The Tap: Monday, October 24, 2016

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022. The excerpts below were compiled from issue #39 of The Tap, which was published on October 22, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

Monday, October 24

• U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania: Sen. Pat Toomey (R) and Katie McGinty (D) will debate in one of Ballotpedia’s battleground races. Philadelphia’s WPVI will host the debate, and it will be broadcast statewide. It will be the second of two debates.
  • See also: United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 2016

State

Monday, October 24

• Voter registration deadlines in Alabama, California, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
  • Same-day registration is available in Wyoming.
  • Alabama voters will decide on 14 constitutional amendments in November, including a “right to work” measure: Amendment 8. A lawsuit requesting the removal of Amendment 14, which addresses the application of budget isolation resolutions (BIRs) to local laws, from the ballot was recently filed. A hearing for the lawsuit has been set for October 25, 2016.
  • Californians will determine the fate of 17 ballot measures this year. Proposition 64 would legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. Proposition 61, which has amassed a combined $123.66 million in support and opposition contributions, was designed to regulate how much the state pays for prescription drugs. Other issues on the ballot include a tobacco tax increase, a 12-year extension of a tax on incomes over $250,000, increased parole chances for non-violent felons, a condom use in pornographic films requirement, and a pair of competing initiatives (Proposition 62 and Proposition 66) impacting the death penalty.
  • South Dakota voters will decide on 10 ballot measures in November. The measures address several high-profile political issues, including minimum wage, redistricting, and campaign finance. One constitutional amendment on the ballot, Amendment S, is a Marsy’s Law measure and would expand the rights of crime victims upon voter approval.
  • Wyoming voters will have one measure, Amendment A, to vote on in November. The amendment would allow the Wyoming State Legislature to invest additional state funds in equities if approved by voters.
• Early voting begins in Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Massachusetts, and Texas.
  • Alaska voters will decide two ballot measures, one citizen-initiated and one legislatively referred, in November. If approved by voters, Measure 1 would implement a process by which permanent fund dividend applicants would automatically be registered to vote when submitting their annual application. Measure 2 would allow state debt to be contracted for postsecondary student loans if approved by voters.
  • Arkansas voters will decide five ballot measures. Two measures were put on the ballot through the citizen initiative process, Issue 6 and Issue 7. Both would legalize medical marijuana under competing regulations. Until mid-October, seven measures were certified to go before voters. The Arkansas Supreme Court removed Issues 4 and [https://ballotpedia.org/Arkansas_Three_New_Casinos_Amendment,_Issue_5_(2016)#Lawsuits