3,735 Election-Administration Bills Currently at Play Across the U.S. - Ballotpedia's New Report Clarifies What's Happening

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Jul 01, 2024, 09:47 ET

Ballotpedia releases annual "State of Election Administration Mid-Year Report"

MIDDLETON, Wis., July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ballotpedia today released its 2024 "State of Election Administration Mid-Year Report," covering all U.S. election-related legislation activity from January 1 to June 1, 2024.

With more than two-thirds of states' regular legislative sessions concluded for the year, this report contains takeaways from the bulk of this year's election-related legislative activity. It supplements Ballotpedia's landmark Election Administration Legislation Tracker, the unbiased, interactive, go-to resource for real time updates on election administration legislation and reforms across all 50 states.

Election administration is a complex area of legislation, with thousands of bills in play at any one time. More election-related bills have been vetoed in 2024 than in the entire year in 2023 and 2022, and all but five of the 35 vetoes this year come from states with divided governments.

Top 2024 election administration themes

Ballotpedia's resources are designed to help people sort through the noise and see the various reforms being pushed by parties in states where they control majorities. Top 2024 election administration themes include:

Ballot harvesting/ballot collection
Absentee/mail-in voting
Voter registration drives
New definitions and penalties for voter suppressions
Non-citizen voting measures
Ranked-choice voting
Election dis- and mis-information

"Every year, state lawmakers consider thousands of bills that would change how Americans vote and how elections are administered," said Geoff Pallay, Ballotpedia's Editor in Chief. "Our report provides insights, analysis, and takeaways from the more than 3,735 election-related bills we tracked this year."

Key takeaways so far in 2024

For the third year in a row, state legislators considered more election-related legislation in states with Democratic trifectas, but adopted more new election laws in states with Republican trifectas.
In Republican-led states, bill topic themes touched on issues such as ballot harvesting/ballot collection, voter registration drives, referring noncitizen voting ballot measures to voters, or preempting efforts to establish ranked-choice voting.
In Democratic-led states, bill topic themes included cure provisions for absentee/mail-in voting, new definitions and penalties for voter suppression, and new laws related to election dis- and mis-information.

About Ballotpedia Legislation Trackers
Ballotpedia's legislation trackers provide a free (no login or sign-up required) and centralized hub that makes staying on top of legislation and legislative reforms across all 50 states easier than ever. Founded on Ballotpedia's hallmark principle of being neutral on the issues, but passionate about the facts, our legislation trackers are updated in real time and designed to be easily searchable. Used as a go-to resource for voters, reporters, researchers, academics, and activists, they capture any bill introduced on the given topic across all of the 50-state legislatures, and track bill movement every step of the way.

About Ballotpedia
Ballotpedia, the encyclopedia of American politics, is the nation's most trusted source of unbiased information on politics, elections, and policy. Founded in 2007, Ballotpedia has grown from a small group of dedicated volunteers working on a handful of ballot measures to an essential resource for voters, media, and researchers. Ballotpedia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the public interest in creating an educated, engaged electorate, and building a strong, healthy democracy. For free access to 490,000+ encyclopedic, professionally authored and curated articles, visit Ballotpedia.org.

SOURCE BALLOTPEDIA