Tag: voting rights
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Federal judge temporarily blocks USPS rules implementing absentee/mail-in voting executive order
On Aug. 27, a U.S. district court judge blocked the implementation of federal rules that would carry out an executive order President Donald Trump (R) issued earlier this year prohibiting the delivery of absentee/mail-in ballots to anyone who is not enrolled by state election officials with the U.S. Postal Service. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani's…
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Delaware becomes the 12th state to enact a state-level voting rights act
On Aug. 6, Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer (D) signed legislation making Delaware the 12th state to enact a state-level voting rights act. Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting nationwide, some states have enacted state-level voting rights acts. The provisions of these laws vary, but they…
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Spanberger restores voting rights to thousands of individuals with felony convictions in return to previous governors' processes
On July 31, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) announced that since taking office on Jan. 17, she has restored the voting rights of 66,085 Virginia residents with felony convictions. Virginia is one of three states, along with Iowa and Kentucky, where individuals convicted of any felony never regain the right to vote without some form…
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Appeals court allows enforcement of Indiana law banning student ID for voting
On April 20, a federal appeals court ruled that an Indiana law removing student IDs from the list of eligible voter identification could be enforced, overturning a lower court ruling from earlier this month. The decision from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit allows the law to be…
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Utah enacts proof-of-citizenship bill, 13 other election-related bills during 2026 session
The Utah Legislature adjourned its 2026 general session on March 6. During the session, lawmakers sent 14 election-related bills to Gov. Spencer Cox (R), who signed each one during the month of March. Among those bills was HB 209, which requires individuals to provide documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote in state and…
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U.S. Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on legality of Mississippi's absentee ballot return law
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on March 23 in Watson v. Republican National Committee, a case challenging the legality of a Mississippi law that allows absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they are received up to five business days after the election. Mississippi is one of 14 states that…
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Virginia voters will decide on automatically restoring voting rights for people convicted of a felony
On Nov. 3, Virginia voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would automatically restore voting rights for people convicted of a felony after they complete their prison sentence. Virginia is one of 10 states that never automatically restores voting rights for individuals convicted of a felony. Instead, people must apply to the governor's office…
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Virginia General Assembly places constitutional amendments on same-sex marriage, abortion, voting rights following criminal convictions on the Nov. 2026 ballot
The Virginia General Assembly approved four constitutional amendments on Jan. 16 that will be placed on the 2026 ballot for voters to decide. The amendments address policies on abortion, voting rights for persons with criminal convictions, same-sex marriage, and congressional redistricting. This was the second time the amendments were approved by the Virginia General Assembly.…
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Signatures submitted for citizenship voting requirement ballot initiative in Alaska, as three other states set to vote on similar measures in 2026
Proponents of a ballot initiative designed to prohibit noncitizens from voting in Alaska submitted 50,000 signatures to the Division of Elections on Jan. 19, 2026. The initiative requires 34,098 valid signatures to qualify for the November 2026 ballot, pending certification by the Division of Elections. Alaskans for Citizen Voting is supporting the initiative. The initiative…
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Three states certify 2026 measures on citizenship voting requirements; four more proposals are pending
In 2026, voters in up to seven states could decide on ballot measures establishing citizenship voting requirements in elections. While three states have already certified their measures for the ballot, the other four measures are proposed, either citizen-initiated ballot measures that have been cleared for signature gathering or legislative referrals that require additional votes. Measures…