Just the Facts: No Hype, No Bias - Introducing Ballotpedia's New "State of Election Administration Legislation" Report

News provided by

Jun 29, 2023, 11:16 ET

With thousands of bills introduced each session, election legislation policy is at the forefront of state legislative activity and ideological rhetoric

MIDDLETON, Wis., June 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ballotpedia's new report, "State of Election Administration Legislation 2023" covers all U.S. election-related legislative activity from Jan. 1 through May 31, 2023. This special edition supplements the organization's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which offers real-time interactivity to help people make sense of this complex area of legislation.

States have implemented hundreds of bills this year that govern voting and election administration. According to Ballotpedia's editor in chief Geoff Pallay, "It's a hot-button topic, and as a result much of the coverage about this legislation carries an ideological – 'this party is good and this party is bad' – approach. What one person says is a voting restriction, another might say increases voter security. Or a bill could simultaneously be described as eliminating fraud or taking away voting rights."

Ballotpedia's new report and tracker are differentiated by their comprehensive focus and neutral, unbiased observations and analysis. "Ballotpedia's reporting on election administration legislation offers a breath of fresh-air amidst the hype because it's fact-based, nonpartisan and non-ideological," said Pallay.

Key trends so far in 2023

The report covers selected trends analyzed this year and highlights legislative activity across various policy subsets:

Twenty-nine percent more bills enacted to-date in 2023

This year, we tracked 2,682 election-related bills through the end of May, 183 of which lawmakers had enacted, compared to 142 enacted in the same period in 2022. Seventeen election-related bills had been vetoed as of May 31, the same number as were vetoed in all of 2022.

Rank Choice Voting (RCV) and consolidating election dates are showing up as key issues

Ninety-four RCV bills introduced
State legislators introduced 31 bills that would consolidate permissible election dates in 2023, compared to 18 bills in 2022—including bills modifying school board election dates to coincide with other local or statewide elections—that lawmakers introduced in 14 states.

Republicans are sponsoring a significantly larger percentage of enacted bills (60% of bills so far this year vs. 44% in 2022)

Other areas of notable legislative activity

The report also covers current state policy and notable 2023 legislative activity across several policy subsets, including election audits, photo ID requirements for voting, and noncitizen voting.

Ballotpedia tracked the most election-related legislation in Texas, where lawmakers introduced 391 bills, and the fewest in Colorado, with nine bills.

About Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia – the encyclopedia of American politics – is America'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 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 more than 410,000 professionally authored articles, visit Ballotpedia.org.

SOURCE BALLOTPEDIA