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RandySF's JournalReferendum seeking to restrict trans rights will get a last-minute public hearing
Before Mainers vote on restricting transgender students’ rights to play on sports teams and access school bathrooms this November, lawmakers will allow the public to weigh in at a last-minute hearing on Tuesday.
After several similar legislative attempts failed last year, a citizen-led campaign is putting the issue on the ballot. The group is framing it as a referendum to “protect girls’ sports,” arguing that allowing trans girls to share bathrooms, locker rooms or sports teams with cisgender girls jeopardizes their safety.
“In sports, biological differences matter,” said Republican Sen. Sue Bernard of Aroostook County at a Monday morning press conference. “Acknowledging this … is not disrespecting the transgender community.”
But before the question goes to voters in November, the Legislature must consider whether to pass the measure and is required to hold a public hearing If passed, the referendum would require trans girls to play on boys or co-ed teams. The full language of the proposed referendum is similar to wording of a bill introduced last year, LD 868, which narrowly failed to pass the Maine Legislature last spring. The referendum also seeks to change the Maine Human Rights Act, which for decades has allowed all trans people to use bathrooms, play on sports teams and use names and pronouns at school that align with their gender identity.
https://mainemorningstar.com/2026/04/14/referendum-seeking-to-restrict-trans-rights-will-get-a-last-minute-public-hearing/
GOP lawmaker says it was a 'mistake' to dress in blackface after 2010s photo surfaces
Dalton Republican state Rep. Kasey Carpenter is facing criticism after a photo of him dressed in blackface has been circulating on social media.
The grainy photo shows Carpenter posing alongside his wife at a party with his white skin painted brown.
Carpenter said the photo was taken at a Chattanooga bar about 12 years ago when he was in his 30s. He said it was a costume party where guests dressed like power couples, and they chose to dress like Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, who were married at the time.
In a phone call Monday, Carpenter called the getup a mistake and said he is not racist.
https://georgiarecorder.com/briefs/gop-lawmaker-says-it-was-a-mistake-to-dress-in-blackface-after-2010s-photo-surfaces/
Judge to rule on PSC candidate Fitz Johnson's (R) residency status
Former Public Service Commissioner Fitz Johnson videotaped a campaign ad from the sleek kitchen of his $1.3 million Cobb County home last year.
Trouble is, as the commissioner for District 3 and as a candidate for the seat, Johnson was required to live in Fulton, Clayton or DeKalb counties. Cobb is in District 5.
Johnson’s otherwise forgotten campaign history made a reappearance Monday in a 3.5- hour hearing in front of Administrative Law Judge Kimberly Schroer in Atlanta. The judge will determine if Johnson meets the residency requirement to continue his bid to reclaim the seat he lost in November.
The five-member Public Service Commission regulates investor-owned utilities, with much of its attention focused on Georgia Power. Commissioners are elected in statewide voting, but must live in the district connected to the seat for which they’re running. The commission’s decisions influence both the price of electricity for millions of Georgians and the company’s reliance on climate-warming fuels.
https://georgiarecorder.com/briefs/judge-to-rule-on-psc-candidate-fitz-johnsons-residency-status/
Oklahoma lawmaker (D) suspends reelection campaign following AI kissing video
OKLAHOMA CITY — A Tulsa Democrat will no longer seek reelection following reports he used artificial intelligence to fabricate images of him kissing a woman.
Rep. John Waldron said after “careful reflection coupled with consultation with some of my dearest friends” he will end his campaign for reelection to House District 77, which represents a portion of northeast Tulsa.
Waldron did not say in his statement Monday why he was not seeking reelection just days after filing for reelection, but online news outlet NonDoc reported Friday that Waldron had sent a potential candidate for public office an AI-generated GIF of the two of them kissing.
He was also serving as chair of the state Democratic Party at the time. He resigned in December from that post, but continues to serve in the state House.
https://oklahomavoice.com/briefs/oklahoma-lawmaker-suspends-reelection-campaign-following-ai-kissing-video/
PA-SEN: GOP chairman considers re-election support for Fetterman if he switches parties
(The Center Square) – While the governor’s race took center stage at the conservative-backed Pennsylvania Leadership Conference over the weekend, there was another statewide Democrat’s 2028 campaign that wasn’t too far from mind.
Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Greg Rothman told The Center Square he’s spoken with several people interested in running for U.S. Senate in two years’ time, though supporting incumbent Democrat John Fetterman isn’t off the table either – as long as he switches parties.
“We're still trying to wrestle with what happens if John Fetterman switches party and becomes a Republican,” Rothman said on Saturday in an interview with The Center Square, when discussing the 2028 race.
Rothman, a state senator representing the suburbs of Harrisburg, has been at the helm of the Pennsylvania Republican Party since February 2025. He said that he has not talked to Fetterman about potentially switching parties and when asked if he thought it was a real possibility the state’s senior senator would become a Republican, he said “I don’t know.”
https://www.thecentersquare.com/pennsylvania/article_2f1e8556-d480-4ac9-98bf-1c381fd335f9.html
NJ-11: Early Voting Continues through April 14 in special election.
MORRIS COUNTY, NJ - Residents planning to vote in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District Special General Election on April 16 are being reminded that early voting will run from Monday, April 6 through Tuesday, April 14. The Special General Election will take place on Thursday April 16.
The special election will fill the 11th Congressional District seat and gives voters across the district the chance to choose their next representative in Congress.
Early voting hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Polling locations include:
- Morristown Town Hall; 200 South Street in Morristown
- Hartley Dodge 50 Kings Road in Madiaon
- Hanover Township Municipal Building 15 N. Jefferson Road in Whippany
- Denville - 1 Saint Mary's Place in Denville
- Central Park of Morris County 2 Executive Drive in Morris Plains
- Boonton Township - 155 Powerville Road in Boonton
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/east-hanover-slash-florham-park/sections/elections/articles/early-voting-continues-through-april-14-in-nj-11-special-general-election-7
CA-GOV: Bianco-Bonta Election Battle Returns to Riverside Court Today
A Riverside County Superior Court hearing is scheduled today at the Riverside Hall of Justice, continuing the legal standoff between Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and California Attorney General Rob Bonta over Bianco's investigation into the 2025 Proposition 50 special election.
The hearing comes days after California's Supreme Court stepped in, ordering Bianco to pause his investigation while the state's highest court takes up the case. Under that order, Bonta has until April 15 to refile his petition to end the probe entirely, and Bianco will then have 30 days to respond.
Bianco launched the investigation after a local election integrity group filed a complaint, using search warrants to seize hundreds of thousands of ballots and election-related documents from Riverside County. Election officials said the complaint was unfounded. The unsealed warrants, reviewed last week, do not name a suspected crime or any suspect. Bonta responded by filing lawsuits in both county and state court to shut the investigation down.
Both sides are also working through how to preserve the seized ballots while the cases play out
https://www.nbcpalmsprings.com/2026/04/13/biancobonta-election-battle-returns-to-riverside-court-today
Voters can access key election details through new online hub
LAFAYETTE, LA. (KLFY) — A free online resource has been made to help voters navigate the May 16 election.
One Acadiana’s 2026 Elections Hub features key election dates, information on Louisiana’s New Closed Party Primary and the five Louisiana constitutional amendments on the May ballot, and 1A’s Ballot Guide.
One Acadiana President & CEO Troy Wayman shared how these efforts aim to help voters be prepared and informed for election season.
“Through our policy and advocacy efforts, One Acadiana strives to ensure the business community has the resources needed to stay informed and engaged during election seasons,” Wayman said. “Our 2026 Elections Hub makes it easy for voters to access clear, nonpartisan information about the new closed primary system, what’s on the ballot, and who’s running for office so they can be prepared before heading to the polls on May 16.”
https://www.klfy.com/your-local-election-hq/voters-can-access-key-election-details-through-new-online-hub/
Alabama law sets timeline for post-election audits in counties after general elections
New Alabama election legislation has been signed into law that aims to, among other things, ensure the accuracy of the state's election processes.
Gov. Kay Ivey announced Monday that she signed the Alabama Post-Election Audit Act into law, which requires every county in the state to conduct an audit after each general election in which one countywide and statewide race from one precinct will be audited.
The law mandates that the audits begin no earlier than 31 days after the election, or once the period for filing a contest has expired, and they must be completed within 30 days.
“Alabama has long set the standard for free, fair and secure elections,” Ivey said. “And with this law, we are strengthening that foundation even further by adding another layer of transparency."
https://www.wvtm13.com/article/ivey-signs-alabama-post-election-audit-law/71004751
Montana election officials remind voters of birth year requirement
Ballots for Montana school and special district elections coming up on May 5 are being mailed to voters this week and election officials are reminding Montanans of the new law that requires writing a birth year and signature on a mail ballot envelope before mailing it or returning it.
The Montana Association of Clerk and Recorders and Election Administrators sent a press release on Monday ahead of the second election held following the passage of House Bill 719 during the 2025 Legislature, which took effect October of last year.
“These laws impact every voter using mail ballots, and we want to ensure that people are aware of this requirement before they send in their ballots to help set our voters up for success,” Association Communication Committee Chair Angie Paulsen said. “We understand that some voters may be hesitant to send this information through the mail. If that’s the case, we encourage them to drop off their ballot at their local election office.”
HB 719, brought by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, was intended to increase voter security by adding another layer of verification to absentee ballots — which are commonly used by Montana voters.
https://dailymontanan.com/briefs/montana-election-officials-remind-voters-of-birth-year-requirement/
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