Ballotpedia report finds state lawmakers have passed more than 560 new election administration laws so far this year

By

Lara Bonatesta

Welcome to the Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, Brew. 

By: Lara Bonatesta

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. Ballotpedia report finds state lawmakers have passed more than 560 new election administration laws so far this year 
  2. Republican Party committees maintain fundraising lead in July 
  3. On this date in 1974, Alaska voters approved an initiative to change the state’s capital city. It never happened. 

Ballotpedia report finds state lawmakers have passed more than 560 new election administration laws so far this year 

Let’s explore some data from our State of Election Administration Legislation 2025 Mid-Year Report.

The report covers bills related to election administration that state lawmakers have considered this year. Bill activity included in the report is current through Aug. 15. Click here to read the full report. 

So far this year, Ballotpedia has identified 4,705 election-related bills and resolutions introduced in state legislatures—the most since we launched our election legislation tracker in 2022. Lawmakers have passed 566 new election administration laws so far in 2025, more than at this time last year, but fewer than in 2023. 

As in previous years, Republican lawmakers and Republican trifecta states are driving most of this activity. This trend reflects their advantage in legislative control—holding majorities in 57 of the 99 state legislative chambers—and greater control of state governments in general, with 23 state government trifectas compared to 15 for Democrats.

All 50 state legislatures met this year. As of Aug. 15, 24 state legislatures had adjourned their legislative sessions, while one state, Texas, was in special session. 

New laws from states with a Republican trifecta make up a larger share of new laws this year (71.6%) than they did in 2023 (63.6%). 

The six states with the most new laws all have Republican trifectas. Republican trifectas also make up nine out of the top 10 states that have passed new election administration laws this year. Republican-led states also adopted a higher share of Republican-sponsored bills (77.5%) than Democratic-led states did of Democratic-sponsored bills (55.4%). In total, Republican-sponsored legislation in states with a Republican trifecta makes up the majority of new election laws (314, or 55.7% of all new laws).

Several states with Democratic trifectas, including California and New York, will not adjourn their legislative sessions until closer to the end of the year. This means that the number of new election laws in states with a Democratic trifecta may be a larger share of all new laws than at present.

Ballotpedia identified six noteworthy policy topics in the report. These were areas that drew significant attention from lawmakers across the country. Click on the link associated with each topic to learn more.

  • Voter ID: Lawmakers have adopted 16 bills and resolutions that change voter identification provisions in 14 states.
  • Election dates: There are 45 new laws related to election dates and the alignment of election dates in 22 states. Aligning election dates refers to either moving elections to occur on the same day on which other elections already occur, or moving them to a day without other elections. 

Ballotpedia publishes three long-form reports a year that provide ongoing coverage of legislative activity impacting the administration of elections. Click here to see past reports.

Republican Party committees maintain fundraising lead in July 

As of July 31, the end of the most recent party committee campaign finance filing period, the three committees associated with the Democratic Party have raised a cumulative $197 million and spent $188 million in the 2026 election cycle. The three committees associated with the Republican Party have raised $239 million and spent $161 million.

The three Democratic committees are the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). The three Republican committees are the Republican National Committee (RNC), National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), and National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

The RNC leads the DNC in the amount of money raised and in cash on hand. The DNC has spent more than the RNC through July 31. 

The DCCC has spent more than the NRCC and has more cash on hand. The NRCC has raised more than the DCCC.

 The NRSC has raised and spent more than the DSCC. The DSCC has more cash on hand. 

See the table below for exact figures.

The $197 million raised by Democratic committees through July 31 is less than their July 2021 fundraising total ($235 million). It’s more than their July 2023 fundraising total ($177 million). The $239 million raised by Republican committees is less than their July 2021 fundraising total ($243 million). It’s more than their July 2023 fundraising total ($151 million).

Click here to learn more about party committee fundraising in the 2026 election cycle. 

On this date in 1974, Alaska voters approved an initiative to change the state’s capital city. It never happened. 

On Aug. 27, 1974, Alaska voters approved Initiative 1, 56.6%-43.3%. This ballot measure began the process of moving the state capital from Juneau to an unspecified city in Western Alaska. It was the third ballot measure in fourteen years that would have moved the capital city.

The measure proposed relocating the capital to a site “in Western Alaska at least 30 miles from Anchorage and Fairbanks” and required a selection committee to nominate three cities to submit to voters. 

In 1976, voters chose between Larson Lake, Mount Yenlo, and Willow. Willow won with 53.2% of the vote. 

The move of the capital to Willow encountered a roadblock. In 1978, voters approved a ballot measure, known colloquially as the FRANK initiative (Fiscally Responsible Alaskans Needing Knowledge), that did two things. It required the state to determine the cost of relocating the capital and prohibited the state from spending state funds on a capital move without voter approval. Also in 1978, a bond measure that would have authorized the state to issue $966 million in bonds to fund the capital move was defeated 73.8%-26.2%.

In 1982, voters decided on a measure that would have permitted the state to issue $2.8 billion in bonds to fund the capital move. The ballot measure also contained a condition that if voters rejected the bonds, the move to Willow would be abandoned. Voters defeated the measure 52.8%-47.1%.

Since becoming a state in 1959, Alaskans have voted on more ballot measures concerning the location of their capital than any other state. To take a deep dive into each of those efforts, click on the links below. 

In 2002, Alaska voters defeated an initiative 67.2%-32.8%  that would have moved the location of Alaska’s legislative sessions to a location in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. This initiative would not have changed the location of the capital city, only where the state legislature meets. 

Legislation to move the state capital has been considered in the Legislature as recently as 2022. That year, state Reps. Christopher Kurka (R-7) and David Eastman (R-27) introduced House Bill 311, which would have moved the capital to Willow. The bill would also have repealed the requirement that voters approve both moving the state capital and the funding of a move. The bill died in committee and was not approved in either chamber. 

Juneau, Alaska’s capital, is located in the Alaskan panhandle in the southeastern-most part of the state, along the border of Canada. As of 2020, the city’s population was 32,255. Juneau has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when it took over as the seat of government from Sitka. Before Alaska became a state, Juneau was the capital of the District of Alaska.

Including Alaska, voters in nine states have decided on measures to relocate their capital. The chart below shows the number of measures and the electoral outcomes. 

The state capital measures are a few of the 220 ballot measures Alaska voters decided between 1956 and 2024. Check out our Alaska Historical Ballot Measures Factbook to explore more measures.