Author: Joseph Greaney
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Checks and Balances, December 2024
In this edition of Checks and Balances: Federal stories: State stories: Commentary: Regulatory Tally: In Washington President-elect Trump announces Department of Government Efficiency creation What’s the story? President-elect Donald Trump (R) on Nov. 12 announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to advise the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on cutting…
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Changes to voting laws and state board of election included in North Carolina veto override
On Dec. 11, 2024, the North Carolina House of Representatives voted to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s (D) veto of S 382. Cooper vetoed the bill on Nov. 26, and the North Carolina Senate voted along partisan lines to override the veto 30-19 on Dec. 2. The 72-46 vote in the House confirmed the override. The bill combines disaster relief funding for communities and businesses…
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Nebraska Attorney General issues opinion declaring laws restoring voting rights to individuals convicted of a felony unconstitutional
On July 17, 2024, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers (R) issued a formal opinion that said that only the Nebraska Pardons Board—which consists of the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state—and not the legislature, has the authority to restore voting rights or shorten the waiting period for the restoration of voting rights for individuals…
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Arizona lawmakers implement a new deadline for certifying results, while Governor Katie Hobbs vetoes other changes
Arizona enacted 10 election-related bills in the first half of 2024, the second most of any state with a divided government. New laws change the deadline for certifying elections, modify rules for hand-counted post-election audits, and add new notification requirements if a voter’s registration is changed: HB 2785 moved up the statewide primary date by one week…
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Republican states adopt more voter list maintenance bills than states with Democratic trifectas and divided governments
Fourteen states adopted new laws related to maintaining accurate voter registration rolls in the first half of 2024. Ten of these bills came from states with Republican trifectas, two from states with Democratic trifectas, and two from states with divided governments. New laws in five states expand data-sharing procedures or create new requirements for reviewing…
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New laws related to ranked-choice voting and youth voting among six new approved election bills in Colorado
Colorado lawmakers adopted six election-related bills during the 2024 regular session of the Colorado General Assembly. Included among the approved legislation was an omnibus bill that changed a number of areas of election law and created new requirements related to the adoption of ranked-choice voting (RCV), as well as bills related to voting in detention centers,…
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More states banned ranked-choice voting in 2024 than any other year
Five states–Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma–passed laws banning the use of RCV in 2024, more than in any other year. No state had a law prohibiting the use of RCV before 2022 when Florida and Tennessee became the first states to adopt bans. Idaho, Montana, and South Dakota joined them in 2023. Republicans controlled the legislature in all…
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Eighteen states considered legislation to open or close primaries in the first half of 2024
Lawmakers in 18 states considered bills this year that change who may vote in at least some statewide primaries or caucuses. Only one of these bills, Louisiana’s HB 17, was adopted. That bill changes Louisiana’s unique primary system and creates closed primaries for elections for Congress and several state offices, including the state supreme court, beginning…
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Two states with Republican trifectas adopted new requirements for voter registration drives
Tennessee and Louisiana joined a group of six other states with Republican trifectas that have adopted laws related to voter registration drives or third-party assistance for voter registration applications since 2020. In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed HB 1955 / SB 2586 on May 1, prohibiting the pre-filling of information on a voter registration…
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Six states passed laws related to the restoration of voting rights for felons or voting by incarcerated individuals
Six states adopted new laws related to voting by individuals convicted of a felony or voting by incarcerated individuals, including two states with Republican trifectas that passed bills to restore voting rights to certain individuals convicted of a felony more quickly. In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed HB 1629 on May 13, restoring voting rights to people convicted…