The Markup: Alabama Officially Ends Voter List Maintenance

We are tracking 1,668 bills pre-filed or introduced this session across 50 states. Our analysis finds that 732 bills improve voter access or election administration and 430 bills restrict voter access or election administration.

Programming note: As legislative sessions slow down, we will be moving to a biweekly schedule after this edition of the Markup. We will return to our regular weekly cadence at a later date.

Improving Voter Access or Administration

Texas enacts bill improving mail ballot cure process.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed S.B. 2964, which improves the state’s process for correcting minor errors on mail ballot envelopes. As a result, voters will receive earlier notice and more opportunity to correct curable defects.

New York Senate advances bills improving election-worker protections and compensation.

S.B. 566 would allow election officers to enroll in the state’s address confidentiality program, shielding their personal information from public disclosure. S.B. 5142 would exclude poll worker compensation from gross income for tax purposes and from income calculations for determining public benefits eligibility. Both bills – which the state Senate passed last week – now move to the Assembly for consideration.

U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Michigan voter-access measures.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition from a group of Michigan Republican legislators seeking to roll back a 2022 citizen initiative. The initiative and subsequent legislation provided Michigan voters with a nine-day early voting period and created a permanent mail voter list, among other pro-voter reforms.

Restricting Voter Access or Administration

Alabama governor signs law officially ending state’s use of ERIC for list maintenance.

Gov. Kay Ivey signed S.B. 142, striking the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) from the list of sources state election officials can use to identify potential voter address changes. The bill also requires a new routine voter list maintenance process relying on the Alabama Voter Integrity Database (AVID). This system, set up by Secretary of State Wes Allen previously incorrectly identified thousands of voters as non-citizens.

North Carolina Supreme Court refuses to block board of elections appointments.

The North Carolina Supreme Court refused Gov. Josh Stein’s request to block State Auditor Dave Boliek’s appointments to the State Board of Elections. The state legislature stripped the governor’s appointment power and authority over the board, handing it to the state auditor’s office last year. Stein has challenged that law under the North Carolina Constitution. 

On Our Radar

Minnesota budget bill changes mail voting rules.

Gov. Tim Walz signed an appropriations bill (S.B. 3045), which also contains a number of election law provisions. The new law gives voters three fewer hours to hand-deliver their mail ballots on Election Day – moving the deadline from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. It also requires mail voters to provide both their driver’s license and Social Security numbers instead of only one or the other. 

Nevada governor vetoes bill that would have expanded drop box availability.

Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed A.B. 306, which would have required counties to provide additional mail ballot drop boxes based on their population. Among other requirements, the bill mandated a minimum of five drop boxes in large counties with between 100,000 and 700,000 people. In his veto message, the governor cited concerns about drop box security.

Oklahoma adds baseless election conspiracy theories to school curriculum.

Oklahoma’s new high school social studies curriculum will require that students “identify discrepancies in 2020 elections results.” Claims perpetuated by President Donald Trump regarding purported mass voter fraud have been repeatedly and entirely disproven.

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Our Election Policy Tracker is people-powered – our team of election lawyers read and analyze election-related bills across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. For questions about our methodology or analysis, email tracker@votingrightslab.org.