The 100Th Anniversary of the 17Th Amendment: a Promise Unfulfilled?
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Macro Report Version 2002-10-23
Prepared by: Institute of Social and Political Opinion Research (ISPO), KULeuven, Belgium Date: 15/01/2005 Comparative Study of Electoral Systems Module 2: Macro Report Version 2002-10-23 Country (Date of Election): Belgium 13 June 2003 NOTE TO THE COLLABORATORS: The information provided in this report contributes to an important part of the CSES project- your efforts in providing these data are greatly appreciated! Any supplementary documents that you can provide (i.e. electoral legislation, party manifestos, electoral commission reports, media reports) are also appreciated, and will be made available with this report to the CSES community on the CSES web page. Part I: Data Pertinent to the Election at which the Module was Administered 1. Report the number of portfolios (cabinet posts) held by each party in cabinet, prior to the most recent election. (If one party holds all cabinet posts, simply write "all".) Name of Political Party Number of Portfolios VLD 4 SP.a 3 Agalev 2 PS 3 MR 3 Ecolo 2 1a. What was the size of the cabinet before the election?………17…………………………… 2. Report the number of portfolios (cabinet posts) held by each party in cabinet, after the most recent election. (If one party holds all cabinet posts, simply write "all"). Name of Political Party Number of Portfolios VLD 5 SP.a 5 Spirit 1 PS 5 MR 4 FDF 1 2a. What was the size of the cabinet after the election? ……20……………………………… 2Comparative Study of Electoral Systems Module 2: Macro Report 3. Political Parties (most active during the election in which the module was administered and receiving at least 3% of the vote): Party Name/Label Year Party Ideological European Parliament International Party Founded Family Political Group Organizational Memberships (where applicable) A. -
Gerrymandering Becomes a Problem
VOLUME TWENTY FOUR • NUMBER TWO WINTER 2020 THE SPECIAL ELECTION EDITION A LEGAL NEWSPAPER FOR KIDS Gerrymandering Becomes a Problem Battling Over for the States to Resolve How to Elect by Phyllis Raybin Emert a President by Michael Barbella Gerrymandering on a partisan basis is not new to politics. The term gerrymander dates back to the 1800s when it was used to mock The debate on how the President Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry, who manipulated congressional of the United States should be elected lines in the state until the map of one district looked like a salamander. is almost as old as the country itself. Redistricting, which is the redrawing of district maps, happens every Contrary to popular belief, voters 10 years after the U.S. Census takes place. Whatever political party is do not elect the president and vice in power at that time has the advantage since, in most states, they president directly; instead, they choose are in charge of drawing the maps. electors to form an Electoral College “Partisan gerrymandering refers to the practice of politicians where the official vote is cast. drawing voting districts for their own political advantage,” During the Constitutional Convention says Eugene D. Mazo, a professor at Rutgers Law School and of 1787, a an expert on election law and the voting process. few ways to Professor Mazo explains that politicians, with the use of advanced computer elect the chief technology, use methods of “packing” and “cracking” to move voters around to executive were different state districts, giving the edge to one political party. -
The National Popular Vote Plan and Direct Election of the President: an FAQ What Is the National Popular Vote Plan? the National
The National Popular Vote Plan and Direct Election of the President: An FAQ What is the National Popular Vote plan? The National Popular Vote plan (NPV) is a statute that, as of April 2009, had been introduced by state legislators in 48 states and publicly committed to be introduced in the remaining two states. NPV seeks to guarantee election of the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It creates an agreement among states to award all of their electoral votes collectively to the presidential candidate winning the national popular vote once the number of participating states together have a majority (currently 270 of 538) of electoral votes. In considering the NPV bill, the choice for legislators is straightforward: passing NPV will guarantee election of the national popular vote winner once joined by enough participating states to make it decisive for determining future elections. Until that point, a state’s current rules will apply. The NPV plan is founded on two state powers clearly established in the U.S. Constitution: a state’s plenary power to decide how to apportion its electoral votes and a state’s power to enter into binding interstate compacts. As of April 2009, New Jersey, Hawaii, Maryland, and Illinois – which together possess a fifth of the total electoral votes necessary to trigger the agreement – have enacted the NPV compact. It has been adopted by a total of 26 state legislative chambers in 16 states, earning public support from nearly 1,300 legislators and national luminaries like the editorial boards of the New York Times and Los Angeles Times and former U.S. -
General Operators for PDF, Common to All Language Levels
STATE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 2004 Legislative Elections By Tim Storey Before launching into the analysis of the 2004 state legislative elections, it is instructive to go back two years to the last major legislative elections. The year 2002 was a banner year for the Republican Party in legislatures; they seized eight legislative chambers and claimed bragging rights by taking the majority of legislative seats nationwide for the first time in 50 years. When it comes to state legislatures, Democrats Control of Legislative Seats bounced back big in 2004 despite their defeat at the Perhaps the parity in state legislatures is best top of the ticket where George Bush extended his understood by looking at the total number of seats stay in the White House by defeating John Kerry by held by each party. There are 7,382 total legislative a relatively close 35 electoral vote margin. The seats in the 50 states. Of those, 7,316 are held by Democrats took control of seven legislative cham- partisans from the two major political parties. Third bers and had a quasi-victory by gaining ties in both party legislators hold 16 seats, and Nebraska voters the Iowa Senate and Montana House—both con- choose the 49 senators there in a non-partisan trolled by the GOP before the election. The Demo- election. As of mid-January 2005, the difference crats also regained the title of holding the most seats between the two major parties was a miniscule one although their margin is a tiny fraction of 1 percent— seat, with the advantage going to the Democrats. -
AATP Front/Inside Cover
1998 Vote: Initiatives and Referenda Chapter 5 A Century Later—The Experiment With Citizen-Initiated Legislation Continues By M. Dane Waters It was 100 years ago last November that the statewide initiative and popular Proposition 227, another contro- referendum processes were first adopted in the United States. A vital and thriving versial initiative, called for all public example of citizen participation and self-governance, the initiative process has become school instruction to be in English. It one of the most important mechanisms for altering and influencing public policy at the was conceived and championed by Ron local, state, and even national levels. Changes made possible include women’s Unz, a Silicon Valley self-made mil- suffrage, the direct election of US senators, direct primaries, term limits, tax reform, lionaire who had seen first-hand the and much more. In 1998 alone, citizens utilized the initiative process to voice their lack of qualified candidates to fill the opinions on affirmative action, educational reform, term limits, taxation, campaign abundant jobs in the high-tech indus- finance reform, and environmental issues. try. He attributed this shortage to the fact that many immigrants who might possess the technical skills he was look- ing for weren’t able to excel academi- “ In 24 states, citizens can craft and then adopt laws or amend their cally in the United States because they state constitution, actions commonly referred to as the initiative were being taught only in their native tongues. He galvanized the immigrant process. In most of the same states, as well as others, citizens can population in California, as well as reject laws or amendments proposed by their state legislatures. -
New Member Pictorial Directory
NEW MEMBER PICTORIAL DIRECTORY PREPARED BY THE COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION Candice S. Miller, Chairman | Robert A. Brady, Ranking Minority Member NEW MEMBER PICTORIAL DIRECTORY As of November 7, 2014, the Clerk of the House had not received certificates of election for any of the individuals listed in this directory. At the time this publication was sent to press, the following races had not been finally determined: Arizona 2nd California 7th California 9th California 16th California 17th California 26th California 52nd Louisiana 5th Louisiana 6th New York 25th Washington 4th Profiles of candidates from these districts begin on page 33. PREpaRED BY THE COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION Candice S. Miller, Chairman | Robert A. Brady, Ranking Minority Member TABLE OF CONTENTS Adams, Alma .........................23 Katko, John...........................21 Abraham, Ralph .......................36 Khanna, Ro...........................35 Aguilar, Pete ...........................4 Knight, Steve ..........................4 Allen, Rick ............................9 Lawrence, Brenda......................15 Amador, Tony.........................34 Lieu, Ted..............................5 Ashford, Brad .........................17 Loudermilk, Barry ......................9 Assini, Mark ..........................38 Love, Mia ............................26 Babin, Brian ..........................26 MacArthur, Tom.......................19 Beyer, Don ........................... 27 Mayo, Jamie ..........................37 Bishop, Mike .........................14 -
A Decline in Ticket Splitting and the Increasing Salience of Party Labels
A Decline in Ticket Splitting and The Increasing Salience of Party Labels David C. Kimball University of Missouri-St. Louis Department of Political Science St. Louis, MO 63121-4499 [email protected] forthcoming in Models of Voting in Presidential Elections: The 2000 Elections, Herbert F. Weisberg and Clyde Wilcox, eds. Stanford University Press. Thanks to Laura Arnold, Brady Baybeck, Barry Burden, Paul Goren, Tim Johnson, Bryan Marshall, Rich Pacelle, Rich Timpone, Herb Weisberg and Clyde Wilcox for comments. The voice of the people is but an echo chamber. The output of an echo chamber bears an inevitable and invariable relation to the input. As candidates and parties clamor for attention and vie for popular support, the people's verdict can be no more than a selective reflection from among the alternatives and outlooks presented to them. (Key 1966, p. 2) Split party control of the executive and legislative branches has been a defining feature of American national politics for more than thirty years, the longest period of frequent divided government in American history. Even when voters failed to produce a divided national government in the 2000 elections, the party defection of a lone U.S. senator (former Republican James Jeffords of Vermont) created yet another divided national government. In addition, the extremely close competitive balance between the two major parties means that ticket splitters often determine which party controls each branch of government. These features of American politics have stimulated a lot of theorizing about the causes of split-ticket voting. In recent years, the presence of divided government and relatively high levels of split ticket voting are commonly cited as evidence of an electorate that has moved beyond party labels (Wattenberg 1998). -
The Initiative and Referendum Process
7KH,QLWLDWLYHDQG5HIHUHQGXP3URFHVVLQ:DVKLQJWRQ States with Initiative and/or Referendum Process Map courtesy of the Initiative and Referendum Institute %\ 7KH/HDJXHRI:RPHQ9RWHUVRI:DVKLQJWRQ (GXFDWLRQ)XQG Initiative & Referendum Committee Janet Anderson Tanya Baumgart Cheryl Bleakney Lael Braymer Patricia Campbell Cherie Davidson Elizabeth Davis Phyllis Erickson Rosemary Hostetler Marilyn Knight, Secretary Lee Marchisio Jocelyn Marchisio, Chair Jo Morgan Peggy Saari Ruth Schroeder Editor: Marilyn Knight Typographer: Jane Shafer Reading Committee Elizabeth Davis Steve Lundin Sue Mozer Liz Pierini Alice Schroeder Published by The League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund October 2002 League of Women Voters of Washington 4710 University Way NE, #214 Seattle, WA 98105-4428 206-622-8961 LWV/WA Initiative and Referendum Study - ii Fall 2002 The League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund 'LUHFW'HPRFUDF\ 7KH,QLWLDWLYHDQG5HIHUHQGXP3URFHVVLQ:DVKLQJWRQ 7DEOHRI&RQWHQWV Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 The Initiative and Referendum in the United States .............................................................................1 Creating Initiatives and Referenda in Washington ...............................................................................4 Initiatives The Referendum Fiscal Impact Statement At the Local Level The Role of Money .............................................................................................................................. -
Prayer Practices
Floor Action 5-145 Prayer Practices Legislatures operate with a certain element of pomp, ceremony and procedure that flavor the institution with a unique air of tradition and theatre. The mystique of the opening ceremonies and rituals help to bring order and dignity to the proceedings. One of these opening ceremonies is the offering of a prayer. Use of legislative prayer. The practice of opening legislative sessions with prayer is long- standing. The custom draws its roots from both houses of the British Parliament, which, according to noted parliamentarian Luther Cushing, from time ”immemorial” began each day with a “reading of the prayers.” In the United States, this custom has continued without interruption at the federal level since the first Congress under the Constitution (1789) and for more than a century in many states. Almost all state legislatures still use an opening prayer as part of their tradition and procedure (see table 02-5.50). In the Massachusetts Senate, a prayer is offered at the beginning of floor sessions for special occasions. Although the use of an opening prayer is standard practice, the timing of when the prayer occurs varies (see table 02-5.51). In the majority of legislative bodies, the prayer is offered after the floor session is called to order, but before the opening roll call is taken. Prayers sometimes are given before floor sessions are officially called to order; this is true in the Colorado House, Nebraska Senate and Ohio House. Many chambers vary on who delivers the prayer. Forty-seven chambers allow people other than the designated legislative chaplain or a visiting chaplain to offer the opening prayer (see table 02-5.52). -
Senate Journal 67Th Legislature Sixty-Ninth Legislative Day
SENATE JOURNAL 67TH LEGISLATURE SIXTY-NINTH LEGISLATIVE DAY Helena, Montana Senate Chambers April 12, 2021 State Capitol Senate convened at 1:00 p.m. President Blasdel presiding. Invocation by Pastor Steve Bostrom. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Jessica Criss, Miss Montana 2020 and 2021, sang the national anthem. Roll Call. Forty-nine members present, Senator Manzella excused. Quorum present. Jack Racicot, a prior Senate employee injured during the 2019 session, thanked the Senate for its support during the past two years. As a fundraiser for expenses incurred by Mr. Racicot, members of the Montana Auctioneers Association auctioned off two American flags to members of the Senate. Both flags carried authentication of having flown over the state Capitol. BILLS AND JOURNALS (Keenan, Chair): 4/12/2021 Correctly printed: SR 95, SR 97, SR 98, SR 99, HB 188, HB 276, HB 300, HB 302, HB 365, HB 397, HB 423, HB 445, HB 449, HB 462, HB 475, HB 476, HB 479, HB 501, HB 517, HB 539, HB 578, HJ 8. Correctly engrossed: HB 230, HB 450. Transmitted to the House: HB 525. Signed by the Secretary of the Senate at 8:15 a.m., April 12, 2021: SB 215, SB 226, SB 277. Signed by the President at 10:30 a.m., April 12, 2021: SB 215, SB 226, SB 277. Signed by the Speaker at 11:40 a.m., April 12, 2021: SB 169. Delivered to the Governor for signature at 12:10 p.m., April 12, 2021: SB 169. REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES BUSINESS, LABOR, AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS (Fitzpatrick, Chair): 4/9/2021 HB 472, be amended as follows: 1. -
CDL-AD(2007)007 Opinion No
Strasbourg, 19 March 2007 CDL-AD(2007)007 Opinion No. 399 / 2006 Or. Engl. EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) OPINION ON THE CONVENTION ON THE STANDARDS OF DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS, ELECTORAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS IN THE MEMBER STATES OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES adopted by the Venice Commission at its 70th plenary session (Venice, 16-17 March 2007) on the basis of comments by Mr Christoph GRABENWARTER (member, Austria) This document will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy. http://venice.coe.int CDL-AD(2007)007 - 2 - Introduction 1. By letter dated 28 September 2006, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe asked for an opinion on the Venice Commission on the Convention on the standards of democratic elections, electoral rights and freedoms in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CDL- EL(2006)031rev). 2. The above-mentioned Convention was adopted on 7 October 2002 and was ratified up to now by Armenia, Kyrghyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Tajikistan. 3. The request by the Secretary General takes place in the framework of the discussion about the possibility to adopt a European convention in the electoral field as a Council of Europe convention. The issue whether the text submitted for opinion could inspire a European Convention will then have to be addressed. 4. The Venice Commission entrusted Mr Christoph Grabenwarter (member, Austria) to prepare the comments which are the basis for this opinion. 5. This opinion is based on a non official English translation of the Convention. 6. A first draft opinion was examined by the Council for Democratic Elections at its 19th meeting (Venice, 16 December 2006). -
Oakland City Council Resolution No. 86 5 £1 C.M.S
FILED OFFICE OF THE ern CLERK Approved as to Form and Legality OAKLAND 16 DEC-8 PM/li'IS City\Attorney's Office OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. 86 5 £1 C.M.S. INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBERS DAN KALB AND REBECCA KAPLAN RESOLUTION (1) IN SUPPORT OF SENATOR BARBARA BOXER'S BILL TO ABOLISH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE AND (2) DIRECTING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR AND CITY LOBBYIST TO WORK WITH ALL RELEVANT STATE AND FEDERAL ELECTED OFFICIALS TO (A) DEVELOP AND RATIFY AN AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION TO REPLACE THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE WITH A NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OR, ALTERNATIVELY, TO APPROVE THE NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE INTERSTATE COMPACT, (B) ADDRESS GERRYMANDERING IN CONGRESSIONAL APPORTIONMENT BY REQUIRING REDISTRICTING REFORM, SUCH AS BY HAVING INDEPENDENT STATE REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS CONDUCT REDISTRICTING INSTEAD OF STATE LEGISLATURES, AND (C) ELIMINATE BARRIERS TO VOTING WHEREAS, as provided by Article II of the United States Constitution, the President and Vice President are selected by the Electoral College, comprised of a slate of Electors from each state and the District of Columbia, with each state having a number of Electors equal to its number of congresspersons (total Representatives plus two Senators) and the District of Columbia having three Electors; and WHEREAS, U.S. citizens casting votes in the general election for a presidential candidate are actually not directly voting for that candidate but instead vote for a slate of Electors in their state representing the candidate, with the