2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama
The 2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama took place on December 12, 2017, to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate through the end of the term ending on January 3, 2021, arising from the resignation on February 8, 2017, of Jeff Sessions to serve as the 84th United States Attorney General. Democratic candidate Doug Jones defeated Republican candidate Roy Moore by a margin of 21,924 votes (1.63%). Jones became the first Democrat to win a U.S. Senate seat in the state since 1992.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama
On February 9, 2017, Governor Robert J. Bentley appointed Luther Strange, the Attorney General of Alabama, to fill the vacancy until a special election could take place. Bentley controversially scheduled the special election to align with the 2018 general election instead of sooner. When Kay Ivey succeeded Bentley as governor, she rescheduled the special election for December 12, 2017.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama
Jones, a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, won the Democratic primary election. Moore, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, competed with Strange and Mo Brooks in the August 15, 2017, Republican primary; the two highest vote-getters, Moore and Strange, advanced to a runoff. President Donald Trump supported Moore's opponent Strange during the primary runoff, in addition to much of the Republican establishment in the Senate, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who made the success of Strange's candidacy a major priority.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama
Trump's efforts on behalf of Strange included a rally in Huntsville, Alabama, plus tweeting, and Vice President Mike Pence also campaigned for Strange. With McConnell's help, Strange outspent Moore by a margin of 10-to-1. However, Moore won the primary runoff on September 26, 2017. This was the first time that an incumbent U.S. Senator having active White House support lost a primary since Arlen Specter lost to Joe Sestak in 2010.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama
In mid-November 2017, multiple women alleged that Moore had made unwanted advances or sexual assaults on them when he was in his early thirties and they were in their teens (the youngest was 14 at the time), attracting widespread national media coverage of the election. As a result of these allegations, many national Republican leaders and office holders called for Moore to withdraw from the special election or rescinded their endorsements of him. However, Donald Trump and many Alabama Republicans reaffirmed their support. At the time of the revelations, it was too late to remove his name from the ballot.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama
Many Republican leaders proposed shifting their support to a write-in candidate such as Strange. Moore has stated that he never engaged in sexual misconduct, although he has not denied that he approached or dated teenagers over the age of 16 while he was in his 30s. Sixteen is the legal age of consent in Alabama. In late November, retired Marine Colonel Lee Busby launched a write-in campaign.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama
At 9:23 p.m. CST, the Associated Press called the election for Jones, though Moore refused to concede. Jones is the first Democratic candidate to win a statewide election in Alabama since former Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley was elected president of the Alabama Public Service Commission in 2008. Jones was sworn into office on January 3, 2018, becoming the first Democratic U.S. Senator from Alabama since Howell Heflin's retirement in 1997.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, Background, Potential appointees
Following then-President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of then-Senator Sessions to be U.S. Attorney General, Robert Aderholt, a member of the United States House of Representatives, had asked to be appointed to the seat. Representative Mo Brooks had also expressed interest in the seat, while Strange had stated before being selected that he would run for the seat in the special election whether or not he was appointed. Other potential choices Bentley interviewed for the appointment included Moore, Del Marsh, the President Pro Tempore of the Alabama Senate, and Jim Byard, the director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, Republican primary, Campaign
The Republican primary attracted national attention, especially following Trump's endorsement of incumbent Senator Luther Strange. Strange was backed by several key figures within the Republican establishment, most notably Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. His two main rivals in the primary consisted of former state judge Roy Moore and Mo Brooks. While Strange showed no signs of losing the first round of the primary, almost every opinion poll showed him trailing Roy Moore in a runoff. Strange came in second place in the first round of the primary behind Roy Moore, securing a spot in the runoff.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, Republican primary, Campaign
National interest in the race dramatically increased in the month before the runoff. Strange maintained his endorsement from Trump, who campaigned for him in Huntsville during the closing days of the campaign. Trump's endorsement of Strange sparked criticism among his own base, many of whom preferred Moore and detested Strange for his seemingly establishment feel. Several notable people close to Trump broke from the president to endorse Moore, including HUD Secretary Ben Carson and Breitbart Executive Chairman Steve Bannon. Despite the endorsement of Trump, Strange was handily defeated by Roy Moore in the runoff.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, Republican primary, Runoff
President Donald Trump supported Moore's opponent Strange during the primary runoff, and almost the whole national Republican establishment wanted Strange to win. Trump's efforts on behalf of Strange included a rally in Alabama, plus tweeting.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Controversies, Roy Moore sexual misconduct allegations
On November 9, The Washington Post reported that four women had accused Roy Moore of engaging in sexual conduct with them when they were teenagers and he was an assistant district attorney in his thirties. One of the women was 14 years old at the time, below the legal age of consent. A few days later a fifth woman said that she had received unwanted attention from Moore when she was 15 years old, and that in December 1977 or January 1978, when she was 16, Moore sexually assaulted her. Moore denied the allegations.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Controversies, Roy Moore sexual misconduct allegations
After this, certain Republican leaders and conservative organizations withdrew their endorsements of Moore or asked him to drop out of the campaign. These included Texas Senator Ted Cruz, U.S. Attorney General and former seat holder Jeff Sessions, Ivanka Trump, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, former Republican presidential nominees Mitt Romney and John McCain, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Utah Senator Mike Lee, Montana Senator Steve Daines, and House Representatives Barbara Comstock, Carlos Curbelo, and Adam Kinzinger, as well as the Young Republican Federation of Alabama.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Controversies, Roy Moore sexual misconduct allegations
Other conservative websites and organizations such as National Review urged readers not to vote for Moore. Despite this, Moore continued to receive support from the state party and a week before the election, President Donald Trump strongly endorsed Moore. Following Trump's endorsement, the RNC reinstated their support for him, and Republican leaders said they would "let the people of Alabama decide" whether to elect Moore.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Controversies, Roy Moore sexual misconduct allegations
At the time of the revelations, it was too close to the election for Moore's name to be removed from the ballot. Republican officials proposed various ways to promote an alternate Republican candidate. One suggestion was to ask Governor Kay Ivey to delay the special election until 2018, but Ivey said she had no plans to change the election date. Some Republicans such as Senator Lisa Murkowski floated the prospect of a write-in campaign to elect Luther Strange, with Utah Senator Orrin Hatch actively endorsing a write-in campaign for Strange.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Controversies, Roy Moore sexual misconduct allegations
However, Strange said it was "highly unlikely" that he would run a write-in campaign. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who formerly held the Senate seat, as a write-in candidate. In late November, Retired Marine Col. Lee Busby launched a write-in campaign stating that he thought there is room for a centrist in the race.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Debates
Republican nominee Roy Moore refused to debate Democratic nominee Doug Jones. Moore turned down debate invitations extended by the League of Women Voters, WHNT-TV and AL.com. Jones' campaign said that Jones was "willing to debate Roy Moore anytime, anywhere" and accused Moore of "hiding from the voters, from the media and from his record for weeks." Moore and his campaign stated that he refused to debate Jones because their policy positions were already clear to voters and thus there was no need for a formal debate.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Results
Doug Jones defeated Roy Moore by a margin of 21,924 votes. Voter turnout was 40.54% of Alabama's 3,326,812 registered voters.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Results
Jones won primarily by running up huge margins in the state's major cities. The state's four largest counties—Jefferson (home to the state's largest city of Birmingham), Mobile (home to Mobile), Madison (home to Huntsville), and Montgomery (home to the state capital of Montgomery)—all gave Jones 56 percent or more of the vote. He carried Jefferson by over 83,800 votes, and Montgomery by almost 30,500 votes; either county would have been more than enough to give him the victory. Jones also dominated the Black Belt. Jones took 61% of votes from voters under 45. He also took over 96 percent of the Black vote. While Moore dominated the state's rural areas outside of the Black Belt, he significantly underperformed Trump's totals in those areas, as well as the suburbs such as traditional GOP fortress Shelby County, which Moore won narrowly.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Results
As of December 15, Moore demanded a recount and refused to concede the race, despite being urged by Trump, Bannon, and others to concede. In Alabama, if the final margin of victory is less than 0.5%, then a recount is automatically triggered. If not, then either candidate can request a recount at their own expense. However, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill estimated that a recount could cost anywhere from $1 million to $1.5 million, an amount that would have had to be paid in full when the request is made.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Results
Moore had only $636,046 on hand by the time the campaign ended. A number of right-leaning websites pushed conspiracy theories about voter fraud providing the margin for Jones. Merrill noted on December 20 that the only outstanding ballots were 366 military ballots and 4,967 provisional ballots; even if all those votes were for Moore, it would not have been enough to trigger an automatic recount.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Results
Because the number of write-in votes was larger than Jones' margin of victory, the names written in were both counted and listed. Luther Strange, who lost the Republican primary to Moore, received the most write-in votes, followed by former White House aide Lee Busby, U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who also ran in the Republican Senate primary, Libertarian write-in candidate Ron Bishop, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Nick Saban, Alabama's head coach, finished in seventh with more than 250 votes.


2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama, General election, Results
After the election, Moore filed a lawsuit attempting to block the state from certifying the election and calling for an investigation into voter fraud. On December 28, 2017, a judge dismissed this lawsuit and state officials certified the election results, officially declaring Doug Jones the winner. Jones was sworn into office on January 3, 2018, by Vice President Mike Pence. Jones became the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Alabama since former Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley was elected president of the Alabama Public Service Commission in 2008 over Republican Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh. Prior to that, Democrat Jim Folsom Jr. was elected Lieutenant Governor of Alabama in 2006 over Republican Luther Strange. The last Democrat to win a federal statewide election in Alabama was Richard Shelby in 1992, who switched to the Republican Party in late 1994.


2017 United States Virgin Islands special election
A special election was held on April 8, 2017 in the St. Thomas-St. John District to determine the unfilled seat of the 32nd Legislature of the Virgin Islands.


2017 United States Women's Curling Championship
The 2017 United States Women's Curling Championship was held from February 11 to 18 at the Xfinity Arena in Everett, Washington. It was held in conjunction with the 2017 United States Men's Curling Championship.


2017 United States Women's Curling Championship, Teams
Eight teams qualified to participate in the 2017 national championship.


2017 United States elections
The 2017 United States elections were held, in large part, on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. This off-year election featured gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as state legislative elections in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the Virginia House of Delegates (the lower house of the Virginia legislature). Numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races, and a variety of other local elections also occurred. Special elections were also held for one seat of the U.S. Senate, representing Alabama, and six seats of the U.S. House of Representatives.


2017 United States elections
The Democrats picked up the governorship in New Jersey and the Alabama Senate seat that was up for a special election. The governorship in Virginia and the six House seats that were up for special elections did not change party hands.


2017 United States elections
Analysts such as Harry Enten of FiveThirtyEight and Chris Cillizza of CNN interpreted the 2017 election results overall as demonstrating a move toward the Democratic Party. With the Democrats picking up the Senate seat in Alabama, it reduced the Republicans' majority in the Senate to 51–49. The analysts also noted that although none of five House seats held by a Republican switched to the other party in the 2017 special elections, in each race the Democrat received a higher percentage of votes than in recent elections for the same seat. Furthermore, Democrats made large gains in the Virginia House of Delegates, and picked up 42 seats in state legislatures.


2017 United States elections, Federal elections
The following special elections were held to replace Senators or Representatives who resigned in the 115th U.S. Congress:


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative
The two states that held gubernatorial elections also held legislative elections:


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative
As part of a federal court ruling that invalidated its state legislative districts, the North Carolina General Assembly was ordered to hold special elections in the fall of 2017 with updated district lines. However, the US Supreme Court has put a hold on the 2017 election until it rules on the matter.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative, Special elections
A February 25 special election for the Delaware Senate seat left vacant by Bethany Hall-Long when she became the state's lieutenant governor was won by Democrat Stephanie Hansen.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative, Special elections
An April 18 special election for the Georgia Senate seat left vacated by Judson Hill when he decided to run for US Congress 6th district seat vacated by Tom Price who was appointed Health and Human Services Secretary. Democratic candidate Christine Triebsch and Republican Candidate Kay Kirkpatrick ran for the vacated Georgia State Senate seat, which was won by Kirkpatrick.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative, Special elections
There was a special election in the heavily Republican New York Assembly District 9 on May 23, which was won by Democrat Christine Pellegrino 58–42. Trump had won the district with 60% of the vote.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative, Special elections
As of September 13, Democrats have picked up a total of six Republican held seats as a result of special elections. This includes the New York Assembly seat picked up by Christine Pellegrino, two seats in the New Hampshire House of Representatives as well as two more in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and one seat in the Oklahoma Senate. Republicans picked up a total of one seat, in the Louisiana House of Representatives where Republican John Stefanski won a special election to the seat vacated by Democratic incumbent Jack Montoucet, who resigned to be appointed Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries by Governor John Bel Edwards.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative, Special elections
On September 26, Democrats flipped two more Republican-held seats. One was the Florida Senate seat formerly held by Frank Artiles, who had resigned after using racial slurs to describe fellow legislators. The seat was won by Annette Taddeo with 51% of the vote. The other was a seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, the third seat in that legislative body to change to Democratic control in 2017.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative, Special elections
On October 24 a special election was held to elect a new State Representative for Strafford 13 in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Casey Conley, a Democrat, won comfortably.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative, Special elections
On November 7, several states held special elections. There was a special election to fill the Washington State Senate seat for the Washington's 45th legislative district. Since the State Senate was evenly split going into the election, the contest election determined the partisan balance of power in Washington. Democrat Manka Dhingra won a majority of votes in the first round of the election, but rules required the race to go to a second round regardless.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative, Special elections
In the second round, with over $9,000,000 spent on the election through campaign contributions and political action committee expenditures, with a small number of votes yet to be counted, Dhingra led by over a 10% margin. Anticipating the Dhingra victory, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Sharon Nelson described a comprehensive agenda for the 60-day legislative session beginning in January that included voting rights reform and campaign-finance disclosure revision, as well as women's reproductive health, clean energy and firearms safety measures. Dhingra won the second round.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative, Special elections
On the same day, Democrats won a fourth seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives with Democratic Erika Connors winning an election to fill a vacancy for the Hillsborough 15 district caused by the death of Republican Rep. Steve Vaillancourt. Democrats also picked up two seats previously held by Republicans in the Georgia House of Representatives, as well as advancing two candidates to a runoff election for a Georgia State Senate seat formerly held by a Republican.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Legislative, Special elections
On November 14, Democrat Allison Ikley-Freeman won an Oklahoma Senate special election in the previously Republican-held 37th district by 31 votes.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Puerto Rican status referendum
A referendum regarding the political status of Puerto Rico was held on June 11. Puerto Rican voters were asked whether they prefer statehood, independence/free association, or maintain the current U.S. territorial status. This was the fifth such plebiscite overall, and the first one since 2012. Because there were almost 500,000 blank ballots in that 2012 referendum, creating confusion as to the voters' true desire, Congress decided to ignore that vote and then subsequently allocated funds for holding this 2017 one. 97% of the voters chose statehood in the referendum, though turnout was only at 23%.


2017 United States elections, State and territorial elections, Constitutional convention of New York
Under the provisions of the New York Constitution, every twenty years the state is required to place before the voters a proposal to hold a constitutional convention to be held the following year, with any suggested amendments being voted on in the year after that. Therefore, in November 2017 a proposal was placed on the ballot for a 2018 convention, with any amendments to be voted on in 2019. On this vote, over 80% voted against a constitutional convention.


2017 United States elections, Mayoral elections
Various elections were held for officeholders in numerous cities, counties, school boards, special districts and others around the country. Below is a list of the mayoral elections held in the main cities of the United States:


2017 United States elections, Milestones
Fifteen candidates who were members of the Democratic Socialists of America were elected to office in thirteen states, most notably Lee J. Carter in the Virginia House of Delegates, thus adding to the twenty members already holding elected office nationwide.


2017 United States elections, Tables of partisan control results
These tables show the partisan results of the Congressional special elections and gubernatorial races in 2017. Bold indicates a change in control.


2017 United States federal budget
The 2017 United States federal budget is the United States federal budget for fiscal year 2017, which lasted from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017. President Barack Obama submitted a budget proposal to the 114th Congress on February 9, 2016. The 2017 fiscal year overlaps the end of the Obama administration and the beginning of the Trump administration.


2017 United States federal budget
The government was initially funded through a series of three temporary continuing resolutions. Funding for military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs was enacted on September 29, 2016 as part of the Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act. The remaining funding was passed as an omnibus spending bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, enacted on May 5, 2017.


2017 United States federal budget
The federal budget outlines the government’s plans for spending and revenue. In the United States, the federal budget request is first introduced by the president. The federal budget and all appropriations must then be written and approved by the United States Congress. In Congress the process begins with the House Budget Committee and the Senate Budget Committee creating their own budget. After both houses pass a budget resolution, representatives and senators come up with a conference report negotiating between both the House and Senate versions. Budget resolutions do not go to the president for a signature or veto. [ 5][6] This budget does not directly enact the actual spending of the federal government, but it sets the amounts that each congressional committee is allowed to spend on the programs, agencies and departments for which it is responsible. Actual spending is driven by the final appropriations bills. [ 5]


2017 United States federal budget
The Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) had established spending caps on defense and non-defense spending, which were first applied in FY2013. [ 7] Just before midnight on October 26, 2015, Republican and Democratic leaders reached an agreement, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, to increase the budget caps imposed by the BCA for fiscal years by $50 billion in FY2016 and $30 billion in FY2017, and temporarily suspend the debt limit until March 15, 2017. The increased spending was to be offset by changes in Medicare, Social Security disability insurance, selling off oil from the strategic petroleum reserves, and other changes. [ 8][9]


2017 United States federal budget, Budget proposals
The Obama administration's proposed budget for 2017 proposed spending $4.2 trillion and raising $3.6 trillion in tax revenue. The administration's stated priorities are creating jobs, building 21st century transportation, investing in medical research, addressing climate change, and increased funding for national security.


2017 United States federal budget, Budget proposals
Congress did not pass a regular budget resolution for the 2017 fiscal year during the 114th Congress, but did so early in the 115th Congress, over three months after the fiscal year had actually begun.


2017 United States federal budget, Related legislation, 114th Congress
On September 28, 2016, Congress passed a continuing resolution which extended funding at previous years levels up to December 9, 2016. The continuing resolution avoided a government shutdown and directed funding specifically for protection against the Zika virus and flood relief in Louisiana. The resolution did not include funding some members of Congress requested for the lead crisis in Flint, Michigan. The continuing resolution was named as the Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act.


2017 United States federal budget, Related legislation, 114th Congress
In November 2016, shortly after the 2016 presidential election, the incoming Trump administration advocated for a second continuing resolution funding the government only until the end of March, to allow the incoming administration influence over the 2017 budget. The House Republican leadership acceded to this plan, although some lawmakers expressed concern that delaying the final appropriations legislation would distract Congress from other priorities during the beginning of Trump's administration. The final bill, the Further Continuing and Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017, extended funding through April 28, 2017.


2017 United States federal budget, Related legislation, 114th Congress
It was passed by the House and Senate on December 8 and 9, 2016, respectively. The passage of the bill in the Senate was delayed after Democrats objected to the fact that an extension of health benefits for retired miners would not last until the end of the year, but a compromise was made to take up the matter in January.


2017 United States federal budget, Related legislation, 115th Congress
On January 12, 2017, the Senate voted 51 to 48 to pass a FY2017 budget resolution, S.Con.Res . 3, that contained language allowing the repeal of the Affordable Care Act through the budget reconciliation process, which disallows a filibuster in the Senate. The resulting bill, the American Health Care Act of 2017 was initially publicly released by House Republicans on March 6, 2017. The bill was initially withdrawn on March 24 after it failed to gain sufficient House Republican support to pass it, but continuing attempts at compromise led to a new attempt to pass it in early May.


2017 United States federal budget, Related legislation, 115th Congress
The Trump administration released its preliminary 2018 federal budget request on March 16, 2017. The budget also proposed changes to the BCA spending caps for FY2017, with defense spending increasing by $25 billion (from $551 to $576 billion), and non-defense spending decreasing by $15 billion (from $519 billion to $504 billion).


2017 United States federal budget, Related legislation, 115th Congress
On April 28, 2017, Congress passed a one-week continuing resolution that extended funding through May 5, 2017. On May 1, a bipartisan agreement was announced on the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, which included all of the remaining appropriations bills.


2017 United States federal budget, Related legislation, 115th Congress
Near the end of the fiscal year, on September 8, additional disaster funding due to Hurricane Harvey was enacted as part of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze
The 2017 United States federal hiring freeze was instituted by the Presidential Memorandum signed by President Donald Trump on January 23, 2017. Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney ordered the hiring freeze lifted on April 12, 2017.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Provisions
The order instituted a 90-day hiring freeze for United States federal employees, after which it was to be replaced by a long-term workforce reduction plan to be developed by the Office of Personnel Management. The order bans hiring contractors to fill positions that would otherwise be filled by employees. The hiring freeze does not affect military personnel and those deemed essential for security, but the details of implementation rules have been clarified over time with multiple sets of guidance listing exceptions.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, History
The hiring freeze follows similar measures instituted by Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. In 1982, the Government Accounting Office issued a report on the impact of these freezes and found they had "little effect on Federal employment levels" and "disrupted agency operations, and in some cases, increased costs to the Government." This was because government agencies, rather than hire more contractors, had to pay overtime to existing employees, which is more expensive.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, History
In December 2010, President Obama issued Executive Order 13561 carrying out a two-year federal employee pay freeze. Two years later, on December 27, 2012, he issued a new order, Executive Order 13635, which would end the pay freeze and give civilian federal employees a 0.5% raise in 2013. Congress then proposed legislation that would continue the pay freeze. In 2013, Federal employees endured sequestration-related furloughs as well as several unpaid days related to government shutdown. In November 2016, President Obama enacted a freeze on the hiring of Senior Executive Service positions. The size of the federal workforce ended Obama's administration essentially unchanged, increasing to 2.8 million from 2.79 million, and below the peak of 3.15 million during the Reagan administration.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, History
Prior to becoming president, Trump indicated that he would institute a hiring freeze. In late October 2016, he revealed a six-point plan for his first 100 days; the second of these six was "a hiring freeze on all federal employees to reduce federal workforce through attrition (exempting military, public safety, and public health)" In a November 14, 2016, press conference, President Barack Obama had urged Trump to reconsider his proposed freeze, noting that, since 1967, the country's population increased 136%, the private sector workforce increased 67%, and the federal workforce has increased 10%.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, History
The order was signed as one of the first executive actions of the Trump Administration in a ceremony that also included orders for the withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and for reimposing the Mexico City Policy banning foreign non-governmental organizations that receive federal funding from performing or promoting abortion services. Following the signing ceremony, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer addressed the press corps on hiring freeze and other issues. He said that the order "counters the dramatic expansion of the federal workforce in recent years." Several articles pointed to the lack of a factual basis for this statement.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, History
The hiring freeze was lifted by Budget Director Mick Mulvaney on April 12, 2017.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Scope of freeze
Trump initially stated on January 23 that the hiring freeze does not affect "the military" and personnel associated with public safety. After two days of confusion, the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management clarified on January 25 that the freeze would not apply to public healthcare workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs, but would apply to Department of Defense civilians. On January 31, OMB and OPM issued more guidance with several more exceptions to the hiring freeze. In this guidance, the freeze does not apply to agencies under the following circumstances:


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Scope of freeze
Further, OMB guidance declared that "The head of any agency may exempt any positions that it deems necessary to: Meet national security (including foreign relations) responsibilities, or Meet public safety responsibilities (including essential activities to the extent that they protect life and property). Agencies may refer to longstanding guidance, which provides examples of such activities in OMB Memorandum. Agency Operations in the Absence of Appropriations."


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions
The hiring freeze was criticized by Democratic members of Congress, veterans' advocates, advocates for disabled people, and others.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions
Harry Stein, director of fiscal policy at the Center for American Progress, criticized the freeze, predicting that it "will have profound negative consequences throughout the country." Stein and others cited a 1982 GAO report analyzing hiring freezes during the Reagan and Carter administrations, which determined that the freezes caused disruption to government services without saving funds.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions
At a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on February 15, 2017, Comptroller General of the United States Gene L. Dodaro, the head of the Government Accountability Office, said: "We've looked at hiring freezes in the past by prior administrations and they haven't proven to be effective in reducing costs and they cause some problems if they're in effect for a long period of time." Dodaro noted that the hiring freeze posed a risk to the government, particularly in areas with a "skill gaps" such as cybersecurity and acquisition workforce. Dodaro said that if reducing the size of the federal workforce was a goal, "a sustained hiring freeze is not the best way. It’s better to do it through a budget or workforce plan."


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions
Federal employees' unions criticized the freeze and questioned the notion that there were too many federal employees, noting that there are about as many federal employees today as there were in 1962 under the John F. Kennedy administration.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions, Impact on veterans and the military
Because veterans make up one-third of all federal employees, the hiring freeze were seen as disproportionately likely to be affect veterans. The extent of the impact of the freeze on the VA was unclear, with the White House and the VA sending out conflicting signals. Many veterans had VA job interviews delayed or canceled. Paul Rieckhoff, the chief executive of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said that the freeze "sent shock waves across the entire veteran community" and "raises serious concerns about the president’s commitment to veterans and improving the VA."


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions, Impact on veterans and the military
Disabled American Veterans said that the situation was confusing. VoteVets slammed the inclusion of the VA, saying "If his executive order leads to preventable deaths, that will be on Donald Trump’s hands, and we will hold him personally accountable." The Republican chairs of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees wrote a letter asking for clarification, while the Democratic ranking members of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees of those committees, joined by 53 other congressional Democrats, asked Trump to explicitly exclude the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from the hiring freeze.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions, Impact on veterans and the military
Several days after the hiring freeze was announced, following this backlash, the acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Snyder issued a memo saying that certain VA positions, such as physicians and nurses, would be exempted from the freeze.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions, Impact on veterans and the military
The confusion following the hiring freeze hit parent in the U.S. military. In late February 2017, the commander of the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, in Germany informed Army parents that all part-day childcare programs at the garrison would end on March 1 as a "result of staff shortages due to the Federal Hiring Freeze" that prevented childcare services "from replacing staff who depart for any reason." A similar memo was issued at Fort Knox in Kentucky. Subsequently, waivers were granted for Fort Knox and Garrison Wiesbaden, but the freeze still interrupted service and disrupted hiring at those sites and elsewhere. The hiring freeze also caused disruption in Navy shipbuilding, which Navy officials said was counterproductive.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions, Other impacts and reactions
Federal employees' organizations condemned the hiring freeze, with the National Federation of Federal Employees saying that it would "will cripple employment opportunities particularly for women, veterans, minorities and the disabled." The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association also opposed the freeze, saying it would save no money. The National Treasury Employees Union, American Federation of Government Employees, and other unions similarly criticized the freeze.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions, Other impacts and reactions
The hiring freeze caused fears among employees at federal scientific agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and National Science Foundation (NSF), all of which are subject to the freeze. Scientists feared that the freeze might become permanent or be a precursor to deeper budget cuts.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions, Other impacts and reactions
The hiring freeze was seen as likely to worsen the delay in adjudicating Social Security Disability applications, which already has a 526-day backlog. On January 27, 2017, Budget Director Mulvaney addressed the issue briefly stating, "I don’t think you’re wrong to be concerned about it, Senator,"... "I don’t think it automatically follows that hiring more people will create more efficiency." in response to questioning from Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.


2017 United States federal hiring freeze, Impacts and reactions, Other impacts and reactions
In a smaller market, the hiring freeze came in the middle of the 2017 hiring season for new PhD Economists, removing approximately 10% of the jobs in the US that target people with newly granted PhDs in Economics.


2017 United States gubernatorial elections
The 2017 United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 2017, in two states: Virginia and New Jersey. These elections formed part of the 2017 United States elections. The last regular gubernatorial elections for these two states were in 2013. Both incumbents were term-limited, so both seats were open. Democrats held the governorship in Virginia and picked up the governorship of New Jersey. For the first time since 2008, Democrats won the total popular vote of the year's gubernatorial elections.


2017 United States gubernatorial elections, Election predictions
Several sites and individuals publish predictions of competitive seats. These predictions look at factors such as the strength of the incumbent (if the incumbent is running for re-election), the strength of the candidates, and the partisan leanings of the state (reflected in part by the state's Cook Partisan Voting Index rating). The predictions assign ratings to each seat, with the rating indicating the predicted advantage that a party has in winning that seat.


2017 United States gubernatorial elections, Election predictions
Most election predictors use "tossup" to indicate that neither party has an advantage, "lean" to indicate that one party has a slight advantage, "likely" or "favored" to indicate that one party has a significant but not insurmountable advantage, and "safe" or "solid" to indicate that one party has a near-certain chance of victory. Some predictions also include a "tilt" rating that indicates that one party has an advantage that is not quite as strong as the "lean" rating would indicate.


2017 United States gubernatorial elections, Race summary, Closest races
States where the margin of victory was less than 10%:


2017 United States gubernatorial elections, New Jersey
The 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2017. There were seven candidates. Candidates for Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey run on the same ticket and thus are elected at the same time. Incumbent Republican Governor Chris Christie, who was re-elected to a second term in 2013 with 60.4% of the vote, was term-limited and could not run for a third consecutive term.


2017 United States gubernatorial elections, New Jersey
Primary elections took place on June 6, 2017. Kim Guadagno, Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey, won the Republican primary. Woodcliff Lake Mayor Carlos Rendo was her running mate. Phil Murphy, banker and former U.S. Ambassador to Germany, won the Democratic primary. Former State Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver was his running mate. Seth Kaper-Dale ran as the Green Party candidate; his running mate was Lisa Durden. Pete Rohrman ran as the Libertarian Party candidate; his running mate was Karrese Laguerre. Matt Riccardi ran as the Constitution Party candidate. There were two other independent candidates on the ballot.


2017 United States gubernatorial elections, New Jersey
Polls closed at 8 pm EST. Murphy won the election, receiving 56.0% of the vote.


2017 United States gubernatorial elections, Virginia
Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe won election with 48% of the vote in 2013. McAuliffe was not eligible to run for reelection due to term limits established by the Virginia Constitution.


2017 United States gubernatorial elections, Virginia
The Virginia gubernatorial election of 2017 was held on November 7, 2017. Primary elections took place on June 13, 2017. Virginia utilizes an open primary, in which registered voters are allowed to vote in either party's primary election. The Democratic Party nominated Ralph Northam and the Republican Party nominated Ed Gillespie. The Libertarian Party nominated Clifford Hyra by convention on May 6, 2017.


2017 United States gubernatorial elections, Virginia
In the general election on November 7, 2017, Democratic nominee Ralph Northam defeated Republican nominee Ed Gillespie, winning by the largest margin for a Democrat since 1985. Northam became the 73rd governor of Virginia, and assumed office on January 13, 2018. The election had the highest voter turnout percentage in a Virginia gubernatorial election in twenty years with over 47% of the state's constituency casting their ballot.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal
On May 20, 2017, U.S. President Trump and Saudi Arabia's Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud signed a series of letters of intent for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to purchase arms from the United States totaling US$110 billion immediately, and $350 billion over 10 years. The intended purchases include tanks, combat ships, missile defense systems, as well as radar, communications and cybersecurity technology. The transfer was widely seen as a counterbalance against the influence of Iran in the region and a "significant" and "historic" expansion of United States relations with Saudi Arabia.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Background
Saudi Arabia is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia's security forces have relied on U.S. equipment, training, and service support for decades, officially as a counterbalance to Iranian military influence in the region, and to help protect the Kingdom from extremist attacks. Between 2011 and 2015, Saudi Arabia was the destination for nearly 10% of all U.S. arms exports. In 2016, the Obama administration proposed a series of arms deals worth $115 billion, including warships, helicopters, and maintenance.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Background
However, some parts of this deal were blocked by the administration in December 2016 after Saudi Arabia's airstrikes and targeting procedures in neighboring Yemen drew controversy. After Saudi warplanes targeted a funeral in Yemen's capital Sanaa, killing more than 140 people, the Obama administration announced its intention to review U.S. military assistance to Saudi Arabia.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Background
The 2017 deal was partially created with the help of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of and senior advisor to President Trump; Kushner had cultivated relationships with Saudi royalty during the transition and personally contacted Lockheed Martin during the deal-making process.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Details
The signing occurred at the Riyadh Summit, and was part of Trump's 2017 series of visits to the Vatican, Saudi Arabia and Israel. It also was related to a $20 billion investment in mostly American infrastructure.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Details
Saudi Arabia signed billions of dollars of deals with U.S. companies in the arms industry and petroleum industry, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, General Electric, Exxon Mobil, Halliburton, Honeywell, McDermott International, Jacobs Engineering Group, National Oilwell Varco, Nabors Industries, Weatherford International, Schlumberger and Dow Chemical.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Details
Saudi Arabia joined The Blackstone Group in May 2017 in a $40 billion fund to invest in stateside infrastructure projects.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, American and Saudi Arabian government statements
The White House hailed the deal as a "significant expansion" of the two nations' "security relationships". The United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described the deal as "historic" and said that it would counter Iran, and urged them to halt support of destabilizing forces in the Middle East, although he hinted the United States would be open to discussions.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, American and Saudi Arabian government statements
In December 2018, the Senators in the US voted to end American military assistance for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. The 56-to-41 vote came after the controversial killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and thousands of civilian casualties in Yemen. Senator Bernie Sanders, who co-wrote the resolution, said it is the first time Congress had used the law to make clear “that the constitutional responsibility for making war rests with the United States Congress, not the White House. Today, we tell the despotic regime in Saudi Arabia that we will not be part of their military adventurism.”


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, American and Saudi Arabian government statements
On September 24, 2020, the Democratic Party introduced a legislation to control the United States foreign arms sales. The legislation was introduced while Trump administration was in discussions, led by Jared Kushner, about the possible sale of F-35s to the UAE. In the past the Trump administration has sold billions of dollars worth of weapons to Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, during their active involvement in the Yemen civil war.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, American and Saudi Arabian government statements
On November 18, 2020, three US senators namely, Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Chris Murphy and Republican Senator Rand Paul announced four separate resolutions in disagreement of President Donald Trump's plan to sell more than $23 billion worth of Reaper drones, F-35 fighter aircraft and air-to-air missiles and other munitions to the UAE.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Reception, Domestic response
Tulsi Gabbard—a Democratic Representative from Hawaii—criticized the move, saying that "Saudi Arabia is a country with a devastating record of human rights violations at home and abroad and has a long history of providing support to terrorist organizations that threaten the American people". Rand Paul introduced a bill to try to block the plan calling it a "travesty".


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Reception, Domestic response
Senator John McCain told Al Jazeera: "The Saudis are in a war in Yemen and they need weapons. You want to win, you need weapons. We are in a war." According to Senator Chris Murphy, "That $110 billion is a mix of old sales and future prospective sales that have not been announced or signed."


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Reception, International response
Iran – Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called Saudi Arabia a "cow being milked" by the United States.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Reception, International response
Israel – Yuval Steinitz, Minister of National Infrastructures, Energy, and Water Resources, expressed "concern".


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Reception, International response
Saudi Arabia – The Government of Saudi Arabia praised the deal, and it stated that it is a turning point in Saudi–American relations.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Reception, International response
Yemen – More than 10,000 Yemeni people protested the deal in Sana'a. Houthis fired a ballistic missile toward the Saudi capital Riyadh.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Impact
On June 5, 2017, Bruce Reidel of the Brookings Institution wrote that the arms deal consisted of "a bunch of letters of interest or intent, but not contracts." On June 13, the United States Senate narrowly rejected an effort to block part of deal and approved the sale of $500 million worth of American weapons.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Impact
The approval of the deal was opposed by various lawmakers, including GOP Senators Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Todd Young and Dean Heller, along with most Democratic Senators who voted to advance the measure in order to block the sale, citing the human rights violations by Saudi Arabia in the Yemeni Civil War and human rights violations at home. Among the senators who voted against moving the measure to block the sale were Democrats Joe Donnelly, Claire McCaskill, Bill Nelson, Joe Manchin and Mark Warner along with Republicans including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Bob Corker and John McCain.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Impact
In August 2018, a laser-guided Mark 82 bomb sold by the U.S. and built by Lockheed Martin was used in the Saudi-led coalition airstrike on a school bus in Yemen, which killed 51 people, including 40 children. Following the civilian casualties in Yemen by the airstrikes conducted by Saudi Arabia, the U.S. suggested putting gun cameras on Saudi and Emirati warplanes to see how strikes were being conducted, but the proposal was rejected by both the Saudis and the UAE. U.S. military officials posted at the coalition war room in Riyadh brought to notice that inexperienced Saudi pilots were flying the warplanes at high altitude to avoid enemy fire, but in turn were putting civilians in danger due to inaccurate bombings.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Impact
Through October 2018, the Saudi government had purchased $14.5 billion of arms.


2017 United States–Saudi Arabia arms deal, Impact
During 2018, Trump made several assertions of how many American jobs the deal would create, including as many as 1,000,000.


2017 United Women's Soccer season
The 2017 United Women's Soccer season was the 23nd season of pro-am women's soccer in the United States, and the 2nd season of the UWS league.


2017 United Women's Soccer season, Playoffs, East Conference Playoffs
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score


2017 United Women's Soccer season, Playoffs, Midwest Conference Playoffs
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score


2017 United Women's Soccer season, Playoffs, National Playoffs
Hosted by Grandville High School in Grandville, Michigan. Classified to the semifinals are Grand Rapids FC (Midwest Conference champion), Santa Clarita (West Conference champion), Long Island Rough Riders (East Conference champion) and Detroit Sun FC invited by United Women's Soccer as a wildcard.


2017 United Women's Soccer season, Playoffs, National Playoffs
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score


2017 United Women's Soccer season, League Awards, All-League First Team
F: Bethany Balcer (GRA), Carissima Cutrona (WNY)M: Jackie Bruno (NJC), Deyna Castellanos (SAC), Kimberly Marra (LIR), Annie Steinlage (GRA)D: Michaela Kovacs (GRA), Natalia Kuikka (SAC),  Rebecca Raber (NJC), Lauren Sesselmann (SAC)G: Caitlyn Clem (DET)


2017 United Women's Soccer season, League Awards, All-League Second Team
F: Haley Crawford (LAN), Joelle Gosselin (CAL), Madison Schupbach (DET)M: Brenna Brown (NEM), Chloe Castaneda (SAC), Dani Evans (DET)D: Jennifer Cafferky (NEM), Taylor Groth (LIR), Natalie Norris (RSL),  Brooke Salmon (NYS)G: Emily Burns (CAL)


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident
Coordinates: On July 26, 2017, Jeff Payne, a detective for the Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD), arrested nurse Alex Wubbels at the University of Utah Hospital after she refused to illegally draw blood from an unconscious patient. Footage of the incident released on August 31, 2017 went viral online. The SLCPD announced policy changes which would affect how police should handle situations involving drawing blood, and the hospital announced it would also change its police protocol to avoid repeating the incident. Utah lawmakers made a bill to amend the blood draw policy of Utah law enforcement, which Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed into law on March 15, 2018.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Incident
On July 26, 2017, Marcos Torres, a pickup truck driver fleeing from Utah Highway Patrol troopers in Cache County, Utah, crashed head-on into a semi-truck. Torres, the pickup truck driver, died at the scene. William Gray, the semi-truck driver and a part-time police officer, was severely burned. He was taken into the University of Utah Hospital in a sedated and comatose state.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Incident
Officers from the Salt Lake City Police Department arrived at the hospital and asked to get a blood sample from Gray. Alex Wubbels was on-duty nurse at the time and advised Payne that the police request did not meet the legal requirements and could not be performed. Wubbels cited established policy that


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Incident
She cited to that effect the specific hospital policy, on which the police department had agreed, that would not permit her to provide the blood sample.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Incident
Wubbels is shown in the Detective Jeff Payne's body cam video holding a cell phone in her palm. On the video, Payne can be heard saying, "She [Wubbels] is the one who has told me 'No'." The remote person on that phone, assumed to be a hospital administrator, says


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Incident
"Yeah, sir, but you're making a big mistake. Right now you are making a huge mistake and are threatening a nurse-"


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Incident
Payne then cut the conversation off with an "OK" and made a two-handed grab for her phone; when she pulled it away he said "No. We're done. We're done. ", and then grabbed and arrested Wubbels. She was later released after spending 20 minutes in the police car in handcuffs without any charges being brought against her.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Incident
Gray never recovered from his injuries and died on September 25, 2017.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Investigations & response
At a press conference on August 31, 2017, nurse Wubbels and her attorney released footage of the incident taken from hospital surveillance and police body cameras. The footage of the incident soon went viral online. The SLCPD faced heavy criticism on social media for how it handled the incident.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Investigations & response
According to a statement posted by Salt Lake City mayor Jackie Biskupski, the SLCPD launched a 35-day internal affairs investigation into the arrest within 24 hours of the July 26 incident, starting with meeting the hospital's CEO and nursing management team. A state audit of this investigation found that the police department had followed policies for this investigation, though it suggested the SLCPD should work faster to publicize information that is in public interest. The Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced that his office was also investigating the arrest.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Investigations & response
Gill requested investigative assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). FBI spokeswoman Sandra Yi Barker said the agency opened a civil rights review after the video went public, agreed to help the county investigate the incident, and also opened a probe into the arrest. The Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake also investigated the arrest.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Investigations & response
The SLCPD publicly apologized to Wubbels for the arrest, and put officer Payne on paid leave on September 1, 2017. Another police officer connected to the incident was put on paid leave the next day. According to Payne's attorney, Payne had expressed a desire to apologize to Wubbels for the incident.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Investigations & response
On September 2, about a hundred Utahns gathered at a Utah Against Police Brutality rally near the SLCPD courtyard to call for Payne to be fired. The University of Utah police chief apologized to Wubbels on September 4, saying that the university police should have done more to protect her on the night she was arrested.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Investigations & response
On September 13, 2017, Jackie Biskupski, the mayor of Salt Lake City, said that the internal investigation revealed Payne and his watch commander, Lt. James Tracy, violated six separate staff policies during the incident, including policies regarding arrests and standards of conduct. A report from Salt Lake City's Police Civilian Review Board also alleged that Payne and Tracy violated police policies. It stated that Payne became upset and frustrated during the incident, eventually "[losing] control of his emotions." Payne's lawyer said this report was based on speculation.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Investigations & response
On September 25, the Salt Lake Police Association, the police union, criticized the city for its treatment of the police officers involved in the incident.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Investigations & response
On October 11, 2017, Payne was fired by the police department  and his commanding officer at the time of the incident, Lieutenant James Tracy, was  demoted two ranks down to police officer. Payne had been already fired on September 5 from his part-time job as a paramedic for the private firm of Gold Cross Ambulance.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Investigations & response
Tracy appealed his demotion, arguing it amounted to "excessive discipline," but the Salt Lake City's Civil Service Commission upheld it.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Aftermath
Following the incident, the SLCPD changed its policies on drawing blood. A police department spokeswoman said these changes require law enforcement to have consent or a warrant to draw blood, instead of just implied consent. These policy changes served as the model for police protocols announced by the SLCPD on October 12, 2017, which other police agencies in the Salt Lake Valley could choose to adopt.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Aftermath
According to hospital officials, within weeks after the incident, they had implemented new rules meant to allow patient care staff to focus on their work and minimize disputes in patient care units. The hospital announced these changes in September 2017, which included not allowing police officers in patient-care areas and having them speak with "house supervisors" instead of nurses.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Aftermath
On October 31, 2017, Wubbels and her attorney announced that Salt Lake City and the University of Utah had agreed to settle the incident for $500,000. She said that part of the settlement would go toward efforts geared to making body cam footage easier for the public to obtain.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Aftermath
On October 11, 2019, former police detective Jeff Payne filed a suit against the Salt Lake City Police Department, seeking more than $300,000 in damages and claiming that, in 2017, though following the orders of his commanding officer and complying with department policies, he was "wrongfully terminated."


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Aftermath
Payne had been hired in August 2019 by the Weber County Sheriff's Office as a "part-time civilian corrections assistant," the "second controversial high-profile hire" for the  Sheriff’s Office "in recent months," as the press reported, coming a few weeks after Kayla Dallof, a former University of Utah police detective who had been fired for showing a “complete dereliction of duty,” was hired as a sheriff's deputy.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Legislative effect
On September 20, 2017, the Utah State Legislature's Judiciary Interim Committee voted unanimously in favor of drafting a bill that would clarify consent laws regarding police-ordered blood draws.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Legislative effect
On November 15, 2017, a legislative committee drafted a bill that, mainly, would require police officers to take a blood draw only with the person's oral or written consent, through presenting a warrant, or presenting a judicially recognized exception to a warrant.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Legislative effect
Representative Craig Hall, R-West Valley City, who was a member of the drafting committee, stated that "there are situations where a blood draw is necessary and justified" but the new legislation "takes that decision out of the police officer's hands," adding that "electronic warrants take about 10 minutes to obtain, so there's really no reason not to get one."


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Legislative effect
On January 25, 2018, the Utah House of Representatives voted 72–0 to pass the bill, numbered HB43.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Legislative effect
On January 31, Alex Wubbels testified to the State's Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee in support of the bill. The Salt Lake City Police, the Utah Highway Patrol, the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, and the Libertas Institute also expressed their support during the hearings.


2017 University of Utah Hospital incident, Legislative effect
The Committee voted 6–0 in favor of passing the bill. Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed it on March 15, 2018, and the legislation went into effect on May 8, 2018.


2017 Unnao rape case
The Unnao rape case refers to the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl on 4 June 2017 in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, India. On 16 December 2019, former BJP member Kuldeep Singh Sengar was convicted for the rape on 20 December 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Further Sengar was found guilty in the death of the girl's father in judicial custody.


2017 Unnao rape case
Two chargesheets had been filed in the case. The first charge, filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation on 11 July 2018, accused Sengar, a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Uttar Pradesh, of the rape. The second was filed two days later accusing Sengar, his brother, three policemen and five other individuals of framing the rape survivor's father as the perpetrator.


2017 Unnao rape case
The rape survivor attempted to immolate herself at the residence of Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, on 8 April 2018. Her father died in judicial custody shortly thereafter. These incidents brought public attention to the case, and the incident was widely reported on in the national media in April 2018. Another rape case, in Jammu and Kashmir, also received national attention during the same period, leading to joint protests seeking justice for both victims.


2017 Unnao rape case
Following a truck collision on 28 July 2019, resulting in the serious injury of the victim and death of two relatives, it was revealed that the family had been threatened and had written the Chief Justice of India for help. On 31 July 2019, the Supreme Court and Chief Justice acknowledged the case.


2017 Unnao rape case, Incident, Previous events
The victim stated that she was lured by a woman named Shashi Singh, her son, Shubham Singh, and her daughter, Nidhi Singh, to move to Kanpur with the allurement of securing employment. On the night of 11 June 2017, she went with Shubham Singh and later was allegedly raped multiple times by him and his driver, Awdhesh Tiwari. She was later assaulted by unknown individuals and allegedly sold to one Brajesh Yadav for ₹  60,000.


2017 Unnao rape case, Incident, Previous events
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered under section 363 and 366 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on 20 June 2017 against Shubham Singh and Awdhesh Tiwari. A day later, Uttar Pradesh Police located the victim in a village in Auraiya and sent her for a medical examination. On 22 June 2017, she recorded her statement in front of a Judicial Magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in which she narrated her ordeal and named Shubham Singh, Awdhesh Tiwari, Brijesh Yadav and other unknown assailants for abduction and gang rape. A second FIR was registered later under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the accused were subsequently detained.


2017 Unnao rape case, Incident, Complaint
In an open letter written on 17 August 2017 to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, the victim stated that, prior to the events of 11 June, she had been raped on 4 June at 8:00 p.m. (IST) in the house of Sengar, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh from the Unnao constituency, and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The complaint said that she had entered the house seeking Sengar's assistance in finding employment. Her statement was recorded by the police on 22 June, but did not allow her to name her assailant.


2017 Unnao rape case, Incident, Complaint
On 5 April 2018, the woman's father was arrested and placed in judicial custody, allegedly after he was assaulted by supporters of Sengar. A medical examination found injuries consistent with his having been beaten. He stated that Sengar's brother Atul had led the assault; no action was taken in response to this complaint at that time. Four days later, the victim attempted to immolate herself in front of the residence of Adityanath, stating that the police had taken no action against the accused.


2017 Unnao rape case, Incident, Complaint
A day later, on 9 April, her father died in hospital of his injuries, leading to the arrest of Atul Sengar and the suspension of six police officers. The death and the immolation attempt led to widespread outrage, after which an FIR was registered against Sengar. The state government handed the case over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The case was subsequently shifted to the Allahabad High Court.


2017 Unnao rape case, Incident, Arrests
On 13 April 2018, Kuldeep Sengar was taken in by the CBI for questioning. Later in the day, on the basis of the Allahabad High Court order, he was arrested and spent a week in judicial custody, and new FIRs were registered. A second arrest in the case was made on 14 April of Shashi Singh, who allegedly took the survivor to Sengar on the same day as the incident.


2017 Unnao rape case, Incident, Arrests
The rape victim's uncle, who had started a campaign accusing Sengar of the rape of his niece and the death of the rape victim's father, his elder brother, in custody, was arrested on 21 November 2018 in an 18-year-old gun-firing case.


2017 Unnao rape case, Aftermath, Protests
The incident made headlines in India in April 2018. Joint protests were held across India demanding justice for both victims. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, issued a statement condemning the incidents. Following the truck collision on 28 July 2019, there were protests once again, including protests by the opposition in the Parliament on 30 July 2019.


2017 Unnao rape case, Aftermath, Truck collision
On 28 July 2019, the rape victim and her lawyer were seriously injured and two of her family members died when a truck struck their car. The truck had blackened license plates, and the police officers assigned to provide security for the victim were not present, with the explanation that there was no space in the car in which the victim was traveling. These circumstances have led to the wide suspicion of a conspiracy to eliminate the witness and her family.


2017 Unnao rape case, Aftermath, Supreme Court Intervention
The Chief Justice of India was anguished by the events and, in view of the situation, the CJI-led bench of the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of a total of five cases related to the Unnao incident to Delhi in the court of the District & Sessions Judge, West District, Tis Hazari Court, and also directed protection to the victim's family members, her lawyer and his family members. The victim was also awarded ₹25 lakhs as interim compensation to be paid by the Uttar Pradesh Government.


2017 Unnao rape case, Aftermath, Supreme Court Intervention
Further, on 2 August 2019 the same bench also directed that Mahesh Singh, uncle of the rape victim and said to be a key witness in the case, be transferred to Tihar Jail in Delhi from Raebareli Jail where he is currently imprisoned.


2017 Unnao rape case, Conviction
On 16 December 2019, Sengar was convicted for the rape. On 20 December, he was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court and he was fined ₹25 lakh (US$35,000) from which Rs 15 lakhs will be paid to the state government to meet the trial and prosecution expenses. Further in March 2020 Senger was found "guilty of culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy in her father's death".


2017 Upper Austria Ladies Linz
The 2017 Upper Austria Ladies Linz was a women's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 31st edition of the Generali Ladies Linz, and part of the WTA International tournaments-category of the 2017 WTA Tour. It was held at the TipsArena Linz in Linz, Austria, on 9–15 October 2017.


2017 Upper Austria Ladies Linz, Points and prize money, Prize money
1 Qualifiers prize money is also the Round of 32 prize money* per team


2017 Upper Austria Ladies Linz, Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2017 Upper Austria Ladies Linz, Doubles entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2017 Upper Austria Ladies Linz – Doubles
Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson were the defending champions and successfully defended their title, defeating Natela Dzalamidze and Xenia Knoll in the final, 3–6, 6–3, [10–4].


2017 Upper Austria Ladies Linz – Singles
Dominika Cibulková was the defending champion but withdrew before the tournament began.


2017 Upper Austria Ladies Linz – Singles
Barbora Strýcová won the title, defeating Magdaléna Rybáriková in the final, 6–4, 6–1.


2017 Uppsala rape
On 21 January 2017, in Uppsala, Sweden, a group of men gang raped a nearly unconscious woman for several hours and live streamed it on Facebook. One of the men admitted to the crime during the video itself. Witnesses also stated that later in another video they made, the woman denied she was raped.


2017 Uppsala rape
The incident was stopped when viewers of the Facebook Live feed realised what was happening and phoned the police, who entered the apartment and interrupted the crime as it was still in progress.


2017 Uppsala rape
The Local, an English language news website, reported that "the alleged crime took place in an apartment in the city of Uppsala early on Sunday morning. The victim was reportedly close to unconscious." The BBC reports that "Josefine Lundgren, 21, called the police when she saw the video. Speaking to Swedish tabloid Expressen, she said she saw one of the men tear the woman's clothes off and lie on top of her. She also said one of the men had a gun." The Expressen online newspaper went on to say that "Police are investigating a case of suspected sexual abuse against a woman who was filmed and sent out live on Facebook on Sunday morning."


2017 Uppsala rape
Two Afghan immigrants, one 18 and one 20 years old, were arrested, and a 24-year-old Swedish citizen was held for failing to report the crime; under Swedish law, their identities could not be released at the time.


2017 Uppsala rape
The younger Afghan was sentenced to a year in prison for rape and the other was sentenced for 28 months. The accused Swedish citizen was jailed for 6 months on charges of not reporting rape and gross defamation. The judge stated that even if the woman had agreed to sex as they claimed, she was in a vulnerable position and hence they would be held guilty of rape. They were also told to pay 330,000 kronor to the victim as compensation.


2017 Uruguay Open
The 2017 Uruguay Open was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the thirteenth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2017 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Montevideo, Uruguay between November 6 and 12, 2017.


2017 Uruguay Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2017 Uruguay Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry into the singles main draw using a protected ranking:


2017 Uruguay Open – Doubles
Andrés Molteni and Diego Schwartzman were the defending champions but only Molteni chose to defend his title, partnering Sergio Galdós. Molteni lost in the first round to Pedro Cachín and Nicolás Jarry.


2017 Uruguay Open – Doubles
Romain Arneodo and Fernando Romboli won the title after defeating Ariel Behar and Fabiano de Paula 2–6, 6–4, [10–8] in the final.


2017 Uruguay Open – Singles
Diego Schwartzman was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title.


2017 Uruguay Open – Singles
Pablo Cuevas won the title after defeating Gastão Elias 6–4, 6–3 in the final.


2017 Uruguayan Primera División season
The 2017 Liga Profesional de Primera División season, also known as the Campeonato Uruguayo 2017, was the 114th season of Uruguay's top-flight football league, and the 87th in which it is professional. Nacional were the defending champions. Peñarol were the champions after winning the Torneo Clausura and defeating Apertura winners Defensor Sporting at the championship playoff via penalty shoot-out.


2017 Uruguayan Primera División season, Format
The season was played under the Apertura-Clausura format, with the Apertura being played from February to May and the Clausura from August to November, and the inclusion of an additional tournament between the Apertura and Clausura named Torneo Intermedio and played from May to July. In the Intermedio, the 16 teams were split into two groups of eight with each club facing the others in their group once, and both group winners played the final. All three tournaments of the season counted for the aggregate table.


2017 Uruguayan Primera División season, Format
If the best team in the aggregate table did not win the Apertura or Clausura, it would have gained a berth to the finals, but if one team won both tournaments it would automatically win the championship. The worst three teams in the relegation table were relegated, taking into account the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Also, the Torneo Intermedio winners would qualify for the 2018 Copa Sudamericana in case they failed to secure an international berth at the end of the season.


2017 Uruguayan Primera División season, Torneo Intermedio
The Torneo Intermedio was played between the Apertura and Clausura tournaments, and consisted of two groups of eight teams whose composition depended on the final standings of the Torneo Apertura: teams in odd-numbered positions played in Serie A, while teams in even-numbered positions played in Serie B. In each group, teams played each other once, and both group winners played the Torneo Intermedio final, with its winner being assured of a Copa Sudamericana berth in case it failed to qualify for CONMEBOL competitions through the aggregate table. The Intermedio winner also had the chance to play the Supercopa Uruguaya against the Primera División champion.


2017 Uruguayan Primera División season, Aggregate table, Aggregate table playoff
Since Peñarol and Defensor Sporting ended the season tied in points, a playoff was played to determine the aggregate table first-placed team. The winners qualified for the Championship playoff finals.


2017 Uruguayan Primera División season, Championship playoff, Final
Since Peñarol, who had the best record in the aggregate table, won the semifinal, they became champions automatically and the final was not played. Defensor Sporting became runners-up as the second-placed team in the aggregate table. Both teams qualified for the 2018 Copa Libertadores group stage.


2017 Uruguayan Primera División season, Relegation
Relegation is determined at the end of the season by computing an average of the number of points earned per game over the four most recent tournaments: 2016 Transición and this season's three tournaments (Apertura, Intermedio, and Clausura). The three teams with the lowest average were relegated to the Segunda División for the following season.


2017 Uruguayan Primera División season, Relegation, Relegation playoff
Since El Tanque Sisley and Sud América ended with the same average, a playoff (by points) between both teams was played to determine the third relegated team. If both teams were tied in points after the second leg, an extra match would be played. The loser was relegated to the Segunda División.


2017 Utah State Aggies football team
The 2017 Utah State Aggies football team represented Utah State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Aggies were led by fifth-year head coach Matt Wells and played their home games at Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium. They competed as members of the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 6–7, 4–4 in Mountain West play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the Mountain Division. They were invited to the Arizona Bowl where they lost to New Mexico State.


2017 Utah State Aggies football team, Coaching staff, Coaching changes
Utah State hired David Yost as offensive coordinator on December 30, 2016. Yost had previously been the quarterbacks coach at Oregon. Both of the co-offensive coordinators from 2016 remain on staff; Jovon Bouknight as Outside Receivers Coach, and Luke Wells as the Tight Ends/Inside Receivers Coach.


2017 Utah State Aggies football team, Schedule
Utah State's 2017 football schedule was announced on March 2, 2017. The Aggies will play three straight home games for the first time since 1997, in a stretch that includes in-state rival BYU, Colorado State, and rival Wyoming.


2017 Utah State Aggies volleyball team
The 2017 Utah State Aggies volleyball team will  represent Utah State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I women's volleyball season. The Aggies are led by twelfth year head coach Grayson DuBose and play their home games at the Wayne Estes Center. The Aggies are members of the Mountain West.


2017 Utah State Aggies volleyball team
Utah State comes off a season where they finished 8–10 in conference, 14–16 overall, good for seventh in the conference. Coming into 2017 the Aggies were picked to finish sixth in the pre-season Mountain West poll.


2017 Utah State Aggies volleyball team, Season highlights
Season highlights will be filled in as the season progresses.


2017 Utah State Aggies volleyball team, Announcers for televised games
All home games will be on the MW Network powered by Stadium. Select road games will also be televised or streamed.


2017 Utah Utes football team
The 2017 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by thirteenth-year head coach Kyle Whittingham and played their home games in Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah. They competed as members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 3–6 in Pac-12 play to finish in fifth place in the South Division. They were invited to the Heart of Dallas Bowl where they defeated West Virginia.


2017 Utah Utes football team, Schedule
Utah announced their 2017 football schedule on January 18, 2017. The Utes played FCS North Dakota, in-state rival BYU, and San Jose State in out-of-conference play. In Pac-12 conference play, the Utes did not play cross-divisional foes California and Oregon State.


2017 Utah Utes volleyball team
The 2017 Utah Utes volleyball team will represent the University of Utah in the 2017 NCAA Division I women's volleyball season. The Utes are led by twenty-eighth year head coach Beth Launiere and play their home games at the Huntsman Center. The Utes are members of the Pac-12 Conference.


2017 Utah Utes volleyball team
Utah comes off a season where they went 20–12, 11–9 in conference. They earned an at-large NCAA Tournament at-large slot where they lost to UNLV in the first round. The Utes enter the season having been picked to finish fourth in the 2017 pre-season Pac-12 poll.


2017 Utah Utes volleyball team, Season highlights
Season highlights will be filled in as the season progresses.


2017 Utah Utes volleyball team, Announcers for televised games
All home conference games will be on Pac-12 Networks or P12 Digital Network. All Pac-12 Network games will be on the National Feed and Mountain Feed unless noted otherwise. Select road games will also be televised or streamed.


2017 Utah Valley Wolverines volleyball team
The 2017 Utah Valley Wolverines volleyball team will  represent Utah Valley University in the 2017 NCAA Division I women's volleyball season. The Wolverines are led by nineteenth year head coach Sam Atoa and play their home games at Lockhart Arena. The Wolverines are members of the WAC.


2017 Utah Valley Wolverines volleyball team
Utah Valley comes off a season where they finished second in the WAC. For 2017 the Wolverines were picked to finish third in the pre-season WAC poll behind New Mexico State and UTRGV.


2017 Utah Valley Wolverines volleyball team, Season highlights
Season highlights will be filled in as the season progresses.


2017 Utah Valley Wolverines volleyball team, Announcers for televised games
All home games will be on the WAC Digital Network. Select road games will also be televised or streamed.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election
After previously stating that he would not run for re-election, Jason Chaffetz announced on May 19 that he was resigning his seat in the House, effective June 30. A special election was called to replace him with a filing period opening on May 19 and closing by June 30, an expected primary date of August 15, and an election day of November 7.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election
A crowded field of candidates emerged to compete for spots in their respective parties' primaries. 15 Republicans, 4 Democrats, 2 Independent American Party members and 1 Libertarian declared their candidacy. Candidates could qualify for the primary ballot by either being nominated by delegates at their party's convention or gathering 7,000 signatures from registered voters. Those gathering signatures could also seek nomination at their party's convention. The Republican and Democratic parties held conventions June 17 to select a nominee from the declared.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election
The primary election to determine the Republican Party's candidate for the general election was held on August 15. In addition to the partisan candidates, one unaffiliated candidate appeared on the general election ballot and two candidates ran as a write-in.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election
The general election was held on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. Republican John Curtis was declared the winner and was subsequently seated by the U.S. House for a term that ends January 3, 2019.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, Republican primary
The Republican primary was held on Tuesday August 15, 2017. Only registered Republicans living in the 3rd congressional district were able vote in the primary, though unaffiliated voters were allowed to affiliate as Republicans at polling locations on election day.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, Republican primary, Candidates
Fifteen candidates declared their candidacy for the Republican party nomination. While four candidates declared their intent to gather signatures, only two submitted signatures for verification by the required deadline. This election was the first time in Utah politics where three candidates were on the primary ballot since two candidates submitted enough signatures to qualify for the primary ballot and the party nominated a third candidate at its convention.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, Republican primary, Candidates, Eliminated in primary
Ainge and Curtis submitted enough signatures to qualify for spots on the primary ballot. Curtis also participated in the convention process, but lost to Herrod who was nominated at the convention. Curtis would go on to win the primary.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, Democratic Party
Four candidates declared their candidacy for the Democratic party nomination. Two candidates declared their intent to gather signatures but neither submitted signatures for verification prior to the required deadline. On June 17, 2017, the Democratic Party formally nominated Kathie Allen as their candidate, eliminating the need for a primary election.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, United Utah Party, Candidates
The United Utah Party submitted the required number of signatures to be recognized as a political party in Utah on May 25, one day before the candidate filing deadline. Jim Bennett, son of former US Senator Bob Bennett, grandson of former US Senator Wallace F. Bennett, and executive director of the newly formed United Utah Party, filed to run as a member of the newly formed party but was rejected because the state had not yet processed the submitted signatures.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, United Utah Party, Candidates
The party took the issue to court, and a federal judge found that Utah had illegally violated Bennett's First and Fourteenth Amendment rights by denying him a spot on the ballot. The state elections office immediately complied with the court order and declined to appeal the decision. Jim Bennett was placed on the general election ballot as the United Utah Party candidate.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, Independent American Party, Candidates
Two candidates declared their intent to seek the nomination of the Independent American Party.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, Libertarian Party, Candidates
Only one candidate declared for the Libertarian Party nomination. On June 10, 2017, the Libertarian Party formally nominated Joe Buchman as their candidate. He became the first candidate certified for the general election.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, Independent, Candidates
Candidates that preferred not to participate in the political party process could declare as an unaffiliated candidate. To qualify for a spot on the general election ballot, candidates needed to gather at least 300 valid signatures from registered voters living in the 3rd congressional district. Only one candidate met this qualification by the June 12 deadline.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, Write-in candidates, Candidates
Candidates had until September 8 to declare their write-in candidacy. Write-in candidates' names will not appear on the ballot and voters must write or type in the name of the candidate for the vote to count.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, General election
The special general election was held on Tuesday, November 7, 2017.


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, General election, Candidates
The following candidates have qualified to appear in the state-sponsored debates:


2017 Utah's 3rd congressional district special election, General election, Candidates
The following third-party or independent candidates have qualified for the ballot but haven't polled high enough to currently qualify for the state-sponsored debates:


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election
The election to the 17th Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly was held from 11 February to 8 March 2017 in 7 phases. This election saw a voter turnout of 61.04% compared to 59.40% in the previous election. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the election by an overwhelming three-quarter majority of 325 seats despite not projecting a chief ministerial candidate before the election. As part of its election strategy, BJP contested under a collective leadership and capitalised mostly on the political clout and 'brand' of its leader, Narendra Modi. In the previous election in 2012, the Samajwadi Party had won a majority and formed government in the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav.


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election
On 18 March 2017, Yogi Adityanath was appointed as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Then Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma were appointed as Deputy Chief Ministers.


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Background, Electoral process changes
In January 2016, the Election Commission of India published updated electoral rolls in all 403 assembly segments. In July 2016, Election Commission decided to increase the number of polling booths in Uttar Pradesh for the 2017 Assembly elections. New polling centres will be planned in the constituencies having more than 1,500 registered voters as well as polling booths in six constituencies of Muzaffarnagar, Budhana, Purkazi, Khatoli, Charthawal and Midanpur to be raised from 1,769 to 1,819 booths. Voter assistance booths would be set up and photo slip of voters in a new design would be sent to them. First time, the Form-2B would contain the photograph of the candidates and their nationality.


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Background, Electoral process changes
Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines was used along with EVM in 30 assembly constituencies covering 14 districts including Varanasi, Ghaziabad and Bareilly constituency.


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Background, Electoral process changes
As per the special summary revision of electoral rolls, there are a total of 14.05 crore voters in Uttar Pradesh as of January 2015.


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Schedule
Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh were held between 11 February and 8 March 2017. The term of the outgoing government ended on 27 May 2017.


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Schedule
On 4 January 2017, The Election Commission of India announced the election schedule to the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh along with the other four state (Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand) which are due for an election. The entire election is scheduled into 7 phases.


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Opinion polls
Various organisations/agencies have been conducting opinions polls to predict voter intentions in the upcoming legislative assembly elections.


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Exit polls and forecast
Various organisations/agencies have been conducting Exit polls to predict voter intentions in the legislative assembly elections.


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Result
The election results for all 403 Legislative Assembly seats were declared on 11 March 2017.


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Reactions
After the BJP emerged as the majority party in the election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the public in a tweet saying, "Gratitude to the people of India for the continued faith, support and affection for the BJP. This is very humbling & overwhelming." The BJP's UP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya attributed the victory to Modi saying, "It is a Modi wave. The wave which started with 2014 Lok Sabha elections is continuing in 2017 and the momentum will go beyond the 2019 general elections." Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi sent a tweet to Modi congratulating him for his party's victory, to which Modi replied, "Thank you. Long live democracy!" Modi was congratulated on the victory by U.S. President Donald Trump during a telephone conversation on 27 March 2017.


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Reactions
The BBC wrote that the BJP "appears to have successfully forged a coalition of upper, middle-ranking and lower castes to be able to manipulate the social arithmetic of Indian elections". It also noted that the party had been able to avoid the image of "doling out reckless patronage to a caste or group", which the BBC considered responsible for the SP's defeat. Bhanu Joshi of Delhi-based think tank Centre for Policy Research said, "He [Modi] has managed to go beyond the caste arithmetic. On the ground, the BJP is not perceived as a casteist party."


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Reactions
Political scientist Milan Vaishnav felt that the election "represents a referendum on demonetisation". Vaishnav said, "Whether voters were bothered by the implementation of the policy or not, they clearly have decided that the PM is a man of action."


2017 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Reactions
BSP Leader and former Chief Minister Mayavati claimed that the BJP tampered with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) thereby rigging the election outcome. However, this charge was rejected by the Election Commission as well as other parties as lacking any substance.


2017 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly election
The 2017 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly election were the 4th Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) election of the state of Uttarakhand in India. Elections were held on 15 February 2017 in a single phase for the 69 seats of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. Voting in the Karnaprayag constituency was postponed until 9 March 2017 due to the death of BSP candidate Kuldeep Kanwasi in a road accident. In the previous election in 2012, none of the parties won a majority but the Indian National Congress formed the government with the help of PDF in the leadership of Vijay Bahuguna.


2017 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly election
The voter turnout for the 69 seats of Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly that held on 15 February was 65.64% which is less than the last election's voter turnout of 66.85%.


2017 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly election, Schedule and electorate
The schedule for the Uttarakhand Assembly Election was announced by the Election Commission of India on 4 January 2017 and elections took place on 15 February 2017. 69 out of 70 ACs went on to polls on the same day but polls were postponed for Karnaprayag Assembly constituency to 9 March. The results were announced on 11 March 2017. Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines were used along with EVM in four assembly constituencies in Uttarakhand.


2017 Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly election, List of elected Assembly members
Complete list of winners with the margin of winning votes.


2017 Uttarakhand earthquake
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck India, at depth of 16.1 km (10 mi), near Rudraprayag district in the state of Uttarakhand on February 6, 2017. Tremors were felt continuously for thirty seconds in national capital Delhi NCR and neighbouring Gurgaon, Punjab and other parts of north India. One person was injured, with panic scenes around the epicenter. Many cracks in buildings were reported.