A San Francisco ballot measure intended to increase the restrictions on political contributions for campaign ads won easily on Tuesday.

Proposition F, the Sunlight on Dark Money measure, passed by 76% of the votes.

The proposition only needed a simple majority to pass.

The measure’s passage means greater disclosure of who is behind campaign advertisements paid for by PACs.

The top three largest donors of the committee paying for the advertisement must now disclose the name and amount contributed to the committee.

Proposition F will take effect 10 days after the election results are certified.

The Alaska Senate Republicans voted to confirm Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s choice to fill a vacant seat in the chamber.

Rep. Josh Revak was appointed to the South Anchorage state Senate seat vacated by the passing of Chris Birch.

The appointment created a vacancy in the South Anchorage state House of Representatives seat.

District 25 Republicans are expected to create a list of nominees for Gov. Dunleavy to make a selection to fill the vacancy.

Former Rep. Luis Arroyo resigned from House District 3 on November 1 after facing a federal bribery charge.

Prosecutors said Arroyo allegedly paid a bribe to a state senator in exchange for support of a gambling bill which would have benefited one of Arroyo’s clients.

The state constitution requires the seat to be filled by appointment within 30 days of the vacancy.

Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 26 into law on November 6, repealing a state budget amendment that would have caused many Ohio attorneys to pay higher income taxes beginning in 2020.

Under Senate Bill 26, attorneys who derive their income from entities such as LLCs and LLPs qualify to pay no tax on the first $250,000 of income and will pay a flat 3 percent tax rate on income above that threshold.

Senate Bill 26 also allows educators to claim an income tax deduction for out-of-pocket classroom expenses.

Campaign Finance

Alaska: “Group Wins Landmark Case Against Super PACs in Alaska” by Jacob Walinsky for ValueWalk

California: “SF Voters Pass Prop. F, the ‘Sunlight on Dark Money’ Measure” by Trisha Thandani for San Francisco Chronicle

North Carolina: “Senate Leader Using Campaign Cash to Buy Raleigh Home” by Travis Fain for WRAL

Elections

Kentucky: “Kentucky Outcome Embarrasses Trump and Worries Many Republicans Ahead of 2020” by Robert Costa (Washington Post) for MSN

Virginia: “Democrats Flip Virginia Senate and House, Taking Control of State Government for the First Time in a Generation” by Gregory Schneider and Laura Vozzella for Washington Post

Virginia: “Virginia Cyclist Who Flipped Off Trump Wins Loudoun County Seat Representing His Golf Club” by Paul Schwartzman (Washington Post) for Danbury News Times

Lobbying

National: “Higher Earning ‘Elite’ Political Lobbyists Overstate Their Own Achievements, Study Shows” by University of Exeter for Phys.org

Illinois: “Pritzker Promises Lobbying Reforms as ‘Small Start’ to End Corrupt ‘Old Way of Doing Politics’” by Staff for Chicago Sun-Times

Procurement

Kansas: “Fight Over $70M Kansas Prison Health Care Contract Turns Bitter Amid Ethics Concerns” by Jonathan Shorman for Wichita Eagle

Democrats won a majority of seats in both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly on November 5.

Democrats gained six seats in the House of Delegates and two in the Senate.

This will be the first majority for Democrats in over 25 years.

With Gov. Ralph Northam serving as governor, Virginia Democrats form a state government trifecta.

On Election Day, voters approved Ballot Question 3, Ethics and Governance.

The proposal amends the city charter by extending the post-employment appearance ban for elected officials and senior appointed officials.

Additionally, the proposal limits political activity and donations by members of the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB).

City elected officials and senior appointed officials will be prohibited from appearing before the agency or branch of government they served in after leaving service for two years. The current rule is one year.

The amendment would also prohibit members of the COIB from participating in campaigns for local elected office.

Furthermore, the amendment reduces the maximum amount members can contribute in each election cycle.

The post-employment ban would become effective January 1, 2022.

Campaign Finance

California: “Donations to Anderson’s 2020 County Supervisor Campaign Draw Questions” by Jeff McDonald for San Diego Union-Tribune

Tennessee: “State Sen. Brian Kelsey Faces Federal Probe Over Complicated Trail of Campaign Donations, Current and Former Lawmakers Say” by Joel Ebert and Adam Tamburin for The Tennessean

Ethics

National: “Inside Adam Schiff’s Impeachment Game Plan” by Adam Zengerle (New York Times) for MSN

National: “Sondland Updates Impeachment Testimony, Describing Ukraine Quid Pro Quo” by Michael Schmidt (New York Times) for MSN

New York: “Council Approves Fine, Suspension and Monitor for Andy King” by Joe Anuta for Politico

Washington DC: “D.C. Lawmaker Jack Evans Used Office to Benefit Private Clients, Probe Finds” by Fenit Nirappil for Washington Post

Lobbying

National: “Lobbyists’ Revolving Door Leads Back to Capitol Hill Jobs” by Megan Wilson for Bloomberg Government

Redistricting

Nevada: “Group Seeks to End Gerrymandering with Independent Commission” by Colton Lochhead for Las Vega Review-Journal

A law requiring a person designated by a nonprofit organization to register as a lobbyist for attempting to influence legislative activities was ruled unconstitutional on November 1.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit in Calzone v. Summers held the state cannot require a person who engages in political activities that do not involve the transfer of money or anything of value to register as a lobbyist.

The court reasoned that people who neither spend nor receive money in connection with their advocacy do not lose their First Amendment right to petition the government for a redress of grievances simply by speaking through an organization that shares their perspective.

The Missouri Ethics Commission may choose to appeal to the United States Supreme Court, which has not heard a lobbyist registration case since 1954.

On Monday, October 28, a state court blocked the use of current congressional districts in North Carolina for the 2020 elections.

The ruling could lead to the drawing of new districts that would make several Republican-held districts far more competitive.

A panel of three Superior Court judges issued a preliminary injunction preventing elections under the district lines, starting with the March 3 primary.

The judges ruled that voters had a strong likelihood of winning a lawsuit that argued Republicans unlawfully manipulated district lines for partisan gain.

The judges gave no date by which a new map must be drawn.

However, the judges suggested lawmakers could redraw them on their own quickly to ensure congressional primaries be held as scheduled.

The State Board of Elections has said lines needed to be finalized by Dec. 15.

The annual lobbyist harassment prevention training in Maine for 2020 is now available.

December training will be held in State House Room 127 Taxation in Augusta.

Training in January, February, and March will be held at the State House Complex.

The locations for the training will be emailed the week prior to the event.

Free registration is available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/harassment-prevention-training-for-lobbyists-tickets-63813406617.

Campaign Finance

North Carolina: “Is Dan Forest Owed $80,000 in Damages Over a 2012 Political Ad?” by Will Doran for Raleigh News and Observer

Tennessee: “Judge Orders State Officials to Reduce Jeremy Durham’s Record-Setting Campaign Finance Penalty to $110,000” by Joel Ebert for The Tennessean

Ethics

National: “A Conspiracy of Hunches: Roger Stone trial set to start this week” by Devlin Barrett, Spencer Hsu, and Manuel Roig-Franzia (Washington Post) for San Francisco Chronicle

Maine: “Vacancy on State Ethics Panel Poses Election-Year Risks” by Scott Thistle for Portland Press Herald

New York: “Trump Taxes: Appeals court rules president must turn over 8 years of tax returns” by Benjamin Weiser (New York Times) for MSN

Texas: “Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen Won’t Face Criminal Prosecution, Brazoria County DA Says” by Cassandra Pollock for Texas Tribune

Lobbying

National: “Advocacy Groups Fear Impact of Twitter Political Ad Ban” by Alex Gangitano for The Hill

Missouri: “Federal Appeals Court Says Missouri Lobbying Rules Don’t Apply to Activist” by Erin Heffernan for St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Campaign Finance

National: “Trump Lures GOP Senators on Impeachment with Cold Cash” by Alex Isenstadt for Politico

Washington: “Washington High Court Probes Food Industry’s Speech Rights” by Don Jenkins for Capital Press

Elections

National: “The Messy Politics of Voter Purges” by Matt Vasilogambros (Stateline) for Pew Charitable Trusts

National: “The Hottest Stop for Candidates on the 2020 Campaign Trail? The Picket Line.” by Eli Rosenberg for Washington Post

Ethics

National: “As Trump Moves to Bully Witnesses and Derail Impeachment, Democrats See Obstruction” by Phillip Rucker, Rachael Bade, and Roisalind Helderman (Washington Post) for Anchorage Daily News

Illinois: “Rep. Luis Arroyo Resigns After Being Charged with Bribery” by Dan Petrella and Jamie Munks for Chicago Tribune

Lobbying

National: “Giuliani: I never lobbied or represented foreigners” by Kate Ackley for Roll Call

National: “K Street’s Newest Star Built Business on Dubious Claims of Trump Ties” by Beth Reinhard and Jonathan O’Connell for Washington Post

Gov. Larry Hogan has set February 4, 2020, as the date for the special primary election to fill the vacant 7th Congressional District seat.

The seat is vacant after Rep. Elijah Cummings passed away earlier this month.

The special general election to fill the remainder of Rep. Cumming’s term will be held on April 28, 2020; the same day as Maryland’s regularly scheduled primary election.