ANALYSIS
10 Years Since Shelby County v. Holder: Where We Are and Where We’re Heading
In this month’s Hot Policy Take, we take a closer look at Shelby County v. Holder, and how it sparked waves of election laws that restrict voting access across the country today – restrictive laws that often disproportionately harm voters of color.
States Move In Opposite Directions on Voter Registration & List Maintenance
In this month’s Hot Policy Take, we take a look at how certain states are suddenly bringing the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a widely trusted election list tool, under scrutiny, along with other changes in voter list maintenance happening around the country.
Another Change-Making Year
The Voting Rights Lab’s newest report — “Another Change-Making Year” is a first-of-its-kind report that examines election-related legislation introduced in the first quarter in states over the post-2020 period, a transformative time for elections policy nationwide.
The Transparency Trap: How Posting Ballot Images Online May Sow Distrust
Transparency is key when working to build – or rebuild – trust in American elections. But some so-called transparency efforts, such as posting ballot images online, can do just the opposite.
From Momentum to a Moment: Restoring the Vote to Those with Past Convictions
A decades-old conviction can deny a citizen’s access to the ballot box in some states – sometimes even for a lifetime. In fact, in the U.S. today, 4.6 million citizens – more than the entire population of the metropolitan areas of Seattle or Tampa – cannot vote...
Voting with Student ID in 2023: The State of the Law & Pending Legislation
Download a PDF of this fact sheet here. Just five states [1] have laws that require voter ID to cast a ballot and expressly forbid the use of student ID cards as a form of voter ID. In a sixth state, Arizona, the law allows for student ID cards to serve as voter ID if...
North Carolina: The Next Front in the Voting Wars
States like Texas, Florida, Georgia, Arizona have drawn the national spotlight for increasingly brazen attacks on voters and election administrators alike. Since 2020, each has enacted laws to restrict access to the ballot box. Each advanced narratives that erode voters’ confidence in our elections. And each saw rule changes that disproportionately harm Black and brown voters.
Now North Carolina – historically the site of some of our nation’s most shameful race-based voter suppression efforts – appears poised to join their ranks.
No-Alternative Photo ID vs. Voter ID: Lessons from the First Election Law to Pass in 2023
It's no secret that voter ID is a third rail when it comes to voting and elections policy. On one hand, strict photo ID laws that do not provide eligible, registered voters an alternative way to cast their ballot have been found to be racially discriminatory by some...
New Year, New Laws: The Post-2020 Election Laws Taking Effect January 2023
Three hundred sixty-eight state elections laws have been enacted or adopted since the 2020 election.
The State of State Election Law Since 2020
The years since the 2020 election were the most prolific for election law in recent history, with new laws impacting how people vote and how our elections are run enacted in nearly every state across the country. In the two years since the 2020 election, nearly every...
The Markup
VRL’s weekly election legislation update for insiders. Subscribe now.