Five states to hold primaries next week, Missouri to hold impeachment session

Having trouble following hundreds of primaries? Look no further than this week's edition. [Forward This](mailto:?&body=https%3A//ballotpedia.org/The_State_and_Local_Tap%3A_Five_states_to_hold_primaries_next_week,_Missouri_to_hold_impeachment_session) [blank][Tweet This]( [blank][Send to Linkedin]( [blank][Send to Facebook]( [blank] Hundreds of seats up for primary election, hundreds more up this week—and we're just getting started. Find full reviews of last week's primaries and a preview of next week's, plus all the other stories we covered last week, in our online edition. [Full version online →]( Four states hold primaries on May 15 Idaho: - Ballotpedia will cover a total of 133 federal and state seats up for primary election in [Idaho](. These include U.S. Congress, governor and other state executives, Idaho State Legislature, and Idaho state courts. Ballotpedia will also cover judicial and municipal elections in Ada County. Nebraska: - Ballotpedia will cover a total of 44 federal and state seats up for primary election in [Nebraska](. These include one seat in the U.S. Senate, three seats in the U.S. House, nine state executive offices including governor, and 24 seats in the state senate. Ballotpedia will also cover local primaries in Douglas and Lancaster counties. These races include county commissioner, assessor, attorney, sheriffic, treasurer, and more. Oregon: - Ballotpedia will cover a total of 116 federal and state seats up for primary election in [Oregon](. These include U.S. Congress, governor, labor commissioner, Oregon State Legislature, and Oregon state courts. Ballotpedia will also cover judicial and municipal elections and local ballot measures in Portland and Multnomah County. Pennsylvania - Ballotpedia will cover a total of 249 federal and state seats up for primary election in [Pennsylvania](. These include U.S. Congress, governor and lieutenant governor, and Pennsylvania General Assembly. [Special elections]( are also being held for District 48, District 68, and District 178 of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Largest school districts in North Carolina plan to shut down on May 15 - At least 13 school districts, including the largest in the state, announced that they [planned to shut down]( on May 16 due to a scheduled teacher rally for more education funding and improved working conditions. In some cities, May 16 was classified as an optional work day for educators, according to The Business Journals. - The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) announced in April what they called an advocacy day planned for May 16, the same day the North Carolina General Assembly is expected to reconvene. NCAE President Mark Jewell told Policy Watch that the protest would focus on funding for teacher pay, textbooks, and classroom resources as well as greater investment in public education. Missouri to hold special session regarding Greitens' impeachment - Missouri legislators called for a special session scheduled to begin on May 18 to discuss impeaching Gov. Eric Greitens (R). The decision to convene was made after 138 House members and 29 Senators signed a petition calling for the governor's impeachment. - Investigations update: - Judge [Rex Burlison]( ruled that the woman accusing Missouri Gov. [Eric Greitens]( (R), identified in court filings as K.S., can testify during the trial scheduled for May 14. - Burlison rejected Greitens' attorneys' second motion for a bench trial, announcing that jury selection would begin on May 10. Burlison said he would reconsider the motion if it seemed an impartial jury could not be selected. - [Click here]( to read more about investigations involving the governor. What does it take to impeach a sitting governor? Find out in our webinar on Wednesday as we review the events surrounding Missouri's governor Eric Greitens. [Sign up here](. Ted Cruz backs Hunter Hill for Georgia governor - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is backing Hunter Hill in the May 22 Georgia gubernatorial [Republican primary](). Hill is a former state senator from northwest Atlanta who supports abolishing the state income tax, allowing gun owners to carry concealed weapons without permits, and enacting school choice policies. - According to public polling, Hill is dueling with Secretary of State Brian Kemp for second place in the primary. The second-place winner is likely to face the frontrunner, Lieutenant Gov. Casey Cagle, in a June 24 runoff election. Washington House Democrats vote to remove Rep. David Sawyer from committee chair position - The Washington House Democratic caucus voted to remove [Rep. David Sawyer]() (D) from his position as chair of the Commerce and Gaming committee. - On February 21, 2018, the Seattle Times reported that Sawyer was being investigated by the state House over a sexual harassment allegation. Sawyer denied the allegations and said he would run for re-election. Review of last week's primaries Indiana: - Primaries in [Indiana]( were held for federal, state, and local positions, and Ballotpedia covered a total of 172 seats on the ballot. These included the races for one U.S. Senate seat, nine U.S. House seats, three state executive seats, and 125 state legislative seats. Ballotpedia also covered local elections in Allen and Marion counties. North Carolina: - Primaries in [North Carolina]( were held for federal, state, and local positions, and Ballotpedia covered a total of 265 seats on the ballot. These included the races for 13 U.S. House seats and 170 state legislative seats. Ballotpedia also covered local elections across five counties: Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Mecklenburg, and Wake. Ohio: - Primaries in [Ohio]( were held for federal, state, and local positions, and Ballotpedia covered a total of 220 seats on the ballot. These included the races for one U.S. Senate seat, 16 U.S. House seats, one special election for a U.S. House seat, six state executive seats, 116 state legislative seats, and Ohio state courts. Ballotpedia also covered judicial and municipal elections across five counties: Cuyahoga, Fairfield, Franklin, Hamilton, and Lucas. - Six [state executive]( offices held primaries: [governor](, lieutenant governor, [attorney general](, [secretary of state](, [treasurer](, and [auditor](. The Democratic primary for governor and lieutenant governor was the only contested Democratic primary. The Republican primary for governor and lieutenant governor and treasurer were the only competitive Republican primaries. All six seats up for election are open state executives positions. West Virginia: - Primary elections in West Virginia were held for federal and state legislative positions, and Ballotpedia covered a total of 121 seats on the ballot. These included the races for one U.S. Senate seat, three U.S. House seats, 17 state senate seats, and 100 state house seats. - A total of 25 Democrats and 23 Republicans competed for the 17 senate seats on the ballot. The incumbent senator sought re-election in every race, and three of those incumbents were defeated by a primary challenger. Come work with Ballotpedia! Do you have a knowledge of the U.S. political system and elections, experience as a writer, and a passion for neutral information? We're hiring a staff writer to work with our elections team; learn more and apply [here](. Ohio Issue 1, first-of-its-kind congressional redistricting process, approved by voters - Voters in Ohio approved a first-of-its-kind congressional redistricting process. Voters approved [Issue 1]() 74.85 percent to 25.15 percent. The measure requires the state legislature to adopt a 10-year congressional redistricting plan with 60 percent of members in each chamber voting in favor and 50 percent of Republicans and 50 percent of Democrats (or whichever two parties have the most members in the legislature) voting in favor. - As of 2018, no state requires a specific level of support from the minority party in a state legislature to pass a congressional redistricting plan. - Issue 1 will take effect on January 1, 2021, and apply to congressional redistricting following the 2020 U.S. Census. This week's ballot measures update - [Ninety-four (94) measures]( are certified to appear on statewide ballots in 29 states in [2018]( so far—18 [citizen-initiated]( measures, 67 [legislatively referred]( measures, eight measures [referred by a Florida commission](, and one measure [automatically referred]( to the ballot by the state constitution. - [Five new measures]( were certified for 2018 ballots over the last week. - Signatures for 18 additional citizen-initiated measures have been submitted and are pending verification in California, Idaho, Michigan, Missouri, and Utah. To see this list, [click here](. - The next signature deadline is for initiatives in Illinois; no initiatives were circulated for the [2018 ballot in Illinois](. Iowa Legislature passes measure reducing state taxes over next six years - The Iowa State Legislature [approved a bill]( that would reduce taxes over the next six years, including $398 million in income tax cuts for individuals and small business owners in 2019. According to the Des Moines Register, the bill would reduce the individual income tax brackets to four, with a top rate of 6.5 percent, by 2023. - The bill, SF 2417, passed along party lines with all Democrats and independent Sen. David Johnson opposed and all Republicans in favor. Republicans viewed the bill as relief for state residents, while Democrats thought the bill resulted in a loss of income for state programs like health care and education. 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. 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