Tag: election administration
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Fewer election-related bills approved this year than in 2023, more than in 2022
States have enacted fewer pieces of election-related legislation this year than in 2023 but more than in 2022. One hundred-five bills have been approved as of April 4, compared to 139 in 2023 and 78 in 2022. Broken down by the bill sponsors’ partisan affiliation, Democrats have sponsored 17 enacted bills so far this year,…
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Virginia and New York outpace others with four states advancing at least 10 election bills so far this year
Legislators in Virginia have advanced 24 election-related bills out of at least one chamber of the legislature so far in 2024, including 15 bills that have crossed over since the beginning of February. As of Feb. 9, Virginia trails only New York (29 bills) in terms of advancing election-related legislation. Two other states, Georgia and…
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Governors in states with divided government vetoed the most election legislation in 2023
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…
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North Carolina lawmakers codify semi-closed primary system
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…
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Voters in Maine to decide Question 2 to ban foreign government spending in elections
Maine voters will decide on a ballot initiative next month to ban foreign governments, or entities with at least 5% foreign government ownership or control, from spending money to influence ballot measures or candidate elections. If approved, Maine would join California, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington in prohibiting foreign nationals from…
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There are nine local ballot measures in Virginia on Nov. 7, including an initiative to make the Hanover County School Board an elected body
In Virginia, voters in seven counties will decide on nine local ballot measures alongside state legislative elections on Nov. 7. The local ballot measures range in topic, including government structure and elections, gambling expansion, general obligation bonds for school facilities and capital improvement projects. Measures on government and elections Two of the ballot measures address…
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Wisconsin AG files lawsuit after Senate votes to remove elections official
On Sept. 14, the Wisconsin Senate voted 22-11 along party lines to remove Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) Administrator Meagan Wolfe. Hours later, Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) filed a lawsuit to allow Wolfe to retain her position because only three of the six WEC members voted to renominate her in June. The commission oversees a…
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Missouri House passes resolution related to election administration
The Missouri House of Representatives approved House Joint Resolution 131 on April 6, 2022. The bill proposes modifying the state constitution as follows: Providing that “only citizens of the United States” may vote in elections for which they are eligible (existing language specifies that “all citizens of the United States” may vote in elections for…
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Control of Alaska House of Representatives remains uncertain after Alaska Supreme Court decision
The Alaska Supreme Court confirmed Alaska Representative Lance Pruitt’s (R) 11-vote loss to Democratic challenger Liz Snyder on Friday, January 8. The court ruled that Pruitt did not provide sufficient evidence to sustain his challenge of the election results. Pruitt’s loss means that control of the chamber will likely remain uncertain until at least January…
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37 states modified absentee/mail-in voting procedures in Nov. 3 elections
The November 3, 2020, general elections included races for president, 35 U.S. Senate seats, 435 U.S. House of Representatives seats, 120 statewide ballot measures, 165 state executive offices, state legislative seats in 86 chambers, and thousands of local offices and ballot measures. All told, 37 states modified their absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the general election.…