October 10, 2013 •
Special Runoff Election for Alabama House District 74
November 19, 2013
A special runoff election for Alabama House District 74 will be held on November 19, 2013.
This election will determine the outcome of the race for this House seat because the two candidates remaining, Dimitri Polizos and Charlotte Meadows, are both Republicans.
There are no candidates from opposing parties contesting these two candidates, so there is no need for a special general election.
August 15, 2013 •
Alabama Governor Bentley Sets Special Election Timeline
Two house seats to be filled
Special elections have been announced for House Districts 74 and 104. A special primary will be held on October 15, 2013, with the general election to take place on December 10, 2013 whether or not a primary is needed.
If a primary runoff is needed, it will be held December 3, 2013, with the general election postponed until January 28, 2014. Voters will be replacing Rep. Jim Barton in District 104 and Rep. Jay Love in District 74.
May 21, 2013 •
Alabama Legislature Adjourns
Passes major campaign finance changes on final day
The Alabama Legislature adjourned just before midnight on Monday, May 20, 2013, but not before passing major changes to the state’s Fair Campaign Practices Act.
The most significant change is the elimination of limits on corporate contributions to candidates and political action committees. Under the new law, corporations will be permitted to contribute in the same manner as individuals, who are not subject to any contribution limits, with the exception of retaining the state’s pay-to-play prohibition on contributions to the Public Service Commission by utilities the commission regulates. The bill also makes 527 organizations subject to the ban on PAC-to-PAC transfers and adds enforcement and penalty provisions.
The Secretary of State’s Office will release information regarding the effective date of these provisions since the law must first receive Department of Justice preclearance before it becomes enforceable.
February 26, 2013 •
Alabama Director of Elections Retiring
Will be succeeded by supervisor of voter registration
Secretary of State Beth Chapman announced Janice McDonald, Director of Elections, will retire at the end of the month.
She has worked in the elections division for more than a decade.
Her replacement will be the current supervisor of voter registration, Ed Packard, who has been with the office for more than 15 years.
January 31, 2013 •
Alabama Runoff Election Scheduled for March 12
Candidates vying for Senate District 35 seat
A runoff election is scheduled for Alabama’s 35th Senate District.
Businessman Bill Hightower, who received 47 percent of the votes in the primary election, will face Rep. Jim Barton on March 12.
December 19, 2012 •
Special Election Scheduled for Alabama House District 97
Seat may be vacant for entire legislative session
Governor Bentley has set the special election schedule for House District 97. The seat was formerly held by Rep. Yvonne Kennedy, who passed away December 8.
The election timeline will be as follows:
- The primary election will be held February 26, 2013, unless the major parties have only one candidate, in which case the general election will be held that date;
- A primary runoff, or the general election if no runoff is needed, will be held April 9, 2013; and,
- If both a primary and runoff are required, the general election will be held May 21, 2013.
If a primary and runoff are both needed, the seat will remain vacant for the entire 2013 legislative session.
December 11, 2012 •
Alabama Senate District 35 Special Election
Seat may be filled as early as January
Governor Robert Bentley has set the special election schedule for the seat in Senate District 35:
- The special election primary will be held on January 29, 2013, or if no primary is needed, the special general election will be held that date;
- If a primary is held and a runoff is needed, it will be held March 12, 2013. If a primary is held and no runoff is needed, the special general election will be held March 12; and
- If a runoff is needed, the special general election will be held April 23, 2013.
The seat was held by Ben Brooks, who resigned upon being elected to circuit judge.
December 11, 2012 •
Governor Bentley Sets Alabama House District 11 Special Election Timeline
Seat may remain vacant as late as May
The governor has set the special election timeline to fill the House District 11 seat, vacated by Jeremy Oden upon accepting an appointment to the state public service commission:
- The special primary election will be held February 12, 2013, if needed, otherwise the special general election will be held on that date;
- The runoff following the primary, if needed, or the special general election if no runoff is needed following a primary, will be held March 26, 2013; and
- The special general election will be held on May 7, 2013 if both a primary and runoff are required.
August 7, 2012 •
Alabama Governor Sets Special Election Timeline
Election will fill vacant seat in House District 30
Governor Robert Bentley has set the special election timeline for the House District 30 seat. The seat was vacated by Representative Blaine Galliher, who resigned to become the governor’s legislative director.
The primary will be held October 23, 2012, and the special general election held December 11, 2012 if no runoff is needed. If a runoff election is required, it will be held December 11, 2012, and the special general election held January 29, 2013.
The governor said in a statement that the timeline will allow the new lawmaker to be in place for the legislative session beginning February 5, 2013.
June 13, 2012 •
News from the Legislatures
Here is a look at the latest news on redistricting and other legislative issues from the states:
“Sunlight Foundation Unveils New Legislative Alert Service, Monitoring Action On Capitol Hill And All 50 States” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
“More on Legislative Turnover” by Karl Kurtz in NCSL’s The Thicket.
Arizona: “Fewer candidates vie for Arizona Legislature” by Mary Jo Pitzl in The Arizona Republic.
Maryland: “Maryland Becomes 40th State to Ratify 17th Amendment” by Karl Kurtz in The Thicket.
Redistricting
Alabama: “Inside the Statehouse: New district lines won’t change legislature” by Steve Flowers in the Jacksonville News.
Alaska: “Lawsuit claims redistricting procedure violates federal law” by Becky Bohrer in the Anchorage Daily News.
Illinois: “Ill. Supreme Court rejects GOP challenge to state legislative remap” by Dave McKinney in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Kansas: “In Kansas redistricting, new boundaries quickly bring new faces” by Dave Helling in the Kansas City Star.
Missouri: “Missouri senator will pursue redistricting changes” by The Associated Press in the Kansas City Star.
Photo of the Illinois State Capitol by Nikopoley in Wikipedia.
May 22, 2012 •
Today’s Redistricting News Roundup
We have news on redistricting issues from five states:
Alabama: “Redistricting bill stalls in Senate” by Sebastian Kitchen and Brian Lyman in the Montgomery Advertiser.
Alaska: “Haines Borough challenges latest redistricting plan” by Becky Bohrer in the Anchorage Daily News.
Arizona: “Ariz. redistricting headed to two courts” by Howard Fischer in the Arizona Daily Sun.
California: “In Calif. redistricting experiment, how much better off will Democrats be?” by Tom Curry on MSNBC.com.
Kansas: “Court allows lawmakers, voters to intervene in redistricting suit” by John Hanna of the Associated Press and Brent D. Wistrom of the Eagle Topeka bureau in the Kansas City Star.
April 26, 2012 •
Lobbying in the News
Here is today’s lobbying news:
“1,000 Independent Agents Lobbying Lawmakers in Washington” by Young Ha in Insurance Journal.
Alabama: “Lawmakers recommend reprimand for lobbyist” by Sebastian Kitchen in the Montgomery Advertiser.
California: The San Francisco Ethics Commission announced that their Lobbyist Electronic Filing System will experience down time for maintenance. For the schedule, see the Ethics Commission news update.
Delaware: “Bill would expand lobbyist disclosures” by Randall Chase (Associated Press) on WDEL.com.
March 12, 2012 •
News You Can Use – March 12, 2012
Here are highlights from the latest edition of News You Can Use:
Federal:
One Super PAC Takes Aim at Incumbents of Any Party
From the States and Municipalities:
Alabama
Jury Acquits All Defendants, Including Means, in Gambling Corruption Case
California
Ethics Panel Raises Donation Limits in Municipal Campaigns
California
Trutanich Paid for YouTube Views of D.A. Campaign Videos
Georgia
Some Priorities Fade as Lawmakers Favor Social Issues Ahead of Election Season
Maryland
Bereano’s 1994 Conviction Upheld
Maryland
Leopold Indicted on Charges of Using Police Detail for Political Gain
Missouri
Honor for Rush Limbaugh is Fracas for Missouri
Nevada
Ethics Case Back before Nevada Supreme Court
New Mexico
Newly Elected Sunland Park Mayor to Seek Court Order to Do Job
Oklahoma
Ex-Senator Convicted of Bribery; Co-Defendant Free
Utah
Special Interests Busy Providing Perks to Legislators
West Virginia
W.Va. Ethics Panel Clarifies Cohabitation Law
State and Federal Communications produces a weekly summary of national news, offering more than 80 articles per week focused on ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance.
News You Can Use is a news service provided at no charge only to clients of our online Executive Source Guides, or ALERTS™ consulting clients.
February 7, 2012 •
State Legislatures in the News
Legislative sessions and other news items today from state Legislatures:
Alabama: “Alabama lawmakers return for 2012 regular session” by Bob Johnson (Associated Press) in the Montgomery Advertiser.
Arizona: “Monday is deadline to introduce bills in AZ House” by The Associated Press in the Arizon Capitol Times.
California: “Initiative would make Legislature part time, slash its pay” by Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times.
“California Legislators Turn in Keys to their Cars” by Karl Kurtz on NCSL’s blog The Thicket.
Oklahoma: “Okla. State Legislature Begins 2012 Session” by Homa Quazilbash on KTUL.com
Oregon: “Oregon Politics: Legislative session starts with big concepts and some lawmakers under scrutiny” by Jeff Mapes in The Oregonian
Virginia: “Va. legislators accepted $246,000 in gifts last year” by Anita Kumar in the Washington Post.
State and Federal Communications, Inc. provides research and consulting services for government relations professionals on lobbying laws, procurement lobbying laws, political contribution laws in the United States and Canada. Learn more by visiting stateandfed.com.