We are tracking 1,639 bills prefiled or introduced this session across 50 states. Our analysis finds that 714 bills improve voter access or election administration and 422 bills restrict voter access or election administration.
IMPROVING VOTER ACCESS OR ELECTION ADMINISTRATION
Tennessee enacts law facilitating voting rights restoration.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed S.B. 407, which simplifies the process for restoring voting rights for citizens with past felony convictions. The bill will allow judges to restore a person’s voting rights without also restoring the full suite of civil rights, such as the right to gun ownership, as is currently required.
New York Senate passes bill to raise election worker pay.
The New York Senate passed S.B. 559, which would set a statewide minimum pay for election workers at $300 per day. There currently is no statewide minimum, and the minimum in New York City is $130 per day. The bill now moves to the Assembly for consideration.
New Hampshire House advances bill to make voter accessibility pilot program permanent.
H.B. 67 cleared its first chamber. The bill would make permanent a New Hampshire pilot program under which the secretary of state provided accessible voting systems to cities and towns. The bill now moves to the Senate.
RESTRICTING VOTER ACCESS OR ELECTION ADMINISTRATION
North Dakota moves up mail ballot deadline in line with Trump’s EO agenda.
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed into law H.B. 1165, which moves up the deadline for officials to receive mail ballots to the close of polls on Election Day. Previously, ballots would be counted as long as they were postmarked on or before Election Day. The law is in line with President Donald Trump’s March executive order, which asserts that states cannot accept ballots received after Election Day, despite this being the case in over a dozen states.
West Virginia governor signs law eliminating several forms of voter ID.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed into law H.B. 3016, which requires voters to present photo ID when voting in person. The law eliminates several non-photo forms of identification previously accepted, such as Social Security cards, debit cards, and utility bills. The law kept in place alternatives to presenting ID, such as being identified by a poll worker or voting provisionally and having the signature confirmed.
Documentary proof of citizenship, law enforcement bills move forward in Texas.
A Texas House committee passed both S.B. 16 and its House companion H.B. 5337 to the full chamber, both of which would require all new voter registration applicants — and many existing registrants — to provide documentary proof of citizenship to join or stay on the rolls. The Senate also passed S.B. 2743, which would permit local prosecutors to be replaced by assistant attorneys general in certain cases alleging a violation of election laws. The bill heads to the House for consideration, with final adjournment approaching.
Ohio House committee advances bill requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration.
An Ohio House committee advanced H.B. 233, a bill requiring applicants to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. The bill would also eliminate ballot drop boxes, expand the use of provisional ballots, require monthly voter list reviews, and refer unverified applicants to the state’s attorney general for investigation. The bill now moves to the full House for consideration.
ON OUR RADAR
North Carolina state auditor appoints new members to elections board.
Following a ruling by an appellate court allowing a law stripping the governor’s authority to choose election board members, North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek appointed a Republican majority to the state elections board. This change in the composition of the board could impact the ongoing legal fight over last year’s contested state supreme court race, where the State Board of Elections plays a key role.
Did someone forward this to you? Sign up for Voting Rights Lab’s newsletters here.