Massachusetts voters reject ranked-choice voting ballot initiative
Question 2, which would have implemented a variant of instant-runoff or ranked-choice voting for most races, was defeated by a healthy margin in Massachusetts. Republican Governor Charlie Baker came out against the initiative the week before the election saying RCV would “add an additional layer of complication for both voters and election officials, while potentially delaying results and increasing the cost of elections.” Visit Boston25 News to learn more.
Virginia Voters Approve Bipartisan Redistricting Commission
After a cycle where the state’s Congressional maps were redrawn following successful legal challenges over racial gerrymandering, Virginia voters approved a ballot measure that creates a bipartisan redistricting commission which will draw new maps following the release of 2020 Census data next year. The commission will be composed of both legislators and ordinary citizens, and must be evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.Visit WJLA Arlington to learn more.Image credit: Drf5n via CC BY-SA 4.0
Why Vote Counting In Pennsylvania And Michigan Takes So Long
While many states can begin processing and even counting absentee and mail-in ballots before Election Day, the crucial battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin cannot because state laws prevent election officials from doing so. These states received unprecedented numbers of mail-in votes this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. This is largely why no news organization was able to project a winner in those states for the presidential election on Election Day.Visit NPR to learn more.
Uber, Lyft stock rallies after Californian’s vote to exempt them from state labor law
Stock prices for Uber and Lyft both jumped over 12% upon the news that California voters appeared to approve a ballot question concerning the status of drivers for the ridesharing companies. The ballot question, Proposition 22, classifies drivers for Uber and Lyft as independent contractors, rather than employees. This classification disqualifies drivers from receiving certain benefits, thereby saving Uber and Lyft on labor costs.Visit CNBC to learn more.
California passes Prop 17 allowing felons on parole to vote; Prop 18 expanding youth voting trails
California’s Proposition 17, which restores the voting rights of former felons upon parole, appears to have passed by a 59%-41% margin with about 72% of votes counted. At the same time, Proposition 18 (which would have allowed 17-year-olds to vote in primaries and special elections) is trailing 55-45 and seems likely to fail. Visit KTLA5 to learn more. Image credit: Nick Youngson/Alpha Stock Images via CC BY-SA 3.0