Welcome to The Markup, our weekly insights and analysis of the latest in election law and policy.
We are tracking 996 bills this session across 47 states. Our analysis finds that 426 bills improve voter access or election administration and 250 bills restrict voter access or election administration.1
IMPROVING VOTER ACCESS OR ELECTION ADMINISTRATION
The Wisconsin Supreme Court leaves in place municipal control over early voting.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court dismissed a challenge last week that sought to limit municipalities’ authority to set early voting locations and prevent the future use of a mobile voting van, which the city of Racine used in 2022. The court found that the Republican Party official who brought the lawsuit did not have standing to do so and did not make a finding on the merits of the case.
The Virginia legislature advances multiple voter-friendly elections bills.
The Virginia legislature sent several bills to the governor’s desk, including: H.B. 2002 (prohibits canceling voter registrations based on unverified external data); H.B. 2276 (establishes specific data matching criteria for list maintenance and requires notice to voters prior to removal from list for ineligibility); H.B. 2056 (grants local governments more control over early voting satellite office hours); S.B. 760 (extends deadlines for mail ballot returns, ballot curing, and providing ID for provisional ballots); S.B. 991 (extends the voter registration period); and S.B. 813 (prohibits systematic list maintenance purges at least 90 days before a primary or general election).
RESTRICTING VOTER ACCESS OR ELECTION ADMINISTRATION
Missouri Senate committee passes documentary proof of citizenship bill.
A Missouri Senate committee advanced S.B. 62 to the full chamber. The bill would require voter registration applicants to provide documentary proof of citizenship. Similar bills have passed legislative chambers this year in Indiana and Wyoming.
Utah and Georgia legislatures advance bills to withdraw from ERIC.
The Utah House passed a bill that would require the state to withdraw from the bipartisan interstate list maintenance compact known as the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). This bill will now go to the Senate for consideration. Additionally, a Georgia House subcommittee advanced a similar bill, which now heads to a full House committee for further consideration.
Maine voter ID initiative advances to legislature.
A Maine citizen initiative requiring voter ID for both in-person and mail voting has gathered enough signatures to advance to the legislature. Lawmakers can either enact the bill as written or send it to the ballot in November 2025. Maine is among 14 states and D.C. that does not request ID for in-person voting.
ON OUR RADAR
The Missouri House Committee on Elections will consider several bills this week, including H.B. 367 (extending the early voting period), H.B. 507 (making it a felony offense to threaten or harass an election official), and H.B. 638 (allowing election challengers greater access to voting locations during early voting or on Election Day).
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- Our State Voting Rights Tracker is people-powered – our team of election lawyers read and analyze election-related bills across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. We strive to provide immediate analysis of all pending and current legislation; however, during periods of high volume – i.e. when legislatures are first convening for the year and introducing hundreds of new bills each day – we prioritize those that are advancing through legislatures over newly introduced legislation. For questions about our methodology or analysis, email tracker@votingrightslab.org. ↩︎