]( and [Milwaukee]( counties, and 127 school board seats. - Wisconsin will also hold partisan fall elections for federal and statewide seats. - Voters in Wisconsin will also vote on [Question 1](, which would eliminate the elected position of state treasurer. Wisconsin has had an elected state treasurer since 1848, the year Wisconsin received statehood. Since 2003, most of the state treasurer’s duties have been transferred to the departments of administration and revenue, which have governor-appointed secretaries. - Along with eliminating the elected office of state treasurer, Question 1 would transfer the treasurer’s one remaining constitutional duty—to sit on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands—to the lieutenant governor. The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands is responsible for generating investment income for public school libraries, making loans to municipalities and school districts, managing state trust lands for timber management, and archiving land records. --------------------------------------------------------------- Rep. Angel Arce submits written resignation, effective April 9 - Connecticut Rep. [Angel Arce]( submitted a written resignation in which he said he would resign effective April 9. Arce previously said he would resign on March 7, due to allegations of sexual misconduct. - On February 28, 2018, The Hartford Courant asked Arce if he sent Facebook messages to a 16-year-old girl in 2015 where he displayed affection toward her. Arce did not say whether he sent the messages or not, but he did say he was familiar with the girl, who was 18 at the time of the Courant report. - House Speaker [Joe Aresimowicz]( (D) removed Arce from his committee assignments and removed him from the position of assistant majority leader after learning about the messages. Gov. [Dan Malloy]( (D) also called for Arce's resignation. - [Click here]( to read more. --------------------------------------------------------------- Colorado Senate approves bill related to state pension system - The Republican-majority Colorado State Senate [advanced legislation]( adjusting the Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA). PERA provides retirement benefits to school districts, state and local governments, and other state public entities. The agency had an estimated [unfunded liability]( ranging from $32 billion to $50 billion. The bill would: - increase employee contributions to PERA by 3 percent of net pay beginning July 1. - halt cost-of-living adjustments for two years and then lower the adjustment from 2 percent to 1.25 percent. - raise the retirement age for new employees. - calculate retirement benefits using a lower average salary figure, and - allow employees to opt for a defined contribution plan rather than a defined-benefit plan. - According to The Denver Post, the bill as originally introduced received bipartisan support. However, Senate Republicans and Democrats disagreed on the legislation by the time of the vote. - Democratic Sen. [Daniel Kagan]( characterized parts of the bill as "absolutely unfair and unnecessary" adding that the option to choose a defined-contribution plan was not "a sensible way forward. All it will ensure is that those who are seduced into a defined-contribution option will fall into an impoverished life." - Bill sponsor Sen. [Jack Tate]( (R) said, "Understandably, any change in PERA is bound to ruffle some feathers, but we have to take action now to ensure that current and future employees have a sustainable retirement system that works for them. I believe Senate Bill 200 will be a step in the right direction." - The Senate voted 19 to 16, with all Republicans and one independent lawmaker in favor. It was sent to the Democratic-controlled Colorado House of Representatives, where the Denver Business Journal reported it was "expected to be changed significantly." --------------------------------------------------------------- Maryland legislature puts election-day voter registration amendment on November ballot - The Maryland State Senate voted along partisan lines to put [an amendment]( before voters in November to allow same-day voter registration on election day. All 33 Democrats in the Senate approved the amendment—House Bill 532—and all 14 Republicans voted against it. The state House approved HB 532 in a vote of 91-47 on March 8, 2018. The vote was also along partisan lines, with two Republicans joining 89 of 91 Democrats to vote in favor of the amendment. The other two Democrats did not vote. Of the remaining 48 Republicans, 47 voted against the amendment, and one was absent. In Maryland, a three-fifths (60 percent) vote is required in each chamber of the legislature to put an amendment on the ballot. The governor is not required to sign a bill calling for a constitutional amendment. With a Republican governor and both chambers of the legislature controlled by Democrats, Maryland is one of 16 states under divided government; Democrats hold enough of a majority in both chambers to pass constitutional amendments on to the voters without any Republican support. - Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have enacted election-day voter registration laws: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Voter registration is not required in North Dakota. - This amendment was the [first to be certified]( for the ballot in Maryland. Over the last two decades, [32 measures]( have appeared on the ballot in Maryland. From 1996 through 2016, there was an average of about three measures on the ballot in even-numbered years. In this time period, 29 of 32 measures, or 91 percent, were approved, and three of 32 measures, or nine percent, were defeated. - The state legislature also passed a bill to establish automatic voter registration. --------------------------------------------------------------- Steny Hoyer endorses in Maryland governor race - House Minority Whip [Steny Hoyer]( (D-MD) endorsed Prince George’s County Executive [Rushern Baker]( (D) for the Democratic nomination to challenge Gov. Larry Hogan (R) Tuesday. - Hoyer is the third member of the state’s congressional delegation to issue an endorsement, following Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D), who also endorsed Baker, and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D), who endorsed state Sen. Rich Madaleno (D). - The announcement also follows Sen. Kamala Harris’ (D-CA) endorsement of former NAACP President Ben Jealous (D) on March 23. - Baker, Madaleno, and Jealous are among the nine Democrats who filed to seek the party’s nomination in the [June 26 primary](. --------------------------------------------------------------- McDonald's nomination to CT Supreme Court fails in Connecticut Senate, 19 - 16 - On Tuesday, the Connecticut Senate voted 19 - 16 against the confirmation of current Connecticut Supreme Court Justice [Andrew McDonald]( to become chief justice of the court. All 18 Republican senators voted against the nomination, joined by Democratic Sen. Joan Hartley. Another Democratic Senator, Sen. Gayle Slossberg, abstained from the vote based on past personal conflicts with McDonald. McDonald's nomination had been confirmed by the Connecticut House of Representatives on a 75-74 vote on March 12. Malloy nominated McDonald on January 12 to [fill]( the seat of former Chief Justice Chase Rogers, who retired on February 5. Had he been confirmed, McDonald would have become the first openly gay supreme court chief justice in the country. Malloy must now nominate a new candidate, who will be subject to the same confirmation process. If confirmed, the nominee will become Malloy's sixth appointment to the seven-member court. - Republicans objected to McDonald's record on the death penalty and other issues, which were highlighted during a 13-hours-long public hearing on the nomination. Democrats alleged that Republicans' opposition to McDonald was based in part on the fact that McDonald is openly gay. McDonald was first nominated as an associate justice on the court by Malloy in 2012. He was confirmed in 2012 by the Connecticut Sente on a vote of 30 - 3. He previously served in the Connecticut State Senate. --------------------------------------------------------------- Three California State Assembly seats up for special primary election - The District 39, 45, and 54 seats in the California State Assembly will be up for [special primary election]( on April 3. If a candidate receives a majority of the votes in the primary election, he or she will be declared the winner. If no candidates receive a majority, the top two vote-getters will advance to a special general election on June 5. The seats became vacant following the resignations of [Raul Bocanegra]( (D-39), [Matt Dababneh]( (D-45), and [Sebastian Ridley-Thomas]( (D-54). Bocanegra and Dababneh resigned due to sexual harassment or misconduct allegations, and Ridley-Thomas resigned due to health issues. - The race to replace Dababneh drew the most candidates. Six Democrats, one Republican, and one candidate with no party preference filed to run for his seat. The race for Bocanegra’s seat drew a total of six candidates—five Democrats and one Republican—and the race for Ridley-Thomas’ seat drew four candidates—three Democrats and one Republican. --------------------------------------------------------------- Anchorage, Alaska, to hold elections for mayor and school board - The city of Anchorage will hold elections on April 3 for [mayor]( and three seats on the [Anchorage School District school board](. Also on the ballot are [12 local ballot measures](. Mayor Ethan Berkowitz is running for re-election and will face off against eight other candidates. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the top two candidates will face off in a runoff election on May 1. - Three Anchorage school board seats will also be on the ballot. Nine candidates, including one incumbent, are running for three seats. The winners will serve a three-year term. - The April 3 election will be the first time that the city is holding an election by [mail-in ballots](. Voters have until election day to turn in their ballots. - One of the [12 propositions]( is [a citizen initiative—Proposition 1](—designed to restrict access to facilities such as locker rooms and bathrooms on the basis of sex at birth rather than gender identity. Seven propositions are bond issues, which, combined, propose 98.12 million in bond issues. The largest—[Proposition 2](—proposes $50.66 million in bonds for Anchorage school district facilities. Two measures are charter amendments concerning parking enforcement and the sale of Municipal Light & Power, and two concern a property tax exemption and the annexation of a district by the Anchorage Fire Service Area. --------------------------------------------------------------- Oklahoma Secretary of State steps down - Oklahoma Secretary of State [Dave Lopez]( stepped down. Lopez assumed the duties of [secretary of state]( on March 27, 2017, and resigned on March 30, 2018. His resignation letter said he wished to focus on "personal and business endeavors." - The seat will remain vacant until a successor is appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin (R) and approved by the Oklahoma State Senate. The Tap has thousands of loyal readers each week. Want to reach them? Advertise in this email! Contact ads@ballotpedia.org for details. The Lucy Burns Institute, publisher of Ballotpedia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Donations to the Lucy Burns Institute or Ballotpedia do not support any candidates or campaigns. Decide which emails you want from Ballotpedia. [Unsubscribe from all emails]( or [update your subscription preferences](. Ballotpedia The Encyclopedia of American Politics [8383 Greenway Blvd., Suite 600]( [Middleton, WI 53562]( [Facebook]( [Twitter](