WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas voters on Tuesday approved a constitutional amendment affirming parental rights.
The measure adds language to the state constitution affirming that parents are the primary decision-makers for their children and bear the responsibility to nurture and protect their children. The Associated Press declared the measure passed at 10:31 p.m. EST.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Colorado voters approved a ballot measure on Tuesday that would raise state income taxes on households earning at least $300,000 annually to fund free meals for all public school students.
Previously, free meals were offered only to low-income students and schools via the Healthy School Meals for All Program, which voters approved in 2022. The Associated Press declared the measure passed at 10:24 p.m. EST.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Sean Ryan won the mayor’s race in Buffalo on Tuesday, defeating Republican nominee James Gardner.
Ryan is a state senator who defeated the incumbent acting mayor, Christopher Scanlon, in the Democratic primary in June. Scanlon was elevated to the position after longtime mayor Byron Brown stepped down late last year to become chief executive officer of Western Regional Off-Track Betting. Ryan also served in the state assembly. Prior to entering politics, he worked as a lawyer.
The Associated Press declared Ryan the winner at 10:14 p.m. EST.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — James Solomon, a city councilor, advanced to a runoff for mayor of Jersey City on Tuesday. The second candidate to advance had not yet been decided.
No candidate in the seven-person field received the majority of the vote in the all-party contest, which is necessary to win the seat outright. The runoff election will occur on Dec. 2.
Incumbent Mayor Steve Fulop, a Democrat, chose to seek the governorship rather than seek a fourth term this year. The Associated Press declared the runoff at 10:17 p.m.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Maine voters approved a ballot measure on Tuesday that would allow family or household members to directly petition the courts to temporarily prohibit a person from having dangerous weapons if they are deemed a threat to themselves or others.
Known as a “red flag law,” it would replace Maine’s current law, which requires police to take someone into protective custody, initiating a case that eventually ends up before a judge. It went into effect in 2020.
The ballot measure was initiated by citizens in the legislative session that followed a 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston, which killed 18 people and injured 13 others. The Associated Press declared the measure passed at 9:55 p.m. EST.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Maine voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure that would significantly change how the state administers its elections.
The measure would have required photo ID for all forms of voting and shortens the absentee voting period by two days. It also prohibited requests for absentee ballots by phone or family members, ended ongoing absentee voter status for seniors and people with disabilities, banned prepaid postage on absentee ballot return envelopes and limited the number of ballot drop boxes, among other provisions.
The Associated Press declared the measure rejected at 9:54 p.m. EST.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty was retained by Pennsylvania voters on Tuesday.
It was a victory for Democrats, who were backing Dougherty and two other justices in a campaign to maintain a 5-2 Democratic majority on the court.
Pennsylvania elects its statewide judges to 10-year terms, then holds nonpartisan “retention elections” — a simple yes or no vote — to determine whether the judge will serve another term. Dougherty has served on the state Supreme Court since 2016.
The Associated Press declared Dougherty was retained at 9:51 p.m. EST.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht was retained by Pennsylvania voters on Tuesday.
The vote is a victory for Democrats, who campaigned to keep Wecht and two other justices on the court to maintain its 5-2 Democratic majority.
Pennsylvania elects its statewide judges to 10-year terms, then holds nonpartisan “retention elections” — a simple yes or no vote — to determine whether the judge will serve another term.
Wecht has served on the state Supreme Court since 2016.
The Associated Press declared Wecht retained at 9:51 EST.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Jay Jones won the race for attorney general of Virginia on Tuesday, ousting Republican incumbent Jason Miyares.
Jones was criticized during the campaign after text messages he wrote in 2022 endorsing violence toward a political rival were made public.
Jones is a former member of the state House of Delegates, representing a district around Norfolk for two terms.
The Associated Press
