States poised for more election changes

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Jan 09, 2023 View in browser   By Madison Fernandez TOP LINE While much of the attention last week was on Washington as now-Speaker Kevin McCarthy battled for the gavel, states enacted changes that could impact elections in the cycles to come.  Here's what you may have missed: — Ohio: Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill on Friday that imposes stricter voter ID laws. The law requires voters to show photo ID at the polls. Previously, voters were able to show alternative forms of identification, such as utility bills or bank statements. The measure also limits the number of days to request and return an absentee ballot, as well as eliminate early in-person voting the Monday before an election. Eight states in the country — Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana and Wisconsin — have strict photo ID laws, as categorized by the National Conference of State Legislatures. After signing the bill on Friday, DeWine emphasized that the legislation allows residents 17 and older to receive a free ID card from the state. "Elections integrity is a significant concern to Americans on both sides of the aisle across the country," DeWine said in a statement. "At the same time, I have long believed that Ohio does a good job of administering elections, as we have provided ample opportunities to cast votes while avoiding the problems we have seen in recent federal elections in other states." The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans and Union Veterans Council sued over the law. The suit alleges that the changes make it "substantially harder to vote in person and by mail, while at the same time making it more difficult for voters to correct any mistakes made in the process," especially for "young, elderly, and Black voters, as well as members of the military and others living abroad." Laws like the one DeWine signed could impact turnout in the swing state come 2024. In addition to the presidential election, the Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown's Senate race could play a part in determining who controls the Senate in 2025. DeWine, who was just elected to his second term in November, said he doesn't anticipate making any further changes to voting laws in Ohio during the rest of his tenure. Ohio governors cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. — South Carolina: Federal judges ruled that a portion of South Carolina's congressional map must be redrawn because it unconstitutionally discriminates against Black voters to favor Republicans. The ruling impacts South Carolina's 1st District, which is represented by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, and halts elections there until the map is redrawn. In November under the new maps, Mace won reelection to her second term by 14 points. The cycle prior, she narrowly flipped the seat from then-incumbent Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham — the only House GOP gain in the state in 2020. A new map could open the pathway to making the district a pickup opportunity for Democrats come next cycle. Civil rights groups, including the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, filed the suit in 2021, claiming the state's 1st, 2nd and 5th Districts were racially gerrymandered. The court ruling on Friday didn't find the other districts to be unconstitutional. Under the 2021 maps, 62 percent of Black residents were moved out of the 1st District to the 6th District — the only one represented by a Democrat, Rep. Jim Clyburn, in the state. The judges ordered the state legislature to redraw the map by the end of March — changes that will impact other districts, as well. Republican House Speaker Murrell Smith indicated that he is expecting an appeal to be filed. — Arizona: Arizona has been the center of attention when it comes to election litigation, thanks in part to the many lawsuits filed by Republican candidates who have lost their elections. Newly elected Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, formerly Arizona's secretary of state, on Friday created a bipartisan task force to analyze elections in the state. The effort will "identify effective policy solutions that enhance the accessibility and security of Arizona's elections," according to the executive order. The task force is set to submit a report to the governor's office by the beginning of November recommending improvements to Arizona's election laws. Separately, Maricopa County — Arizona's largest county — announced that former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor will lead an independent investigation into the printer issues across the county that occurred in November. It's Monday. Send tips, feedback and your favorite C-SPAN moment to mfernandez@politico.com and @madfernandez616. Days until the VA-04 special election: 43 Days until the Kentucky primary: 127 Days until the Mississippi primary: 211 Days until the Louisiana primary: 278 Days until the 2023 election: 302 Days until the 2024 election: 666   JOIN NEXT TUESDAY TO HEAR FROM MAYORS AROUND AMERICA: 2022 brought in a new class of mayors leading "majority minority" cities, reshaping who is at the nation's power tables and what their priorities are. Join POLITICO to hear from local leaders on how they're responding to being tested by unequal Covid-19 outcomes, upticks in hate crimes, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, inflation and a potential recession. REGISTER HERE.     Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. CAMPAIGN INTEL 2024 WATCH — Democrat Lucas Kunce announced he's running against Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley. Kunce ran for Senate in 2022 to replace then-Sen. Roy Blunt (R), who retired. Kunce lost in the primary to Trudy Busch Valentine, who lost to now-Sen. Eric Schmitt (R) in the general election. "What I learned is that in our broken political system, where money is the only thing that matters most of the time, if you don't have it, you're going to have to work extra, extra hard," he told my colleague Holly Otterbein. "And you're probably not going to win the first time. It's gonna be a very long road." … Republican Derrick Evans announced his campaign for WV-01, which is currently represented by Republican Carol Miller. Evans is a former West Virginia state delegate who served prison time for his Jan. 6 participation. "Election integrity must be a major topic, as it's quite frankly a matter of national security," he said in his announcement video. "It's that very issue that led me to the Capitol in the first place." … Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) is weighing a run for Sen. Dianne Feinstein's seat, my colleagues Burgess Everett, Sarah Ferris and Holly report. Feinstein is widely expected to retire after her current term, but she isn't making any firm moves yet ahead of what's expected to be an official announcement within the next couple months. Porter is one of the nation's top fundraisers — bringing in more than former Speaker Nancy Pelosi last cycle. She won her reelection campaign in November by just around three points. … Former Republican Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who recently retired as president of Purdue University, has ruled out a gubernatorial run, but is considering running for Senate, Based in Lafayette's Dave Bangert reports. … Former Republican Michigan Rep. Candice Miller is not running for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2024, per The Detroit News' Melissa Nann Burke. … Republican Christian Castelli filed to run for NC-06. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Kathy Manning defeated him in the 2022 midterm election by almost 9 points. WE'RE GOING TO KENTUCKY — Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will be facing off against two opponents in the primary, Peppy Martin and Geoff Young. The GOP field is much more crowded, with 12 candidates filing for the gubernatorial race. The primary is on May 16. AWAITING APPOINTMENT — Republican Ben Sasse retired from the Senate yesterday to become president of the University of Florida. Republican Gov. Jim Pillen will now appoint someone to the position, who will face election in 2024. Former Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts is among those who applied, although Pillen's office has not released the slate of candidates. LEGAL CORNER — Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office is "reopening its investigation into the 16 Republican electors who signed a certificate falsely claiming that Donald Trump had won the state's 2020 election," The Detroit News' Craig Mauger reports. Nessel, who was sworn in to her second term earlier this month, previously referred the matter to federal prosecutors, but on Friday said she was "a little worried that over a year has passed" since that referral. IN THE STATES — Alex Triantafilou was elected chair of the Ohio Republican Party. Triantafilou, who was head of the Hamilton County Republican Party, replaces former Chair Bob Paduchik. Paduchik did not run for reelection. … Ten party officials in Miami-Dade County — Florida's most populous county — are asking the Florida Democratic Party to audit the county party over alleged campaign finance "improper activity," POLITICO's Matt Dixon writes. The request comes after Republicans won Miami-Dade County for the first time in decades. Presidential Big Board — Iowa Democrats are making a renewed pitch to help kick off the presidential nominating process after New Hampshire and Georgia failed to meet the deadline to provide updated information about moving their primary date, the Des Moines Register's Brianne Pfannenstiel reports. "In a letter sent to the committee Friday morning, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn emphasized that the party would be willing and able to adapt its caucuses to the committee's preferences, rather than relying on state legislators to make changes."   DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don't miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID.     THE CASH DASH — Congressional candidates collected $3.1 billion and spent $2.7 billion from Jan. 1, 2021 through Sept. 30, 2022, per the FEC. Political parties received $1.7 billion and spent $1.5 billion, and PACs raised $7.4 billion and spent $6.5 billion. — Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Sen. Mike Braun and Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden all have around $3 million cash on hand in the Republican gubernatorial primary. "Those totals signal a possibly expensive primary battle for the 2024 Republican nomination as the GOP seeks to extend its 20-year-hold on the governor's office," The Associated Press reports. "State law, however, prohibits the candidates from campaign fundraising once this year's legislative session starts Monday until it adjourns in late April." Crouch has the most, with $3.1 million, Braun has $2.9 million, and Doden has $2.8 million. VOTING RIGHTS — Republican Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab "said he planned to introduce legislation to update state election codes and simplify state election laws this year, following confusion over rules and regulation in past elections," the Kansas Reflector's Rachel Mipro writes. "Schwab said voting privacy and security would also be priorities for him in the upcoming legislative session. He plans to propose legislation that would determine standards for criminal election activities, firm up ballot privacy measures and better define voter intimidation." STAFFING UP — Maru Opabola is now director of allies at the Forward Party. She most recently was a public defense attorney in Orlando, Fla. CODA — HEADLINE OF THE DAY: "Matt Bevin pulls prank, doesn't file for governor after rambling talk at Kentucky Capitol" (Louisville Courier Journal)   Follow us on Twitter Steven Shepard @politico_steve Zach Montellaro @zachmontellaro Ally Mutnick @allymutnick Madison Fernandez @madfernandez616   Follow us

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