Incumbent Gov. Spencer Cox defeated Democratic candidate Brian King 56% to 31% in Utah’s gubernatorial race on November 5.

King, a trial lawyer and state representative, has served as Utah’s House minority leader for eight years.

While moderate Republicans have historically fared well in Utah’s statewide elections, Cox has recently sought to convince voters that he is more conservative than his record shows.

Jenniffer González of Puerto Rico’s pro-statehood New Progressive Party is leading polls early November 6 in the U.S. territory’s race for governor.

With 91% of precincts reporting, González received 39% of votes compared with 33% obtained by Juan Dalmau of the Independence Party and Citizen Victory Movement.

Trailing González and Dalmau is Jesús Manuel Ortiz of the Popular Democratic Party, which supports the island’s territorial status.

For decades, the New Progressive Party and the Popular Democratic Party would receive at least 90% of all votes, but that began to change in 2016.

Newer parties are attracting more voters given Puerto Rico’s economic and political turmoil while a younger generation is decrying corruption, persistent power outages and a lack of affordable housing, among other things.

On November 5, voters in Colorado rejected a ballot measure establishing top four primaries and ranked choice voting in general elections.

Proposition 131 aimed to eliminate party primaries, and instead all candidates, regardless of party, would compete in an open primary.

The top four finishers in each race would advance to the general election, where voters would rank candidates for each office in order of preference.

If one candidate were to receive more than 50% of the vote, he or she would win.

If not, the last place finisher in that race would be eliminated, and the votes would be reallocated to the candidate the voters rank second.

The elimination process would continue until one candidate had 50% of all the votes cast.

As of 9:00 a.m. November 6, with 73% of the precincts reporting, Proposition 131 failed 56% to 45%.

On November 5, voters in Arizona rejected a ballot measure to implement ranked choice voting in general elections and defeated a competing measure to require partisan primaries.

The ranked choice voting measure, Proposition 140, requires primaries in which candidates, regardless of partisan affiliation, appear on a single ballot.

The measure allows a certain number to advance to the general election, such as top-two or top-four primaries.

In contrast, the partisan primary measure, Proposition 133, is contradictory because a primary cannot be both partisan and include all candidates running in the same primary regardless of party.

While Proposition 133 doesn’t state that ranked-choice voting can’t be used in general elections, Proposition 140 conditions ranked-choice voting on a primary system change.

Proposition 133 would have added the existing system of partisan primaries to the Arizona Constitution, where voters select candidates to represent political parties in the general election.

As of 9:00 a.m. November 6, with more than 58% of the precincts reporting, Proposition 133 failed 58% to 42%.

The Texas Legislature adjourned its third special session November 7 and announced a fourth special session on the same day to address the unresolved issue of school vouchers.

In Gov. Greg Abbott’s special session proclamation, he acknowledged the Texas Legislature made progress over the past month protecting Texans from forced COVID-19 vaccinations and increasing penalties for human smuggling but said more work must be done.

The agenda items of the fourth special session include the establishment of an education savings account program, and state border security.

A special election will be held to fill the vacant seat in Senate District 32 that was held by John Michael Montgomery.

Montgomery resigned from his seat in the Oklahoma Senate to take a position as the President and CEO of the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce.

The special primary election will be held on Tuesday, October 10.

If a special primary election is not necessary, the special general election will be held on Tuesday, December 12.

The Aurora City Clerk’s Office increased campaign finance contribution limits August 1 following a city code mandate.

A person, political committee, or non-municipal political organization may not make aggregate contributions to a candidate committee or recall defense committee more than $450 to any one candidate in any one ward race or more than $1,150 to any one candidate in any at-large or mayoral race.

A small donor committee is limited to aggregate contributions to a candidate committee or recall defense committee of $4,500 to any one candidate in any one ward race or $11,500 to any one candidate in any at-large or mayoral race.

The adjustments are based on an amount calculated by the Colorado Secretary of State as prescribed in the Colorado Constitution.

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The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office issued a notice of temporary adoption of rules taking immediate effect, implementing contribution limit increases consistent with Constitutional requirements.

The Colorado Constitution requires contribution limits to be adjusted based upon the percentage change over a four-year period in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Denver-Boulder-Greeley.

The Secretary of State’s Office calculates the adjustment for each limit and specifies the limits in promulgated rules.

Candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and state treasurer may now accept $725 per election from individuals and political committees, and $7,825 per election from small donor committees.

Additionally, candidates for state Legislature, state Board of Education, University of Colorado regent, and district attorney may now accept $225 per election from individuals and political committees, and $3,100 per election from small donor committees.

Other increases include contribution limits of $23,600 per calendar year from small donor committees to a political party at the state, county, district, and local levels combined.

The next adjustment will take place in the first quarter of 2027.

Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would diminish the state campaign finance laws and the powers of the governmental ethics commission.

Sponsored by the House Committee on Elections, House Bill 2391 would allow candidates to donate money to a third-party, such as a political committee or party, and instruct the funds be routed to another campaign or entity.

The bill would legalize the ability to make a political contribution in the name of another person or entity, meaning an individual could donate the maximum amount allowed to a given candidate and then route funds through additional sources.

House Bill 2391 would end the ethics commission’s subpoena power unless it can establish probable cause and impose a two-year statute of limitations on campaign finance violations, ending any active investigations on activity that took place after 2021.

If passed, the bill would become effective July 1.

The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office has increased campaign contribution limits for the 2023-2024 election cycle.

An individual may now contribute $5,400 per election cycle to a candidate committee for statewide office and legislative office.

Additionally, an individual may contribute $6,650 per election cycle to a candidate committee for district, county, town, and city office.

Contribution limits for PACs have also increased. A PAC without Mega PAC status may contribute $5,400 per election cycle to a candidate for statewide office.

In contrast, a PAC with Mega PAC status may contribute $10,800 per election cycle to candidates for statewide and legislative office, and $13,300 per election cycle to candidates for district, county, town, and city office.

These increases are implemented by the secretary of state in January of odd-numbered years.

Arizona voters approved a constitutional amendment creating the position of lieutenant governor.

Under Proposition 131, the lieutenant governor would be elected on a joint ticket with the governor and would succeed the governor in case of a vacancy.

Arizona is one of five states without a lieutenant governor position.

As of 8:30 a.m. November 9, with 58% of the precincts reporting, the amendment passed 55% to 45%.

Arizona voters approved a campaign finance ballot measure requiring disclosure of original campaign donors.

Proposition 211 requires that anyone making independent expenditures of more than $50,000 on a statewide campaign or $25,000 on a local campaign to disclose the names of the money’s original sources, defined as the persons or businesses that earned the money being spent.

Organizations that fail to disclose would face a fine equal to the amount contributed, or up to three times that amount.

Proposition 211 applies to corporations, nonprofit groups and charities that currently are not required to disclose the names of the people who give money to political campaigns that the organization backs.

As of 8:15 a.m. November 9, with 59% of the precincts reporting, the amendment passed 72.7% to 27.3%.

The third special session of the Hawaii Senate on judicial appointments adjourned sine die October 20.

The appointments considered were nominees Timothy E. Ho for District Court of the First Circuit; John Alberto Montalbano for District Family Court of the First Circuit; and James S. Kawashima for the Circuit Court of the First Circuit.

Lobbyists and lobbyist employers who engage in lobbying activities or who make expenditures for the purpose of attempting to influence legislative action considered during a special session must file a special report on or before November 19, covering the period from May 1 through October 20.