On August 24, the House passed H.R. 4, also known as the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This federal legislation would require states and jurisdictions to obtain certification, or “preclearance” before making changes to election procedures in...
Early Voting Availability
The Markup: Weekly Election Legislation Update for Monday, August 23
Welcome back to all of our loyal readers and 👋 to everyone who has joined us in the last few weeks. Will you help get this update into more hands by forwarding it along? If you’d like to get these weekly updates straight to your inbox going forward, please...
The Markup: Weekly Election Legislation Update for Monday, July 26
Scheduling note: We’ll be back with the next edition of The Markup on Monday, August 9. Greetings to our regular readers and hello to those of you joining us for the first time. The Markup is growing rapidly thanks to everyone who forwards it to friends and...
Texas Should Enact Common Sense Reforms to Modernize Election Systems and Maximize Voter Freedom
Texas has an opportunity to upgrade its election process to provide eligible voters increased freedom in how they register, vote, and assure their vote is counted while also supporting the integrity of Texas elections by providing uniform and consistent access for...
The Markup: Weekly Election Legislation Update for Monday, June 21
To our loyal readers: Thank you for helping make The Markup so successful, week after week. Will you help get this update into more hands by sending it along to colleagues and friends? If you’d like to get these weekly updates straight to your inbox going...
The Markup: Weekly Election Legislation Update for Monday, June 14
We're really grateful to all of our loyal readers. Thanks for helping make The Markup so successful. Will you help get this update into more hands by forwarding it along to colleagues and friends? If you’d like to get these weekly updates straight to your inbox going...
The Markup: Weekly Election Legislation Update for Monday, May 3
This is the eighth edition of The Markup, VRL's insider legislative update. We're grateful to our loyal readers like you. Will you help get this update into more hands by sharing it now? If you'd like to get these weekly updates straight to your inbox going forward,...
The For the People Act
Download our brief on H.R.1/S.1 here. H.R.1/S.1 protects our freedom to vote Better in-person voting On Election Day for the 2020 general election, around 30% of likely voters took at least 30 minutes to vote. About 15% (more than 8 million voters) took an hour or...
Protecting Public Health in the 2020 Elections
Report Summary COVID-19 has affected the way we live and work—and inevitably, it will affect the way we vote this November as well. The Union of Concerned Scientists, the UCLA Voting Rights Project and the Voting Rights Lab will be co-releasing a report from...
Recommendations for Expanding Vote by Mail During a Pandemic
Executive Summary Our election system is unprepared for the current pandemic. The only way to ensure the continued functioning of our democracy and the safety of our citizens is for every state to provide every American with access to a mail ballot. Yet in order for...