A year-end look at the state of election administration legislation
As 2025 comes to a close, we’re diving into the election-related legislative activity that happened this year and exploring some of the data in Ballotpedia’s State of Election Administration Legislation 2025 Year-End Report.
The report covers all election-related legislative activity in the 50 states that held legislative sessions between Jan. 1 and Dec. 10, 2025, unless otherwise stated. Click here to read the full report.
This year, we tracked 4,969 election-related bills and resolutions — surpassing the total number of bills in any year since we started tracking election legislation in 2022. Lawmakers passed 627 new election laws in 2025, more than in 2024 (440) but fewer than in 2023 (723).
Congressional redistricting emerged as a topic of focus in the final months of the year. Since Aug. 29, five states—including three with Republican trifectas—passed legislation creating new congressional maps for the 2026 elections, or submitting new maps for voter approval. Before this year, only two states had voluntarily adopted new congressional maps between censuses since 1970.
Referendum to repeal Missouri’s new congressional map submits signatures for 2026 ballot
On Dec. 9, the campaign People Not Politicians reported filing more than 300,000 signatures for a veto referendum against Missouri’s House Bill 1 (HB1), which redrew the state’s eight congressional districts. Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) signed HB 1 on Sept. 28, 2025. The bill was approved 21-11 in the state Senate and 90-65 in the House. Missouri has a Republican trifecta.
The new map, which aims to net one additional Republican U.S. House seat, divides Kansas City, Missouri, between three congressional districts. Under the map that was created following the 2020 census, most of Kansas City is within the 5th Congressional District, currently represented by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D).
A veto referendum is a citizen initiative that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law. Missouri is one of 23 states that provide for veto referendums.
Proponents of the veto referendum need to submit between 106,384 and 115,720 valid signatures to qualify the veto referendum for the ballot. That equals 5% of the votes cast for governor in the most recent election in six of the state's eight congressional districts. The total number of signatures required varies based on which six districts meet their respective thresholds.
If enough signatures are verified, the veto referendum will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot, unless the Legislature calls an earlier special election.
Minimum wage set to increase in 22 states and D.C., raising the nationwide average to $11.51 an hour
In 2026, the minimum wage will increase in 22 states and Washington, D.C. The increases range from $0.28 an hour in Minnesota to $2.00 an hour in Hawaii.
The 2026 increases primarily come from existing state laws that provided for incremental increases and inflation adjustments. Lawmakers in Rhode Island and Michigan passed new minimum wage laws this year.
Nineteen states will have increases take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Increases in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., take effect on July 1. Florida’s minimum wage increase takes effect on Sept. 30.
Once all increases take effect, the average state minimum wage, including D.C., will be $11.51 an hour, up from $11.18 an hour in 2025. In states with increases, the minimum wage will have increased by an average of $0.70 an hour.