Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards will call a special election on March 20 to fill the 5th Congressional District.

This seat was previously held by the late Luke Letlow, who died December 29 from COVID-19 complications.

Letlow, 41, had been elected to replace incumbent Congressman Ralph Abraham, who had previously chosen not to seek reelection.

Letlow is survived by his wife, Julia Barnhill Letlow, and two children.

The special election would coincide with already scheduled spring elections on March 20 for the primary and April 24 for a runoff.

Until then, the 5th Congressional District will be without a representative once Abraham’s term expires and the new Congress is sworn-in January 3.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued Executive Order 211 postponing elections to be held in the first quarter of 2021 until April 20.

The executive order affects any special school elections and fire district elections previously scheduled for February and March.

The governor issued the executive order due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic and to allow officials to prepare safe elections.

The governor will decide whether to hold the elections by in-person or mail-in voting at a later date.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has announced the Legislature will convene for a special session on January 19, 2021 to address education challenges due to COVID-19.

Lee has asked lawmakers to focus on key issues including learning loss, funding, accountability, literacy, and teacher pay.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has selected January 23 as the date of the special election to fill the seat of Rep. Drew Springer, who recently won a promotion to the Texas Senate.

Springer is headed to the upper chamber after winning the December 19 special election runoff to replace Sen. Pat Fallon, who is on his way to Congress next month.

At least two Republicans have already announced campaigns for the House seat. They are Jason Brinkley, who is resigning as Cooke County judge to run for the seat, and David Spiller, a Jacksboro attorney.

Hamilton County Probate Court Judge Ralph “Ted” Winkler appointed Liz Keating, a Republican, as interim replacement for Alexander “P.G.” Sittenfeld.

Sittenfeld is a Democrat who was indicted last month on six counts alleging honest services wire fraud, bribery, and attempted extortion by a government official.

This is the second appointment of a Republican by Judge Winkler in a year where three of the nine council members have been arrested.

Per Ohio statute, the Hamilton County Probate Court appoints a replacement when a council member is suspended.

If Sittenfeld is found guilty of the charges or resigns, four Democrats on Council named in his successor designation certificate would select his replacement.

Wisconsin Lawmakers ended the third special session on December 22, with a final adjournment pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1.

The session was called by Gov. Tony Evers and began on August 31, 2020.

Wisconsin law does not require lawmakers to take any action during a special session and none was taken.

The constitution prohibits either chamber from adjourning without consent of the other for more than 3 days.

Lawmakers then convened and immediately adjourned every Tuesday and Thursday without taking any action until the final adjournment.

Maine Governor Janet Mills and Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced a special election to be held March 9, 2021 for Senate District 14.

The seat is vacant after Senator Shenna Bellows was elected as Secretary of State by the Legislature.

The winner of the special election will serve Senator Bellows’ two-year term.

The New York Legislature is set to convene a special session on Monday, December 28.

Lawmakers are meeting to pass legislation extending the ban on residential evictions past its January 1, 2021 deadline.

Tenants who present a legal document attesting to lost income, inability to find employment, inability to afford the costs of moving, or have experienced increased expenses due to COVID-19 may have pending evictions within a month of the proposed bill’s effective date delayed until May 1, 2021.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order calling for a special election on April 6, 2021, the same day as the statewide spring election.

The election will fill the Senate District 13 seat being vacated after Sen. Scott Fitzgerald was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

A primary, if necessary, will be held on the same day as the spring primary, February 16.

A special primary and special election will also be held on those dates for the 89^th Assembly District seat vacated by John Nygren.

Nygren resigned less than a month after winning reelection to his eighth term to be the executive director for the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans.

The association is a coalition that lobbies lawmakers on behalf of health insurers.

The second special session of the General Assembly adjourned sine die on December 16.

The special session called by Gov. Mike Parson to focus on getting federal CARES Act funding distributed to the state began on November 5 and included 10 legislative days interrupted by COVID-19.

Before adjourning lawmakers passed a bill to distribute the federal CARES Act funds.

The Board of Ethics announced a further delay in the implementation of Ethics Ordinance 2019-5305, previously set for January 1, 2021.

Implementation is set for April 1, 2021, due to the continuing work by the city and many non-profit organizations in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The ordinance imposes new registration and reporting requirements on certain nonprofit interactions with the city.

With the announcement, the Board and the Mayor’s Office stated they are committed to working with nonprofit organizations and stakeholders to understand and respond to their concerns about this law and on working toward amendments that increase transparency in Chicago.

Alex Padilla, the son of Mexican immigrants who rose over two decades in politics to become California Secretary of State, will be the first Latino to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.

Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Padilla, a Democrat from Los Angeles, to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

The governor did not specify when Padilla would take over for Harris, who has yet to resign her seat.

Padilla will serve out the remainder of her term, which ends in 2022, and will then have to run to win a full six year term.

The Oregon Legislature gathered in person for a one day special session on Monday.

During the session, lawmakers passed four bills including $800 million in relief for those struggling due to the pandemic and the aftermath of the historic summer wildfires.

Gov. Kate Brown called for the special session last week.

Lawmakers also passed:

• An eviction moratorium including $200 million in relief for landlords and tenants
• A restaurant relief package with a provision legalizing cocktails to-go
• A bill protecting schools from some coronavirus related lawsuits
• A measure transferring $600 million into the state’s emergency fund for COVID-19 and wildfire response and recovery.

The special session got off to a chaotic start with far-right protesters storming the statehouse calling on lawmakers and the governor to reopen the state economy and end the restrictions aimed at curbing the coronavirus.

The Oregon State Police declared an unlawful assembly as a growing number of protesters pushed their way through the Capitol doors.

Police officers donned gas masks as they squared off with protesters, some of whom carried firearms and bear spray, and many of whom were not wearing masks.

Despite the hectic backdrop, lawmakers were able to finish the special session.

The Legislature pushed its return date to Sacramento for the start of the 2021 legislative session back by a week to January 11 due to staggering COVID-19 numbers.

Both houses have instituted pandemic protocols ranging from temperature checks, mandatory masking and social distancing, plexiglass installations at the Capitol’s entrance and more frequent cleaning.

The delay underscores how challenging it will be to continue working uninterrupted in 2021.

Almost daily, new cases in the Capitol community prompt email alerts to all staff and members to announce another case in state government buildings.