• Rural Areas Lose More Legislative Representation
• BY: Alan Greenblatt   |   December 2012
• With fewer state lawmakers representing rural districts, issues important to rural areas may go unheard.

• The Top 5 State-Local Issues Facing the Feds
• BY: Donald F. Kettl   |   December 2012
• In the next four years, state and local governments are going to be at the very front of domestic policy -- especially on issues like health care where the feds have gotten most of the headlines.

• Virginia Governor's Race: Bill Bolling to Drop Out
• Source: Washington Post   |   Virginia   |   November 28, 2012
• Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling plans to drop out of the 2013 race for Virginia governor, according to multiple media reports, likely clearing the way for Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II to secure the Republican nomination.

• Christie Reaches Highest Approval Rating of Any New Jersey Governor
• Source: NorthJersey.com   |   New Jersey   |   November 28, 2012
• In the wake of his response to superstorm Sandy, Governor Christie scored a 72 percent approval rating among New Jersey voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.

• Massachusetts Sets Voter Turnout Record in November Election
• Source: Boston Globe   |   Massachusetts   |   November 28, 2012
• The Nov. 6 turnout was 3,184,196 people – or 73.3 percent of registered voters.

• New Female State Legislators Learn from Their Elders
• BY: Brian Peteritas   |   Nation   |   November 27, 2012
• A nonpartisan nonprofit helps newly elected female legislators learn how to serve their constituents better by pairing them with veteran lawmakers.

• New Jersey Gov. Christie Officially Seeking 2nd Term
• Source: Politico   |   New Jersey   |   November 27, 2012
• Christie's campaign is set to be one of the most-watched of 2013, especially if Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a Democrat, challenges him.

• States Crack Down on Campaigning Nonprofits After Election
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   Nation   |   November 27, 2012
• State regulators increase pressure on advocacy groups active in the election to disclose their donors. There is no such effort on the federal level.

• Ex-Fox News Commentator Running for Virginia Lt. Gov.
• Source: Washington Post   |   Virginia   |   November 27, 2012
• Pete Snyder, a technology entrepreneur and former Fox News commentator who oversaw Republican campaigns in Virginia this year, announced that he will run for lieutenant governor.

• State Sen. Leland Yee to Run for California Secretary of State
• Source: San Francisco Chronicle   |   California   |   November 26, 2012
• State Sen. Leland Yee, a San Francisco Democrat who has made voter access and open government among his main priorities as a lawmaker, will run for secretary of state when he is termed out of the Legislature in two years.

• State Rep. Durhal to Run for Detroit Mayor
• Source: Detroit News   |   Detroit   |   November 26, 2012
• Fred Durhal Jr., a state representative with decades of government experience, will announce his run for Detroit mayor because he believes he has the financial and political skills to help the troubled city.

• Mark Warner Will Not Run for Virginia Governor Again
• Source: Washington Post   |   Virginia   |   November 21, 2012
• U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner announced that he would not make another run for Virginia governor, essentially setting the field for an unusually colorful gubernatorial race next year.

• Idaho Repeals Online Class Requirement for Students
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Idaho   |   November 20, 2012
• The state Board of Education repealed the rule requiring every student take at least two online classes after voters rejected the tech-heavy "Students Come First" school reform laws.

• Walker Weighs Ending Same-Day Voter Registration in Wisconsin
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Wisconsin   |   November 20, 2012
• Wisconsin is one of nine states that allow voters to register at their polling place on the day of the election, and that's often credited with helping make Wisconsin's voting rate one of the highest in the country.

• Powerful Supermajorities Elected to Statehouses in the South, Great Plains
• Source: AP/Missoulian   |   Nation   |   November 20, 2012
• There's a new superpower growing in the Great Plains and the South, where bulging Republican majorities in state capitols could dramatically cut taxes and change public education with barely a whimper of resistance from Democrats.

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