Akron City Council passed an ordinance to increase contribution limits for city candidates.

The ordinance increases contribution limits for individuals giving to mayor and at-large council candidates from $750 to $1,000 per election and increases individual limits for ward council candidates from $500 to $750 per election.

The ordinance allows any political party or PAC to contribute up to $2,000 to mayor and at-large council candidates, and up to $1,500 to ward council candidates.

The ordinance is effective immediately.

The Michigan Bureau of Elections posted the Lobby Registration Act 2023 Reporting Thresholds, which change every year in January to reflect the change in the consumer price index for Detroit.

The registration thresholds for individual lobbyist compensation and for employer expenditures on a single official increased from $675 to $725.

Exempt expenditures increased from $14 to $15. The registration threshold for an employer making lobbying expenditures increased from $2,675 to $2,900 for any 12-month period.

The financial transaction threshold between a registered employer or lobbyist and a public official increased from $1,350 to $1,450.

The reporting threshold for travel and lodging reimbursements increased from $875 to $950.

Monthly food and beverage expenditures allowance for a public official increased from $66 to $72, and the threshold for food and beverages purchased between January 1 and end the reporting period increased from $400 to $450.

Employee reimbursements increased from $27 to $29, and the general gift threshold also increased from $66 to $72.

Late filing fees increased from $27 a day up to a maximum of $810, to $29 a day up to $870 maximum.

Missouri voters were overwhelmingly against holding a constitutional convention.

The question automatically appears on the ballot every 20 years, and with 96% of the precincts reporting, 67% voted against holding a convention to revise and amend the constitution, while only 32% voted in favor of holding a convention.

Michigan voters overwhelmingly passed Proposal 1, a constitutional amendment requiring disclosures and modifying term limits with 66% voting yes and 34% voting no with 87% of the votes counted.

The proposal amends section 10 of article IV of the Michigan Constitution to require each member of the legislature, the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, and the attorney general to electronically file an annual financial disclosure report by April 15, 2024, and annually thereafter, including gifts, travel payments and reimbursements, and payments to a charity in lieu of honoraria made by lobbyist or lobbyist agent.

The amendment also modifies term limits in section 54 of article IV of the Michigan Constitution to prohibit anyone from being elected as a state representative or senator for terms or partial terms that combined total more than 12 years.

This limitation does not prohibit a person elected to the office of state senator in 2022 from being elected to that office for the three times permitted at the time the person became a candidate for that office.

Kentucky Voters defeated constitutional amendment 1, which would have permitted the Senate President and House Speaker to jointly call special sessions of the legislature lasting up to 12 days annually.

Only the Governor can call a special session.

The amendment would have also removed specific legislative session end dates from the constitution and instead limit sessions to 30 legislative days in odd-numbered years and 60 legislative days in even-numbered years.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer won reelection over Republican challenger, Tudor Dixon.

As of Wednesday morning, with 87% of votes counted, Whitmer won by 9%.

Third-party candidates, including Libertarian Party candidate Mary Buzuma, Green Party candidate Kevin Hogan, Taxpayer Party candidate Donna Brandenburg and Natural Law candidate Daryl Simpson pulled in just 1.6% of the vote combined.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won his bid for reelection against his Democratic challenger Charlie Crist.

DeSantis won by a wide margin with almost 60% of the vote.

DeSantis appears to have done well in Miami-Dade County, which has historically voted Democratic.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers narrowly won the gubernatorial race over Republican Tim Michaels.

With 95% of votes counted, Evers prevailed over Michaels by just over 3 percentage points.

Independent candidate Joan Ellis Beglinger pulled in just one percent of the vote.

Incumbent Republican Gov. Mike DeWine handily won re-election in Ohio.

As of Wednesday morning, with 95% of votes counted, DeWine prevailed over Democratic candidate Nan Whaley by roughly 25 percentage points.

Voters in Toledo, Ohio defeated Issue 19, a charter amendment that would have made the amendment process consistent with the process in the Ohio Constitution.

The Amendment would have also reduced the number of signatures required for an elector to initiate an ordinance or referendum from 12% to 7% of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for mayor at the most recent general municipal election.

The Amendment would have also increased the term limit for mayor from two to three consecutive terms.

The Amendment would have also increased the limit for contracts or purchases can be made without authorization by appropriate legislation from $10,000 to $25,000.

Columbus, Ohio Voters passed Issue 19.

Issue 19 is a charter amendment increasing the time that a petition committee has to gather signatures from one year to two years.

The Amendment also adds a 10-day curing period if the initial petition falls short of the required signatures, during which a petition committee may collect more signatures.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted a preliminary injunction enjoining recently enacted restrictions on campaign contributions to judicial candidates.

The order by Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. enjoins Illinois from prohibiting judicial candidate political committees from accepting contributions from any out-of-state-person and from imposing limits on the amount a single person can contribute.

The ruling is effective for the 2022 judicial elections.

The special session of the Missouri Legislature adjourned sine die on October 4.

Lawmakers passed three bills during the special session to implement income tax cuts and tax incentives for the agriculture industry.

Gov. Mike Parson is holding a press conference October 5 to sign House Bill 3 and Senate bills 3 and 5.

Gov. Tony Evers signed Executive Order 175 calling for a special session of the Wisconsin Legislature to begin Tuesday, October 4 to consider and act upon two proposals allowing voters to introduce ballot initiatives and amending the constitution to create a statewide binding referendum process that would allow voters to propose laws and constitutional amendments and repeal state laws.

Currently, any constitutional amendment must be passed by two consecutive legislatures before it is placed on a ballot for voters.