Author: Andrew Bahl
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Georgia enacts legislation extending voting machine deadline, establishing automatic hand recounts
On June 25, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed legislation delaying the implementation of a state law banning the use of QR codes and other machine coding in ballot tabulation. In 2024, lawmakers enacted a bill prohibiting the use of QR codes, bar codes, or other machine coding in ballot tabulation, starting on July 1,…
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U.S. Supreme Court upholds Mississippi's absentee ballot return law
On June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that a Mississippi law allowing absentee ballots to be received up to five business days after the election was not preempted by federal statutes and could remain in place. Mississippi is one of 14 states that allow absentee/mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted…
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Connecticut enacts no-excuse absentee voting, four other election bills in 2026
The Connecticut General Assembly adjourned its 2026 regular session on May 6 after passing five election-related bills. Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed all five bills in May and June. Among those bills was HB 5001, which removes the requirement that voters meet one of five criteria to request an absentee ballot, such as being on…
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Vermont enacts vote denial prohibition, campaign finance changes in 2026 session
The Vermont General Assembly adjourned its 2026 regular session on May 29 after passing one election-related bill, which Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed on June 8. S. 298 is an omnibus elections bill. It includes a prohibition on state or local voting policies that result in a “denial or abridgement of the right of any…
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Iowa enacts five election bills in 2026, including prohibition on foreign donations in ballot measure elections
The Iowa General Assembly adjourned its 2026 regular session on May 3 after passing five election-related bills. Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed each of the bills by June 2. Among the enacted bills was HF 2601, which prohibits foreign contributions in ballot measure elections. Iowa previously had a ban on foreign funding for candidate elections,…
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D.C. to hold first election using ranked-choice voting on June 16
Washington, D.C., will hold its first election using ranked-choice voting on June 16, in primary elections for mayor, city council, U.S. House delegate, and other races. Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is a system where voters rank candidates by preference on their ballots. In the RCV system used in D.C., a candidate who wins a majority of…
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What to know about how states count absentee/mail-in ballots
In the midst of primary season, voters may wonder about the laws that govern how and when states count absentee/mail-in ballots. Every state provides a method for voters to cast ballots without visiting a physical polling place, but policies for counting those ballots differ from state to state. State laws prescribe when election officials can…
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Iowa becomes the 25th state to ban foreign contributions to ballot measure committees
On June 2, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed legislation, HF 2601, which prohibits foreign contributions in ballot measure elections. Iowa previously had a ban on foreign funding for candidate elections, but no such prohibition on foreign contributions to ballot measure committees. Iowa is now the 25th state to ban foreign nationals or governments from…
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U.S. Postal Service proposes absentee/mail-in voting rule
The United States Postal Service filed a proposed rule on May 29 that would prohibit absentee/mail-in ballots for general elections from being delivered to anyone not on a list provided to USPS by state election officials. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on June 2. Under the rule, states would submit to…
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Virginia's new Democratic trifecta approved 49 election-related bills and resolutions during the 2026 legislative session, a 250% increase over previous three-year average with divided government
The Virginia General Assembly adjourned its 2026 regular session on April 22 after sending 51 election-related bills to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) and adopting three resolutions. Spanberger signed 46 bills and vetoed five. The 2026 session was the first time in five years that Virginia had a Democratic trifecta, where one party controls both chambers…