Author: Joseph Greaney

  • Governors in states with divided government vetoed the most election legislation in 2023

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    Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed more election-related bills than any other governor in 2023 in terms of total bills and the percentage of election-related bills introduced in her state. Hobbs vetoed 21 bills, or 29% of all election-related bills introduced in the Arizona legislature last year. Arizona has a divided government, with Republicans controlling…

  • New RCV bans on the table, but bills supporting ranked-choice outnumber opposition legislation in 2024 sessions

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    Republican legislators have introduced new ranked-choice voting (RCV) prohibitions in five states so far this year. These efforts come after three states approved Republican-sponsored bans last year. The number of active bills supporting RCV continues to outnumber those banning or repealing its use.  Of the 75 RCV bills currently active in state legislatures:  Twenty-three of…

  • New York outpacing all states in advancing election legislation as 2024 sessions get underway

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    As of Jan. 19, 2024, legislators in New York have passed 24 election-related bills out of at least one chamber of the legislature, more than all other state legislatures combined. The legislation in New York covers a range of election-related topics including absentee ballot drop-boxes, maintenance of voter rolls, and oversight of election officials, workers,…

  • Minnesota Supreme Court to hear challenge of new felon voting law

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    The Minnesota Supreme Court will hear a challenge to a new law that automatically restores voting rights to people convicted of a felony who are still on parole, probation, or supervised release in the state. On March 3, 2023, Governor Tim Walz (D) signed House File 28 into law. Previously in Minnesota, the state restored voting rights to people convicted of…

  • Texas voter turnout reaches 14% in 2023 - a two-decade high for odd year

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    Welcome to the Thursday, January 4th, Brew.  By: Joe Greaney Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Texas voter turnout reaches 14% in 2023 - a two-decade high for odd year elections in the state  Turnout at Texas’ Nov. 7 general election was the highest for an odd-year election in almost…

  • The Ballot Bulletin: Ballotpedia’s Weekly Digest on Election Administration, December 15, 2023

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    Welcome to The Ballot Bulletin: Ballotpedia’s Weekly Digest on Election Administration. Every Friday, we deliver the latest updates on election policy around the country, including nationwide trends, legislative activity, and updates on notable lawsuits and policy changes.  This is a special edition of The Ballot Bulletin, detailing our newly-released end-of-the year State of Election Administration…

  • On the Ballot kicks off RCV deep dive

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, December 6, 2023, Brew.  By: Joseph Greaney Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: December deep dive: On the Ballot series on RCV  On the Ballot, Ballotpedia’s weekly podcast covering all things elections and American politics, begins a four-part deep dive into ranked-choice voting (RCV) this week.…

  • New York becomes second state to pass law on readability of ballot measures this year

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, November 22, 2023, Brew.  By: Joe Greaney Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: New York becomes second state to pass law on readability of ballot measures this year Starting in 2024, New York will implement new language requirements for state ballot questions. On Nov. 17, Gov.…

  • Happy Halloween - trick-or-treat over to another school board election preview

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    Welcome to the Tuesday, October 31, Brew.  By: Joe Greaney  Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Ten candidates running for Leavenworth Unified School District 453 School Board Thousands of school board members will be elected in races across the country on Nov. 7. Over the past few weeks, we've brought…

  • North Carolina lawmakers codify semi-closed primary system

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    North Carolina lawmakers made unaffiliated voter participation in partisan primaries a permanent feature of state election laws as part of a veto override of S747 on Oct. 10, 2023. As part of the omnibus election bill, political parties holding primaries in the state must allow unaffiliated voters to participate in their primaries. Previously, state law permitted but…