Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

The state of voting: April 25, 2022

State of voting - election law changes

This weekly update summarizing legislative activity affecting voting and elections is powered by the Voting Rights Lab. Sign up for VRL’s weekly newsletter here.

The Voting Rights Lab is tracking 2,446 bills so far this session, with 572 bills that tighten the rules governing voter access or election administration and 1,088 bills that expand the rules.

In Missouri, a provision concerning transgender student athletes was added to a bill that would establish in-person early voting, likely scuttling the legislation, Montana legislators decided not to spend time on election security. And in Arizona, the Senate passed a bill to restore voting rights for people released from prison.

Looking ahead: Arizona legislators will consider a bill restricting the use of drop boxes this week, while Missouri may consider a different bill addressing voter ID and early voting.

Here are the details:


The Missouri House added a “poison pill” to legislation that would create in-person early voting. H.B. 2140 would expand early voting via the in-person absentee voting process; allow first responders, health care workers and members of law enforcement to vote absentee; and allow registered voters to make same-day changes in residence through Election Day. However, during a floor debate on the bill, an amendment was passed concerning transgender student athletes’ participation on school sponsored athletic teams, making the bill very unlikely to pass the Senate. If early voting passes in Missouri this session, it is likely to be through H.B. 1878, legislation that would make the state’s voter ID law more strict but also create in-person early voting. H.B. 1878 has passed the Senate Local Government and Ethics Committee and is ready for consideration by the full Senate.

Arizona’s rights restoration bill passes the Senate. H.B. 2119 passed the Senate last week. The bill would allow people who are not eligible for automatic restoration to apply for their voting rights to be restored immediately upon discharge, instead of having to wait two years, as they do under current law. The bill would also ensure that citizens convicted of or facing felony charges are notified about whether their voting rights will be automatically restored – if so, when; if not, how to apply for restoration. The House will vote on concurrence with the Senate amendments Monday. If the bill passes that vote, it will be eligible for the governor’s signature. H.B. 2238, a bill that would restrict drop boxes by mandating monitoring requirements, will be heard in the Senate Rules Committee Monday.

New Hampshire’s strict voter ID bill passes the House. S.B. 418, which already passed the House and Senate, has been sent to the House Finance Committee. This bill would make the state voter ID law more restrictive. Current New Hampshire law allows voters without ID to cast a regular ballot if they complete an affidavit affirming their identity, under penalty of perjury. This bill would eliminate that alternative, and instead rescind their vote from the count if they are unable to provide an ID. Most states with voter ID laws offer an alternative to ensure the identity of voters without ID can be verified through other means. This new bill would put New Hampshire in the minority.

No Montana special session on election security. The Montana Legislature voted against holding a special session next month to set up a committee on election security. Initially, 10 Republican lawmakers proposed a special session to investigate the state’s election procedure in light of the “widespread belief” of irregularities in the state’s voting system. This committee would have had subpoena powers and included funding for legal staff support.


Read More

The Trump Administration Is Losing Its Fight to Take Over Elections
Rawpixel/Getty

The Trump Administration Is Losing Its Fight to Take Over Elections

The Trump administration has expended significant resources trying to meddle in elections ahead of the midterms. This coordinated campaign includes attempts to limit who can vote, wrestle away states’ authority over elections, and undermine public confidence in election outcomes. So far, virtually everything the administration has tried has been blocked by courts, failed in Congress, or simply fizzled out.

Currently, the administration is 0–21 in its court cases seeking to amass state voter data. In dozens of states, election officials from both parties have refused to turn over their complete voter rolls, which contain confidential personal information, to the Justice Department. Federal courts from Arizona to Maine have thrown out the department’s lawsuits, ruling that the federal government lacks the power to force states to hand over this data on a mass scale.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Medical Vial Vaccine on Shelf Table

Peptides like BPC-157, MOTS-c and Semax are surging in popularity despite limited human evidence. Here’s why FDA regulation, research and safety matter.

skaman306/Getty Images

Millions Using Unapproved Peptides as FDA Debates Regulation

Peptides, the short chains of amino acids that help regulate biological functions, have become the latest obsession in health, fitness, and longevity.

Online clinics and wellness influencers promote them as ways to heal injuries, reduce inflammation, improve metabolism, sharpen thinking, and slow aging.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman putting savings in a white piggy bank.

How tax cuts, deregulation and weakened unions helped shift the U.S. from the postwar Great Compression to today’s Great Divide—and examine the Gomory-Baumol corporate tax proposal as an alternative.

Guido Mieth/Getty Images

Affordability Crisis: From The Great Compression to the Great Divide

Trickle-down policies facilitated the transition from the mid-20th century "Great Compression “characterized by low-wage inequality and strong labor unions—to the "Great Divide" by shifting the economic focus from mass purchasing power to capital accumulation through massive tax cuts and deregulation.

The Great Compression

Following World War II, the United States experienced an unprecedented period of economic egalitarianism. Propelled by the G.I. Bill, the rise of powerful labor unions, and a heavily progressive tax code, the income gap between the wealthiest Americans and the working class shrank dramatically.

Keep ReadingShow less
What Does the China–U.S. Trade Truce Mean for American Industry?

USA and China trade relations, cooperation strategy. US America and China flags on chess king on a chessboard.

Getty Images

What Does the China–U.S. Trade Truce Mean for American Industry?

This nonpartisan policy brief, written by an ACE fellow, is republished by The Fulcrum as part of our partnership with the Alliance for Civic Engagement and our NextGen initiative — elevating student voices, strengthening civic education, and helping readers better understand democracy and public policy.

What Happened at the May 2026 Trump-Xi Summit?

Keep ReadingShow less