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American Elections
Layer Descriptions
Select a state by clicking on the map or using the dropdown menu to show information regarding changes to voting laws in that state. Choosing a layer displays which states have made changes to voting laws of the specified type since 2006. Choosing a layer is not necessary to select and view the information about the states.
Georgia posted by Jack Corkery
Georgia is typically a solidly Republican state. The GOP presidential nominee has won the state's electoral votes in every election since 1996. Demographic changes and an increasing population in the Atlanta metro area have lead many political scientists to believe Georgia may become a swing state soon, so the Republican-led state legislature has passed some voter restrictions to preserve their majority. However, Georgia still remains as one of the easier southern states to vote in.
Georgia offers no-excuse absentee voting. All Georgia voters must do to vote absentee is either mail, fax, or submit in person a completed absentee ballot to a county registrar's office. The application can be found online.
Early and Mail-In Voting
Georgia offers no-excuse early voting. Georgia also offers no-excuse mail in voting. On first look, this seems pretty progressive compared to their neighbors. However, Georgia cut back early voting from 45 to 21 days before the election in 2011. In 2016, a bill to further reduce early voting made it through committee in the state legislature, but never received a full House vote. Early voting can be done in person at separate locations that are not precincts on Election Day. 44% of Georgia voters used early voting in 2014.
Georgia law requires all citizens to be 18 years old to vote and 17.5 years old to register. There are no pre-registration programs for 16 and 17 year old high school students, and none have ever existed. Voters can register up to 28 days before Election Day. There is no same-day registration. Georgia also offers online voter registration. Voters must posses a valid state-issued ID, and then a website will walk them through the steps to register online. Laws have also been passed to make it harder for voter registration groups to conduct registration drives. A 2010 law automatically disqualified voters if their registration form did not completely match data in Social Security and DMV offices. However, this law has been challenged by a federal lawsuit that was filed last month, claiming this violates the Voting Rights Act.
Georgia passed one of the first voter ID laws in the nations in 1977. In 2005 and 2006, the law was tightened to require a photo ID in all cases while voting. A state-issued free ID was included in the 2006 bill to satisfy any issues with the photo ID being considered a "poll tax". Approved photo IDs include driver's licenses, state ID cards, tribal ID cards, United States passports, employee ID cards, military ID cards and voter ID cards issued by county registration offices.
Felon Disenfranchisement
Georgia does not allow felons to vote when they are imprisoned, on parole, or on probation. Once a felon has served their sentence, they are free to vote again.
Youth and College Student Voting
As mentioned above, Georgia does not pre-register high school students, and this practice has not changed over the previous 10 years. College students should be allowed to use their college residence to register to vote in Georgia, and if their residency is challenged, students will receive notice in the mail. A college student ID is an accepted form of photo ID.
South Dakota posted by Francisco Veron Ferreira
Qualifications to Vote
To register to vote in South Dakota, one must:
Be a United States citizen
Reside in South Dakota
Be at least 18 years old on or before the next election
Not currently serving a sentence for a felony conviction which included imprisonment, served or suspended, in an adult penitentiary system
Not be judged mentally incompetent by a court of law
Registration and Voter Identification
All voters must show proof of identification at the polling place. Approved forms of photo identification include:
South Dakota driver's license or non-driver ID card
U.S. government photo ID (passport is acceptable)
U.S. Armed Forces ID
Current student photo identification card from a South Dakota high school or South Dakota accredited institution of higher education
Tribal photo ID
If a voter does not have a photo ID, she or he can sign a personal identification affidavit, and will still be allowed to vote a regular ballot.
Online Registration is not available.
All voters are eligible to vote no-excuse absentee in South Dakota. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee. Absentee ballot applications must be received by county election officials no later than 5PM the day before the election. Completed absentee ballots must be received by election officials by the close of polls on Election Day.
College Voting
Students who are from other states may choose to register to vote in South Dakota, or may vote absentee with their home state. Students who are South Dakota residents who moved to a new county to attend college can still vote.
Although South Dakota does not have Early Voting in the traditional sense, within a certain period of time before an election they do allow In-Person Absentee Voting.
Same Day Registration
Same Day Registration is not permitted in South Dakota.
Convicted felons serving terms of probation cannot vote. Previously, only people on parole or incarcerated were ineligible to register to vote. Now convicted felons must serve their full term of incarceration, parole, and probation before they may register to vote.
High school Pre-registration of soon-to-be-voters
South Dakota does not offer pre-registration of soon-to-be-voters.
Indian Voting Rights
Indian voters still face barriers to voting and representation, reason why South Dakota still refuses to comply with the Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act in these cases.
New York posted by Francisco Veron Ferreira
The following are required of all individuals intending to vote:
be a United States citizen;
be 18 years old by Election Day;
live at her or his present address at least 30 days before an election;
not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction;
not be adjudged mentally incompetent by a court; and
not claim the right to vote elsewhere.
No document is required to cast a ballot, so most voters are not required to provide an ID at the polling place, but the New York Voter Registration Application asks applicants to provide a DMV identification number (either a driver's license number or a non-driver ID number) or else the last four digits of their Social Security Number. If the applicant does not have either of these documents, she or he can send a copy of the following attached with their registration form:
a valid photo ID;
a copy of a current utility bill;
a bank statement;
a paycheck;
a government check; or
some other government document that shows the applicant's name and address.
If an applicant does not provide the above identification information with their voter registration application, she or he will be asked for ID when voting for the first time.
Online registration was implemented in New York in 2011.
New York offers absentee voting for voters who are:
absent from the county on Election Day;
ill or disabled;
patients or inmates at a Veteran's Administration hospital; or
incarcerated for offenses other than felonies or awaiting Grand Jury action.
Mail-in voters must postmark their ballots by the day before Election Day and it must be received no later than the seventh day after the election.
Online Voting is not available in New York.
Students can establish residency in New York if they have a present intention to remain at their New York school address for the time being, and they intend to make it their principal home. Students who lived in New York before moving elsewhere to attend school, and who wish to establish or keep their New York voting residency, should have no problem doing so.
Cf. Williams v. Salerno, 792 F.2d 323
New York does not permit No-excuse Early Voting, but In-person Absentee Voting is permitted.
Same Day Registration is not available in New York.
Felons cannot vote during prison and parole time.
New York is one of four states in which voting rights are restored to a convicted criminal immediately upon completion of prison and parole time.
New York does not offer pre-registration of soon-to-be-voters. Voters have to be 18 years old in order to vote.
In the recent elections, New York has had a very low voter turnout. In this year's primaries, New York had the second lowest turnout rate, after Louisiana, with only 19.7% of eligible voters casting a ballot due to reported irregularities.
Vermont posted by Cayla Barry
Vermont is among the more progressive states regarding voting laws. ID is only required for first time voters, no excuse is necessary for early and absentee voting, and it is one of the only two states that grants convicted felons the right to vote.
Vermont is one of the more lenient states when it comes to voter ID laws. No identification is required at the polls unless someone is a first time voter who registered to vote by mail and opted not to send in a copy of ID with their registration. In that instance, those voters must present ID when they vote in person or send in a copy of ID with your absentee ballot. Vermont accepts various forms of ID such as valid photo ID (driver's license or passport), current utility bill/bank statement, or another government document such as a paycheck.
Vermont began online voter registration in 2015, but no legislation was required to begin doing so. Registering online in Vermont is perhaps the most convenient means of registration for voters who have access to the internet. Like registering in person or by mail, voters registering online must submit the same form and must answer to the same required questions. Vermont's online registration form can be found here.
Vermont became the 14th state to pass legislation to permit same day registration in June 2015. The VT state legislature passed the bill in an effort to increase and encourage voter turnout. However the same day registration will not go into effect until 2017, "in order to give clerks a chance to become familiar with the new system, and so that the new policy will not begin in a presidential election year, when voter turnout tends to be higher."
As of now, Vermont's registration deadline is 5PM on the Wednesday preceding the election, which is 6 days before. If that Wednesday happens to be on a legal holiday, however, the deadline is extended to 5PM on the Thursday preceding the election. This deadline applies to all voter registration forms: in person, mail-in, and online.
Automatic Registration
A more recent trend than online voter registration has been automatic registration. Although it is not a category on the interactive map, it is worth noting that Vermont is among the five states to permit automatic voter registration. The Vermont State Legislature passed automatic voter registration with "sweeping bipartisan support" in April 2016. The legislation will allow eligible voters to automatically register when they visit the DMV and other government agencies unless the opt not to.
The Brennan Center has said that automatic registration makes two transformative changes to voter registration: "Eligible citizens who interact with government agencies are registered to vote unless they decline, and agencies transfer voter-registration information electronically to election officials. These two changes would create a seamless process that will be more convenient and less error-prone for voters, agency staff, and election officials. This reform has the potential to boost registration rates, clean up the rolls, save money, make voting more convenient, and reduce the potential for voter fraud.
High School Student Registration
In November 2010, the Vermont State Legislature approved implemented the Vermont Voting Age Amendment, Proposal 5. This amendment not only allowed 17 year olds to register, but also vote in the primary election as long as they turn 18 before the general election.
High schools in Vermont are permitted to have voter registration drives through voluntary initiative. Participation is not required.
College Student Voting
Vermont permits college students to vote as long as their claimed residency is in the state. Students who have residencies or grew up in Vermont may vote via an early absentee ballot, and students attending college in Vermont can claim residency in the state as long as they are not registered to vote elsewhere. The student voting guide for Vermont can be found on the Brennan Center's website.
Absentee and Early Voting
No excuse is required to vote absentee or early in Vermont. Unless you are a first time voter, there is no ID requirement when voting absentee in VT. The following information regarding early and absentee voting is from the Vermont Secretary of State website.
In Vermont, any voter is eligible to request an early absentee ballot at any point before the election. Voting begins once ballots are available , which is not later than 45 days before the primary or general election. Once ballots are available, voters may vote early at a town clerk's office. Voters can also vote early absentee by mail, in which case clerks will mail the ballots once they are available (45 days before the election.) These mailed ballots come with return envelopes so they can be mailed back to the clerk's office and be counted on Election Day. These ballots can also be hand delivered to and from the clerk's office. To be counted, all ballot submissions must be received prior to Election Day or by 7PM on Election day at the polling place.
Voters or an authorized person (family member/healthcare provider acting on voter's behalf) can request for early absentee ballots in person, online, by phone, by fax, or by mail. Requests submitted on a voter's behalf by an unrelated authorized person (except health care workers) must be made in writing or in person. All other requests can be made by telephone, in person, or in writing. Requests for an early voter absentee ballot can be made at any time until 5 p.m., or by the time of closing of the town clerk's office, on the day before the election. The request can be made at the same time the person registers to vote, as long as the voter registration application and absentee ballot request are submitted by 5 p.m. on the Wednesday before the election (the voter registration deadline). A request for an early voter absentee ballot is good for only one year; but a single request can be made for town meeting, and the primary and general election.
(No) Felon Disenfranchisement
Vermont is one of the only two states that allows convicted felons to vote. The Vermont Voter Bill of Rights ensures full voting rights for convicted felons even while they are incarcerated. While they are serving their sentences, felons may vote from prison via absentee ballot. Felons maintain residency for voting purposes in the town they lived in last prior to their incarceration.
Blue State Despite Classically Red Qualities
Vermont has been a consistently blue state in all 6 general elections, starting in the 1992 general election. However, Vermont was not always such a liberal state. In the time before automatic voter registration, Senator Sanders, and the 1992 election, Vermont was a very Republican state. Looking at some of these changes, particularly demographically, can help to make sense of how Vermont's relatively new blue status has also shaped its liberal voting laws.
If you were to solely observe its demographics, you would think Vermont would be a red, more conservative state. Vermont's population is 93.8% white and more that 50% of the state is rural, which are two strong indicators of Republicanism. Although there is not expansive studies on Vermont's red to blue transition, we can make some inferences based on demographic information.
Nate Silver looked into Vermont's changing political landscape starting in the 1960s and 1970s: "City dwellers from nearby states like Massachusetts and New York began fleeing struggling metropolises like Boston and New York City. Heading north, these migrants had a choice of where to settle, and some self-sorting took place." Vermont continued to attract these white, college-educated, and cosmopolitan individuals as the state legislature passed legislation to limit development such as Act 250. This continued to attract green-minded new comers into Vermont.
Considering Vermont's overall population as predominately white and liberal can help reveal why its voting laws are as lenient as they are. The state legislature majority is Democrat which is also another possible explanation of the state's liberal voting laws. However, most states with restrictive voting laws are A) generally more Republican and B) have higher minority populations. This is not claiming Vermont's whiteness as the sole reason, or even a reason, for its accessible voting laws, but it is instead a demographic observation that could benefit from further inquiry to help understand the development and construction of the state's voting laws.
Montana posted by Cayla Barry
From the outside, Montana's voting laws are relatively moderate: nothing particularly restrictive, but nothing particularly progressive. Montana has "non-strict voter ID laws", permits absentee and early ballot voting, and restores full voting rights to convicted felons after they have completed their sentences. However, Montana's disenfranchisement of Native Americans has recently inspired national legislation as a lawsuit against the state in 2012 acted as a major driving force for the introduction of the Native American Voting Rights Act of 2015.
Voters in Montana are required to present ID prior to receiving a ballot. On Election Day, voters are expected to bring one of the following to the polling place: a Montana driver's license, non-driver's ID, or other photo ID showing their name or a document displaying their name and current address (current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check). If an otherwise eligible voter does not have access to any of these documents, they can complete a Polling Place Elector ID form. If an election worker is present and able to verify the information on the form, the individual can still vote.
For Montana voters who opt to vote via early absentee, ID requirements depend. If it is an individual's first time voting and they did not provide a driver's license number, the last 4 digits of their social security, or a copy of ID when they registered, they will have to attach one of the previously mentioned accepted forms of ID to their mail-in ballot. Voters who are not voting for the first time in Montana do not need to provide ID to vote early absentee via mail.
Registration in Montana
To register in Montana, voters must: be 18 years or older on or before the next election, have US citizenship, and have lived in the Montana for at least 30 days. Registration may be done in person at a county election office or a registration form can be completed and mailed to the country election administrator. Voters cannot register online in Montana. Registration forms are also available when applying for or renewing a driver's license.
When registering in Montana, applicants must provide a state driver's license number or the last 4 digits of their social security number. If a voter has neither, they will need to present another form of ID. Proof of residence is also required when registering to vote in Montana. The address or specific geographic location must be in the county in which the voter is registering.
Regular registration ends in Montana at 5PM 30 days before the election. If voters miss that deadline, however, Montana still allows them to register and vote in the election by late registering at their county election office. Late registration was implemented in Montana in 2005 and the option is available to voters at any time right up through the close of polls on election day, except between noon and 5:00 p.m. the day before the election.
There is no specific legislation that explicitly prohibits high school voter participation, but there are also no state-led initiatives that encourage it either. High schools can, and have, had registration drives. Groups do so through voluntary initiative. When registering high school students, the standard state eligibility requirements apply.
Students attending college outside of Montana but with residency in Montana are still eligible to vote through an absentee ballot. Students who attend college in Montana can also vote in the state as long as they are not registered to vote and do not vote elsewhere. Like all other voters in Montana, college student voters will be asked to present ID before voting. Organizations such as Campus Vote Project are great resources for first time voters and college aged voters.
Montana permits no-excuse early absentee voting for all registered voters. The absentee ballots are mailed to eligible voters 25 days before election day. The following information about absentee voting in Montana is available on the Montana Secretary of State website.
Voters who wish to do so must complete an absentee ballot application, which can either be mailed or personally dropped off at the county election office once completed. Applications need to be received by the county election office by noon the day before the election. For voters who drop off the their application at the office, they will be able to pick up their absentee ballot at the same time.
After submitting the application, voters are mailed an absentee voting packet. If they are available, the packets can also be picked up at the county election office when voters apply for the absentee ballot. Once the absentee ballot is completed, voters must return the ballots in the envelope included with the packet. Voters are required to sign the affirmation found on the return envelop before returning their ballot.
Early absentee voting begins 30 days before the election and can be done in person or by mail. ID is not required if it is NOT a voter's first time participating in an election in Montana. For first time voters, ID is required either in person at the county election's office or attached with their mail-in early absentee ballot.
Absentee ballots must be received by the county election office or polling place by 8PM on Election Day for the ballot to count
In Montana, convicted felons are not permitted to vote during their incarceration. However, Montana does restore full voting rights once the individual has completed their sentence.
Despite the 1992 general election, Montana has been red in 5 of the last 6 elections, and 7 of the last 8. With an overall white and rural demographic landscape, these two factors tend to be heavy indicators of a Republican state. However, there are some indications of Montana becoming more "purple" as its urban areas continue to expand and attract more liberal migrants.
Unequal Access to Native Americans
Montana is among the states with a higher Native American population. However, in many of these states, Native Americans face unequal opportunities including equal voting opportunity.
In 2012, a group of tribal leaders from the Crow, Northern Cheyenne, and Fort Belknap reservations sued sued Montana Secretary of State, Linda MucCulloch. The lawsuit against her and the state/county election officials was filed due to a lack of satellite election offices on these remote reservations and this unequal access to voting locations was identified by the plaintiffs and was accused of being a direct violation of the Voting Rights Act. The lawsuit prompted Montana to be covered by Section 203 of the VRA, which mandates election ballots to be provided in minority languages. Once the lawsuit was settled, Blaine, Big Horn, and Rosebud counties offered to move their election offices for two days a week from their regular locations in county courthouses to tribal facilitates on Indian reservations during Montana's 30 day early voting period.
The lawsuit also acted as a major impetus for the introduction of the Native American Voting Rights Act of 2015. The legislation is still pending for further action.
Nevada posted by Brittni Teresi
Nevada is heavily a swing state due to the fact that it has a large population of democratic voters that dominate Clark County, with increased registration of latino and minority voters. However, the large majority of the rest of Nevada, especially in rural areas, is Republican. This splits Nevada and offers uncertainty as to which presidential candidate will ultimately gain the electoral votes.
Absentee Voter ID
A voter ID is not required for absentee voting. These laws would have been made more difficult had legislation proposed by republican senator Settelmeyer, which would have required all voters to provide photo ID when voting, had passed. However, first time voters in Nevada registering to vote with an absentee ballot must provide photo ID if they do not have a drivers license or photo identification registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Absentee voting has been allowed with no-excuse needed since 1989.
While students attending college in Nevada can register to vote in the state by registering with their school address, college students from Nevada who are attending school out of state may have a difficult time voting. This is because first time voters in Nevada who register online or by mail are not allowed to vote with an absentee ballot unless they submit an application signed by a notary or request an absentee ballot in state at the election office. Similarly, Nevada is accused of suppressing college voters by using a voting database registry called Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program, which is said to delete minorities and young voters from the database. Part of the reason for this difficulty for college voters may be due to the fact that young people are said to play a critical role in Nevada elections.
Nevada has approved early voting since 1994. They offer early voting starting the 3rd Saturday before election day and ending the Friday before election day. While no changes to early voting have been made, it was proposed in 2015 that early voting be offered less hours and days per week leading up to the election day; the bill died in the senate.
Mail-in Voting
Any voter in Nevada can participate in mail-in voting by requesting a no-excuse needed absentee ballot, but mail-in voting itself is not a practice unless there are fewer than 20 registered voters in a district. Nevada tribes formed a lawsuit in September 2016 stating that this creates unequal access to polls and violates the National Voting Rights Act because their nearest voter registration and polling place are at least 70 miles away for both the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and the Walker River Paiute Tribe. However, their lawsuit was dismissed under the grounds that there would not be enough time to set up a new polling place before the voter registration deadline passed in October and laws regarding mail-in voting were not changed.
All citizens are able to register online through providing their driver's license and social security number as of the 2012 election. Similarly, a law was recently proposed to the legislature in August 2016 suggesting automatic voter registration through the DMV, which would automatically register those over 18 who obtain a driver's license to vote unless they check to "opt-out" of the program.
Rules Governing Groups Registering Voters
As of 2011, Nevada has passed several requirements for individuals and groups running registration drives to help register voters. The electors helping the person register to vote must not endorse a specific political party or referendum, must submit the registration forms to the election office within 10 days, and must provide their name, signature, and address on the registration form to be submitted to the Clerk's office. They must also provide the person who they are registering with a copy of their voter registration form, including their own name, signature, and address on that copy as well. Finally, the Secretary of State office maintains standard voting registration forms for groups with a unique control number on each form and maintains a voting database of each voter, which is made public to individual candidates and interest groups. All of these laws are outlined in Nevada senate bill S.193, S.293, and in a Guide to Conducting Voter Registration drives provided by the Secretary of State office.
Same day voter registration is not permitted.
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act
Nevada is not subject to section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
Nevada is one of four states that permanently prevents certain felons from voting, unless they apply for and are approved for a pardon. If citizens have been convicted of two or more felons or have committed a class A or B felon, such as sexual assault, burglary, child abuse, or battery, they can no longer vote in the state of Nevada. For all other felons, those convicted can vote after they complete their jail sentence, probation, and parole. A law was passed by both the house and the senate in 2011 to restore voting rights to all citizens after they had completed their jail sentence, probation, and parole, but the bill was vetoed by Governor Sandoval both in 2011 and in 2015.
Pre-Registration for High School Students
Students can pre-register to vote if they will be 18 years old and eligible to vote in the next election. While not related to legislation, the secretary of state did launch a website, called youthvote.nv.gov, for the 2016 election allowing students who are too young to vote to begin tolearn about the election process and participate in a mock election.
Voter ID Laws
A Nevada republican state senator, Settelmeyer attempted to pass a voter ID law in 2015, requiring voters to show some form of photo identification at the polls and providing free photo identification for voters who did not have an ID. The law ultimately failed, primarily because a budget could not be approved to pay for the free voter IDs. Therefore, Nevada currently has no voter ID requirements at the polls. Only first time voters who did not register online with their driver's license number must show ID at the polls. Instead of ID requirements, voters must provide their signature and their signature is compared with that of the signature on the voter's registration.
Nevada is currently being sued by two native American tribes, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and the Walker River Paiute tribes, for failing to comply with the Voting Rights Act. The tribes claim that they are being discriminated against because they have no polling locations for early voting or regular voting within 37 miles of their homes. The Secretary of State denies this is discrimination under the grounds that many other options for voting in Nevada are available, such as no-excuse absentee ballots and mail-in voting.
Wyoming posted by Asma Noray
Wyoming has voted consistently Republican since 1992.
Voters must register in-person at a local county office or personally mail in a registration form.
Identification requirements for registration (ONE of the following):
Wyoming driver's license
Wyoming state ID card
Current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or government document that shows your name and address
Same day registration permitted since 1994. Identification (Driver's license, state ID card, US passport, Photo ID card issued by the University of Wyoming, a Wyoming Community College, or a Wyoming Public School, US Military ID, tribal ID cards) is only required if a voter is registering to vote on the day of the election.
This is particularly significant in Wyoming's context because voters are purged from voter registration lists if they fail to vote in a general election. Same day registration was put in place partly to provide voters with a mechanism to participate in an election even if they had unknowingly been purged previously for failing to vote in an earlier election. However, voter purges due to a failure to vote previously may still preclude voters from participating in their party's nomination process that follows a caucus format that cuts off registration several weeks in advance of the caucus.
Strict restrictions on voter registration drives have been implemented since 2006, meaning that advocacy, partisan, and/or community groups cannot hold events to register voters.
"Election officials in Wyoming do not accept voter registration applications submitted through voter registration drives" and voters are required to personally mail or deliver registration forms.
Challenges to this law have been raised by citizens who were turned down by Wyoming county clerks when requesting multiple voter registration forms to register fellow community members to vote. Such lawsuits have argued that Wyoming's banning of voter registration drives "violates First and 14th Amendment rights, several sections of the Wyoming Constitution, and a federal civil rights law," and also violates an American tradition that has supported community involvement in registering voters in other states. Subsequently, U.S. District Judge William Downes confirmed that state law should preclude outside parties from registering people to vote, claiming that citizens have many other opportunities to vote including early voting, same day registration, and the ability to contact their county offices if they need assistance with registering in person due to disability or difficulty in reaching their nearest office. In defending the law, Judge Downes stated that "There's been no citizen that's been demonstrated to me that's been denied their right to register to vote."
In 2013, a law was enacted that established that a person's "residence" could be deemed as an institution of learning in the case of college students.
Additionally, a student may present a photo ID card issued by the University of Wyoming, a Wyoming Community College, or a Wyoming Public School as valid identification for registration purposes.
Early Voting:
In 2014, a law was enacted to allow early voting to be held 40 days before the election and to be termed as "in-person absentee voting." Similar to regular absentee voting, this would not require any reasoning to be provided by the voter.
Felon Disenfranchisement:
Felons cannot vote while in the prison, probation, and parole period and voting rights can be restored five years afterwards due to a law signed by Governor Freudenthal in 2003. This law stipulated that non-violent first offenders may apply to a parole board for restoration of voting rights after five years. Prior to 2003, the only way for a previously convicted felon to regain voting rights was to make an appeal to the Governor of Wyoming.
In 2014, the Joint Judiciary Interim Committee in Wyoming began conducting an interim study on felon disenfranchisement and supported the possibility of drafting a bill that would automatically restore voting rights for non-violent first offenders rather than instituting the five year waiting period and the mandatory appeal to a parole board. This measure was supported primarily by Rep. Dan Wonitzer and the Equality State Policy Center in Wyoming. Their executive director Dan Neil stated that automatic registration would remove barriers to restoring voter registration rights for ex-felons and would in turn encourage them to be involved in civic affairs and "functioning as full members of the community again" after having "paid their debt to society."
Other than this, there have been few significant changes to voting laws in Wyoming since 2006.
Utah posted by Brittni Teresi
Utah is far from a swing state as they have consistently voted Republican in at least the last 10 presidential elections. This is due to the strong influence of the majority mormon population, which is a vastly conservative religious group on many issues, especially same sex marriage and anti-abortion.
Though Utah has relatively strict voter ID requirements at the polls, requiring one form of photo ID or two forms of identification with the voter's name and address, absentee voter ID requirements are fairly relaxed. Those requesting an absentee ballot do not need to provide ID unless they have never voted in person and have not submitted proper identification with their voter registration form.
Utah is one of 27 states that offers no excuse absentee voting; to vote absentee, voters must simply fill out a one page application form either online or by mail and get it to the election office by the Thursday before an election. All absentee ballots must be received by 7pm on election day. If voters request an absentee ballot but decide that they would rather vote at the polls, they may still vote in person as long as they bring their absentee ballot to the polling place for disposal.
Utah is also special in that it has offered the option for permanent absentee voting status since 1996 and more than 18% of the population takes advantage of this, as documented in the 2014 general election. This means people may enter into a database in which they are mailed an absentee ballot each year without having to continuously fill out an application.
As long as college students have resided in Utah for at least 30 days, they are able to register to vote with their school address. Students must provide their school ID and one other form of identification when voting. If students register to vote in Utah, they are declaring that state their place of residency and are therefore subject to all other state laws.
Utah began offering early voting in 2006 as a strategy to help reduce the financial strain in complying with the Help America Vote Act, which required an upgrade to polling machines and election procedures in response to the issues with the 2000 general election. The early voting procedures require participants to provide identification at the polls and allow them to vote within two weeks before election day. When early voting was first enacted in 2006, 83,000 voters participated and this number has steadily increased to include about 20% of voters after the 2014 election.
Though voting is not exclusively by mail, Utah Code 20A-3-302 allows counties and jurisdiction to conduct an election strictly by mail if they choose to do so. About one-third of Utah counties have recently switched to this method, which has thought to increase voter turnout by 52%. However, the new mail-in voting system is controversial as the Navajo Nation has recently sued San Juan County for the procedure, stating that it is a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because much of the Navajo population can not read the ballots and the postal service in the Navajo Nation is unreliable.
Implemented after low voter turnout in 2014, citizens may register to vote online as long as they have a signature on file with the Department of Motor Vehicles. They must register at least 7 days before an election.
For the most part, Utah does not cause place to many restrictions on groups registering voters as they have no official volunteer system, required training, return deadline or penalty, and no required registration or reporting. However, groups registering voters can request mail-in ballot forms in groups of 250 and can only obtain more ballots after they return 200 completed ballots to the clerk's office.
While same day voter registration is not permitted, the Utah legislature approved a three year pilot program in 2014 in which three counties are allowing voters to register on election day. The hope is that, if the program is successful and does not cause many issues, such as voter fraud, same day registration will be implemented throughout the state by 2017.
States Covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act as of 2013
Utah is not covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. However, the are covered by section 203, which means that they must provide all registration forms, voting documents, and notices in the language of a minority group rather than just in English. This is especially important to the Navajo Nation in Utah, who recently felt discriminated against by the requirement of mail-in voting in their county because many of the residents claimed they were unable to comprehend the ballots.
As long as a citizen is not currently incarcerated, they are permitted to vote in an election; this means those on probation or parole are also allowed to vote. Before 1998, Utah allowed incarcerated felons to vote, but they modified this law to include only those on parole and probation, stating that voting would be beneficial to rehabilitation in society. In 2006, the law was expanded to include those who had been convicted of a felon in another state and had resettled in Utah. Most recently, in 2011, Utah expanded the right to vote for those who had been convicted of a minor election offense as well.
Pre-Registering Soon-to-be Voters in High School
Due to a lack of voter turnout, Utah implemented a law recently that allows high school students, aged 16 and 17, to register to vote through the Motor Voter Vehicles Act. As of 2015, students obtaining a driver's license can preregister on their Department of Motor Vehicles form and their registration will take effect once they turn 18 years old. A law was proposed in the legislature this January attempting to allow 17 year olds to vote in the primary if they would be eligible to vote in the general election; however, this law has not been passed.
Voter ID laws are extremely strict in Utah. Voters must provide ID every time they vote in person; this ID can be either one form of photo identification or two forms including the voter's name and proof of residency.
Alaska posted by Asma Noray
Alaska has consistently supported the Republican party since 1992.
Voter Registration:
Online voter registration became available in Alaska in 2015.
While same day registration is not currently permitted, there were a few attempts in 2010 to implement it that failed to pass.
In order to register, a voter must present ONE of the following items of identification. In addition, "an election official may waive the identification requirement if the election official knows the identity of the voter." A voter that is not registered also has the right to vote a questioned ballot on election day. Questioned ballots are reviewed by a board that determines whether the ballot can be counted.
-Official voter registration card-Driver's license-Birth certificate-Passport-Hunting or fishing license
-Current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document with the voter's name and address
Section 5 of VRA:
Alaska was among the states regulated under Section 5 due to a history of discrimination against Alaskan native minorities that make up 19% of Alaska's population.
English language tests were previously used to impact Alaskan Native voting eligibility. Although native population were granted citizenship in 1924, Alaska required potential voters to prove their ability to read and write English before being allowed to vote until 1970 in order to target Native populations specifically.
Language barriers to the right to vote has continued to impact native populations even in recent history. In 2013, two elders and four tribal councils sued the State of Alaska to require all voting information that is provided in English to be provided in Yup'ik and Gwich'in as well.
ACLU of Alaska stated that the DOJ required the state to reverse provisions to eliminate rural voting precincts under Section 5. Without this, voters in rural Native villages would have had to travel up to 77 miles to vote.
In 2012, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the state's redistricting board had violated provisions made by the VRA.
Alaska filed a lawsuit to challenge the VRA's pre approval requirement but the case was placed on hold until the Supreme Court's decision in Shelby County.
Voters may vote 15 days before the election due to a law enacted in 2015.
While there have not been many changes in absentee voter laws in Alaska, the state has unique regulations regarding voters residing in rural areas. Voters in Alaska who "reside in a remote area where distance, terrain, or other natural conditions deny the voter reasonable access to the polling place" may apply for permanent absentee status which would allow them to return absentee ballots by mail in every election.
No specific absentee voter ID required.
College Student Voting:
Law enacted in 2008 to establish a person's residence as a "habitation to which, whenever absent, the person has the intention to return."
"If a person resides in one place, but does business in another, the former is the person's place of resident."
Felons cannot vote while in prison, parole, or probation and voting rights are restored after this period.
Washington posted by Asma Noray
Washington has consistently supported the Democratic party since 1992.
All-Mail Elections:
One of the most impactful changes regarding election laws in Washington has been the implementation of voting exclusively by mail in 2011. Under this law, ballots are mailed to the address listed on the registration form no later than 18 days before election day, after which a voter has to postmark their ballot by Election Day.
Research on the impact of voting exclusively by mail on voter turnout has been inconclusive, as it has only been implemented fully in two other states.
In Washington, "researchers found that switching to all-mail elections increased overall participation by about three percentage points in presidential and midterm elections." Other research has shown that all mail voting in fact had no impact on voter turnout rates that remained at 53% in comparable general elections before and after the 2011 law was enacted. Other than increasing voter turnout rates, major support for switching to all mail voting also involved a desire to ensure that all votes were being counted fairly and uniformly, and to save money by reducing the amount of temporary workers required to staff polling locations.
In Oregon, all mail voting increased turnout by 10 percentage points the first time it was implemented, but turnout decreased again in subsequent elections.
In pilot programs in certain counties in states like California, the measure had a positive impact for certain demographics like Hispanic voters, but the opposite effect for Asian demographics.
Further Implications of All-Mail Voting:
Since almost all voters cast their ballots by mail, absentee voting requests are not necessary unless a voter wishes to vote from an address different from the one they original registered with. In this case, no excuse is needed to request an absentee ballot.
Prior to the implementation of all-mail voting, requesting an absentee ballot similarly did not require a valid reason. However, a law in 2006 was passed to require voters to sign the outside of the envelope of their ballot in order to be able to count their vote.
No early voting because mail in ballots are sent to voters 18 days in advance of the election.
No same-day registration required
Attempts between 2007-2010 were made to implement same day voter registration before the all mail in ballot system was implemented, but all of these measures failed.
Voter ID
No identification required if voting by mail (identification required only at the online registration phase).
If a voter wishes to vote in person at the vote center in their county (at least one required in every county,) they need the following identification:
– A driver's license-A state identification card-A student identification card-A tribal identification card-An employer identification card
The state disenfranchises felons during prison, probation, and parole, but their voting rights can be restored immediately afterwards according to a law signed by Governor Gregoire in 2009.
Prior to this law, former felons were barred from voting until they had completed paying off all legal bills, fines, fees, and restitution. According to the ACLU, this resulted in 167,000 former felons in the state being prohibited from voting due to legal debt that had accrued at the time of sentencing and while they were serving time. Supporters of the reform stated that the measure would "help people who have served their time to reconnect with their communities" and further highlighted the overarching benefits of granting automatic restoration of voting rights by referring to research showing that "People who vote are at less risk of reoffending, which leads to safer communities for us all."
While there have been no changes to laws regarding college student voting since 2006, a law in 2003 established that voters can claim "residence" in WA for the purpose of registering if they are "a student at any institution of learning."
For voters studying outside of WA, a person's residence is anywhere a person "maintains as his or her abode."
"Absence from the state on business shall not affect the question of residence of any person unless the right to vote has been claimed or exercised elsewhere."
Groups Registering Voters:
Since 2011, it is required that all county auditors keep a supply of voter registration forms for the use of any political parties or organisation to register voters.
South Carolina posted by Jack Corkery
South Carolina has been a Republican stronghold since 1976, when it's electoral votes went to Jimmy Carter. This GOP domination, along with a history of institutionalized racism, makes SC a state with strict voting restrictions.
South Carolina allows absentee voting, although with very strict restrictions. Voters can either apply online or at a county voter registration office. Voters can absentee vote in person at county voter registration offices, or by mail for certain oversees and out of town citizens. Generally, absentee voting is only available to those outside of their residence for purposes of military enlistment, work, or school. Other exemptions include seniors over 65, those who are sick or caring for the sick, government employees and their families, or those working the polls on election day.
South Carolina does not offer early or mail-in voting, except for those who meet the restrictions stated in the absentee voting section.
South Carolina offers online voter registration, which is one of the few areas where voting is actually easier than normal. Online registration requires a state-issued ID card or driver's license. There is no same-day registration, and voters must be registered 31 days before the election. Voters must be US citizens, SC residents, and 18 years of age or older on the day of the general election. There have been no new laws that place restrictions on groups registering people to vote passed in the past ten years. In fact, SC is relatively lax about voter registration groups. Organizations do not have to receive training or file any additional information about activities or compensation of employees conducting voter drives with the SC State Election Commission.
Starting on January 1, 2o13, South Carolina residents are now required to show state-approved Photo ID at their voting precinct in order to cast a ballot. This law was passed in 2011, but the US Justice Department blocked it, and the law was sent to federal court. The federal court upheld the law, but decided that instating the law before the 2012 election would pose an undue burden on minority voters. This law does include an exception for those without a photo ID, which allows these voters to sign a "reasonable impediment" to acquiring a photo ID. These "reasonable impediments" can be anything, as long as the voter explains why. However, signs advertising for voter registration and at polling locations state in big font, "Photo ID requirements now in effect", and only mention the "reasonable impediment" exemption in small, somewhat hidden font. This lack of information surrounding the exemption has driven down voter turnout, and has been nearly as effective as an outright requirement for photo ID.
Convicted felons cannot vote in South Carolina during their time in prison, on parole, or on probation. Once they have served their sentence, felons have their voting rights reinstated.
South Carolina does not pre-register high school students, and historically never have. Citizens must be turning 18 on or before election day in order to be eligible to register. SC has also not passed any laws over the past ten years that restrict college student voting. Most counties allow college students to vote without problems, but the largest county in the state, Greenville County, which is also home to four institutions of higher education, requires all voters who list a college address as their home residence to fill out a questionnaire that almost always results in a failed registration attempt. This practice has been occurring for at least 24 years.
West Virginia posted by Brittni Teresi
West Virginia is sometimes considered a swing state because, although it has voted republican in the last 4 elections, it votes primarily democratic on the state and local level, indicating a large population of democratic voters. West Virginia was a key battleground state in the 2000 election, but has not been seen as a battleground state since as they have become increasingly republican in the general election.
An ID is not required for absentee voting.
Absentee voting is allowed by application process if a person is not able to make it to the polls by election day; the application must be submitted at least 6 days before election day. Permanent absentee voting is also allowed if a person has a permanent physical disability that prevents them from getting to the polls or if they are part of a confidentiality program. Ballots must be postmarked by election day.
Students who are 17 years old may vote in municipal and state primaries. College students are also allowed to register to vote in West Virginia with their school address. Stalnaker V. State of West Virginia in 2003 affirmed that, as long as residents consider the state their permanent home, temporary absence or a change of working conditions, such as school, does not effect voter eligibility. This means that students from West Virginia going to school out of state can not be excluded to vote if they still consider West Virginia their permanent home.
Early voting is allowed 13 days before the election and the first two Saturdays before the election.
Mail-in voting is only used in the instance of an absentee ballot. Otherwise, early voting and voting on election day take place at the polls.
Online voter registration is permitted as long as citizens have a drivers license and at least the last 4 digits of their social security number. This bill was passed in 2013 and was enacted in 2015, despite a law suit against it by the American Civil Rights Union stating that online voter registration may increase the chance of voter fraud; this lawsuit was rejected by the West Virginia supreme court. Moreover, voter registration is expected to increase as West Virginia enrolled in an opt-out, automatic voter registration system, which registers people to vote when obtaining their driver's license unless people check the "opt-out" box.
West Virginia maintains multiple restrictions on voter registration groups. Groups registering voters can hold an official volunteer registration drive, but the volunteers holding the drive must meet the same requirements as elected officials, including that they must not have bet on a candidate or consumed alcohol before the drive. All volunteers must be trained by the Clerk's Office prior to the drive and, if going door to door, volunteers must register voters in pairs of one republican and one democrat. Finally, if a group is hosting a non-official volunteer drive, they must return ballots 15 days after they obtain a signature. If a group requests more than 200 ballots for a drive, they must submit contact information, dates of the drives, and location of the drive. These laws are listed in code S3-2-9 and S3-2-10.
No. All citizens must be registered to vote by October 18th, 21 days before the general election.
West Virginia has not been subjected to section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. It is thought that if Section 5 had a different formula for states, West Virginia would be subjected to the act due to low voter turnout, according to a New York Times article citing the Voting Rights Initiative; however, this is not the case.
Felons are not permitted to vote if they are incarcerated, on parole, or on probation. Restrictions for felons were loosened in 2015, however, after Governor McAuliffe signed a bill that allows ex-felons to submit a voting application before they have paid off court fees, considers drug convictions non-violent offenses, and allows serious offenders to submit an application for voting after 3 years instead of 5 years of their conviction.
High School Pre-Registration
W. Va. Code §3-2-2 allows voters who are 17 years of age to begin registering to vote. 17 year olds are also permitted to vote in state primaries and municipal elections.Putnam County in West Virginia also started a high school program that buses students eligible to vote to the polls for early voting.
West Virginia voters currently must only provide an ID if they registered to vote by mail and are voting for the first time. The ID can be anything with the voter's name and address, including a driver's license, a utility bill, or a photo identification card. However, due to the passage of an automatic voter registration bill, voter ID requirements are also being tightened. After January 1, 2018, voters will be required to provide some form of ID each time they vote. This ID can be a utility bill, a health insurance card, or verification by another adult who has known the voter for 6 months.
New Jersey posted by Gilbert Orbea
What are New Jersey's current laws regarding voter ID?
New Jersey has undertaken few, if any, changes of its voter laws. Current voting laws in the state require that:
You are a citizen of the United States
You are 18 by the time of the election
You are a resident of the county where you are voting in for at least 30 days
You are not serving a sentence, probation, or parole for any felonies
Most importantly, New Jersey does not require you to show an ID when voting. You only ever need to show ID when you register, or before voting for the first time; that is only if you did not include a driver's license number or Social Security number.
Does New Jersey allow you to mail your ballot in? Does it allow for early voting? Online/automatic registration?
New Jersey allows mail-in voting for all of its residents through absentee votes. Absentee voters do not need to show ID. Its early voting is "in-person absentee voting", beginning as soon as ballots are available – usually 45 days before the election – and lasting until 3 P.M. on the day before Election Day. New Jersey does not have online registration or automatic registration.
What changes has the legislature implemented, or tried to implement?
Last year, the New Jersey Legislature crafted a bill aimed at loosening many of the current laws. The bill, known as the Democracy Act, passed both houses of the Legislature with partisan support, as Democrats control both chambers. Governor Chris Christie vetoed the bill. It provided for:
Early voting for two weeks before Election Day, including weekends
Automatic registration at the Motor Vehicle Commission
Online registration (NJ is one of 12 states that does not currently, or pending implementation, have online registration)
Governor Christie, in his infinite wisdom, claimed the Democracy Act should be called the "The Voter Fraud Enhancement and Permission Act". Similarly, the governor blasted it by saying it was "a cocktail of fraud" that would register ineligible voters, despite study after study finding that voter fraud is exceedingly rare.
Governor Christie also recently shot down an attempt at automatic voter registration and at allowing 17 year olds to vote in the primaries if they turn 18 by the general election. The governor criticized legislators for sending him the automatic registration proposal, noting that it would cost $1 million to implement and $400,000 every year to maintain. Amazingly, the governor had no such qualms when he, in 2013, spent $24 million of state money to schedule a special election for a Senate seat just a month before his reelection. That money would have provided for nearly 60 years funding for the automatic registration proposal.
What issues does New Jersey face regarding voting barriers?
According to Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration, New Jersey currently ranks 22nd in the nation in terms of percent of young adults that vote. New Jersey has no female Representatives or Senators, ranking last in the nation. It also ranks 39th in both voter turnout and percent of voting-age population registered. In 2015, only around 20% of eligible voters voted in New Jersey – the lowest in the state's history. There is much work to be done on ensuring that all citizens who can vote are registered and able to exercise that precious right as easily as possible.
New Jersey is one of ten states controlled fully by Democrats. It is also one of the few Democratic-controlled states with a Republican governor. It is no coincidence that a partisan legislature, in passing laws designed to: expand early voting, implement automatic registration and online registration, and allow 17 year olds to vote in primaries would be shot down by a Republican governor under the guise of "fraud". In general, New Jersey is one of the few states that has attempted to expand the franchise and loosen many of its laws in recent years. Governor Chris Christie has prevented those efforts, but given his unpopularity, his (likely Democratic) successor may have the legislative muscle to quickly pass proposals modeled on the Democracy Act in the future. We could see an expansion of the franchise in New Jersey's future very soon.
Rhode Island posted by Lily Tyson
Rhode Island voter registration is due 30 days prior to an election. Since September 2016 Rhode Island voters are able to register to vote online.
Rhode Island does not allow for no-excuse early voting.
According to Rhode Island's policies on Absentee voting, voters must apply for absentee ballots 21 days (3 weeks) before the election. Rhode Island allows for no-excuse absentee voting. However, Rhode Island also allows in the case of an emergency for a ballot application to be submitted by 4 pm the day before the election.
Under Rhode Island State Law Section 17-19-24.2, as of January 1, 2014 Rhode Island voters must show proof of ID. The 2016 election is the first Presidential Election in which these laws will be in place. Eligible IDs include: Rhode Island driver's license, Rhode Island voter identification card, U.S. passport, student ID, US Military ID or a government issued medical card. However, the Rhode Island Secretary of State's Office issues free voter photo ID cards to voters in need of one.
This law is unique because traditionally states with Voter ID laws similar to Rhode Island's have Republican majorities in the senate. However, Rhode Island is traditionally a democratic state. Investigation into why this measure passed in Rhode Island explains that many democrats in Rhode Island are more conservative than democrats elsewhere. In addition, if a voter does not have valid identification, they can fill out a provisional ballot.
In 2006, Rhode Island passed a bill to allow for 16 year old voter registration.
Under the Rhode Island Restoration of Voting Rights Act of 2006, Rhode Island restored the right to vote to formerly incarcerated individuals. This right was restored through a public referendum. This right was established through an amendment to the state constitution, and it allows individuals on probation or parole to vote. Currently only prisoners who are at the time of the election incarcerated for a felony are prohibited from voting in Rhode Island.
Georgia posted by J. Douglas Willen
Tennessee posted by John Cote
In 2004, George W. Bush won by a 14% margin over John Kerry. In 2008, John McCain carried the state over Barack Obama by 15%. In 2012, Mitt Romney won by 20% over Barack Obama.
Tennessee requires that voters present a government issued ID at the polls. College ID cards are not valid. The state's voter ID law has been challenged in court. In 2012, the law was ruled to not violate the state's constitution. The law was then brought to a Court of Appeals, where the ID law was again upheld. However, the Court ruled that the state also accept library cards as acceptable forms of identification. In response, members of the Tennessee state legislator vowed to challenge this mandate, bringing the law to the Tennessee Supreme Court. Separate but simultaneously, the state legislature passed a second bill that specifically required voters to present a form of identification issued by the state or federal government, making library cards no longer acceptable forms of identification. The Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in October of 2013 that the Voter ID law was not unconstitutional and permitted the state to not accept library cards as an acceptable form of identification.
Voting for college students is difficult in Tennessee because the state only accepts state-issued forms of identification with the exception of a U.S. passport. This makes voting more challenging for college students who may not have brought their passport with them to college.
Tennessee permits early voting. Early voting begins twenty days before an election and ends five days before election day. I could not find any evidence that Tennessee's early voting laws have changed since 2006.
Same Day and High School Registration
Tennessee does not permit same day registration, nor does it pre-register soon to be voters in high school.
Absentee voting is only permitted under select circumstances. These circumstances include: the voter being outside of the county on election day, the voter or voter's spouse studying at a school outside of the county, a special request from the physician of a voter, the voter is older than sixty, jury duty, the voter is one of the candidates running for office, the voter is in the hospital and cannot make it to the polls on election day, religious reasons, or active service in the military.
A social security number is needed to vote absentee. I could not find evidence that this requirement has been introduced since 2006.
Other than absentee ballots, Tennessee does not offer mail-in voting.
Tennessee does not offer online voting.
Felony Disenfranchisement
Tennessee has interesting restrictions on voting for felons. People convicted before 1986 must petition for their voting rights to be restored. Prior to 2006, the state held a court hearing in which prosecutors could object the restoration of a convicted felon's voting privilege. People convicted after 1996 have the same trial process, but are automatically disenfranchised if they were convicted of rape, murder, treason, or voter fraud. In 2006, however, the state passed legislation that did away with the court hearings in favor of a form that restores voting privileges upon completion.
Tennessee has no rules or even guidelines regarding groups registering voters so long as they "get the completed forms turned in ASAP." I could find no evidence that Tennessee had different rules or guidelines regarding voting registration drives in 2006 than they do in 2016.
Missouri posted by Stephanie Chen
In the past four elections, Missouri has been red, however, in the past it has typically been known to be a swing state.
53.3% of the votes went to George Bush and Dick Cheney and 46.1% of the vote to John Kerry and John Edwards.Republican, Nancy Farmer, won the senate seat. Republican Matt Blunt became governor. The election results can be viewed here.
49.4% of the votes went to John McCain and Sarah Palin and 49.3% of the vote went to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The Republican Party saw a 3.9% change in party votes. Democrat Jay Nixon easily won the Governor seat after Republican Matt Blunt decided not to run again. Nixon won 58.4% of the vote. Out of the nine districts in Missouri, five went Republican. The election results can be viewed here and election highlights can be found here.
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan won 53.7% of the vote while President Obama and Joe Biden won 44.36% of the vote. Claire Kaskill won the Senator seat with 54.814% of the vote.Incumbent, Jay Nixon won the Governor seat again with 54.7% of the vote.
A student may change their residency to Missouri if they attend school there. If a student attends school out of state, the student can still vote in Missouri. The Brennan Center provides a helpful guide for students to follow, which can be viewed here.
Preregistration of high schoolers
Missouri allows for people to begin registering at 17 1/2 years old as long as he or she will be 18 by the election.
An excuse is required for a person to vote absentee. Absentee voting opens up six weeks before. If someone has not registered with ID, then a form of identification must be sent over. The Missouri absentee ballot can be found here. Absentee voting laws can be found in the Chapter 115 of the 2015-2016 Election Laws in 115.275.
According to the Secretary of State's protocol on absentee identification: "Voters requesting an absentee ballot by mail who have registered by mail and have not voted in person are required to submit a copy of their personal identification unless they provided a copy with their registration application."
There is no early voting in Missouri. In 2014, Missouri attempted to pass Amendment 6 for early voting, but Missouri constituents voted no. This amendment would not have helped to increase voter access. Instead, there would be high costs of up to $100,000 per election, without the promise of higher voter turnout. More details to opposition towards an early voting amendment can be found here.
State disenfranchisement
Voter disenfranchisement can be found in the Missouri Election Laws in section 115.133 called "Qualifications of Voters and Registration". A person cannot vote while in prison, on probation or on parole. The disenfranchisement laws disproportionally effect voters of color. According to the Brenann Center in 2014, 7% of African American men in Missouri were disenfranchised.
Online voter registration was enacted in 2014 in Missouri. This will increase access for more people to have the chance to vote. The site to register in Missouri can be found here.
Missouri Voter ID laws (HB30 and HB339) that were struck down in 2014 have now been approved by Missouri legislators in 2016. This November, voters will decide whether Voter ID is necessary. Secretary of State Jason Kander released a report in 2014 on his concerns over voter ID laws in Missouri including the possible outcome of 220,000 disenfranchised voters. Under this new legislation, a voter would not be required to bring photo ID. The government would pay for people to get IDs and would also cover the cost of documents needed in order to get an ID. More detailed information can be found from the Kansas City Star.
A paid registration worker must register with the Secretary of State. Any time a form is turned in, the person registering must submit it within seven days. If voter registration rules are not followed a person can face up to a year in jail or $2,500 in fines. For more information please click here.
Arkansas posted by Marit Vike
Absentee Voting – need to apply for the application the day before the election at least and the ballots are due
In Person: by close of business the day BEFORE the election
By Designated Bearer: by 7:30 p.m. ON election day
By Mail: received at clerks office by 7:30 p.m. ON election day
You may NOT fax or email a ballot. UOCAVA voters must vote their ballot by Election Day, and it must be received by their county clerk by 5:00p.m. 10 days after the election.
By Authorized Agent:by 7:30 p.m. ON election day
Excuse is needed , You will be unavoidably absent from your polling site on election day, OR
You will be unable to attend your polling site on election day due to illness or physical disability, OR
You are a member of the Uniformed Services, merchant marines or the spouse or a dependent family member and are away from your polling location due to the member's active duty status, OR
A U.S. citizen whose residence is in Arkansas but is temporarily living outside the territorial limits of the United States.
sos.arkansas.gov
Absentee Voter ID- ID is required while registering, but
If you're voting for the first time in Arkansas, registered to vote by mail, and didn't submit a copy of your ID when you registered, attach a copy of one of the following to your mail ballot:
Non-driver's license ID
Current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document with your name and address
vote.org
College Student Voting – Students may establish voting residency in the place they consider their principal home, whether that be their current school address or at another address (such as a parent's address) they still consider to be "home."
Only students who register in Arkansas for the first time by mail or during a voter registration drive and did not provide their Arkansas driver's license number, state ID card number, or the last four digits of their Social Security number on their registration need to submit a copy of identification with their registration or present it when voting. Acceptable forms of identification include a copy of a valid photo ID, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or any other official government document that shows the voter's name and address.
campusvoteproject.org
brennancenter.org
Early Voting– yes Depending on the type of election being conducted, you may early vote during the 7 or 15 days prior to Election Day. AR Code §7-5-418
During a preferential primary or a general election, early voting is available between the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, ending at 5 p.m. on the Monday before the election
ncsl.org
Mail-in Voting – Not applicable
Online Voter Registration – not available
Rules governing groups registering voters: There are not very strict rules governing registering groups in Arkansas. There are a few practical restrictions on registration drives. These restrictions are enforced by the attorney general and several other local attorneys.
If the applicant is unable to sign the form, the form can be completed according to the applicant's direction and the registration drive worker must sign box 24 on the state voter registration.
Groups must submit applications by the deadline for applicants to be able to vote in the election.
There is a law that requires a duplicate receipt to be provided with the state form that has space for certain information.
If the applicant is unable to sign the application and the voter registration drive worker filled it out at the applicant's direction, the voter registration drive worker must sign his or her name to a completed voter registration application.
No restrictions on who may help others register to vote.
projectvote.org
Same Day Registration– not available
States covered by Section 5– not covered by this.
States that disenfranchise felons- Yes, felons lose their voting rights Until the Completion Of Sentence (Parole and/or Probation). There is automatic restoration after, but after a second crime, felons can lose their voting rights forever.
sentencingproject.org
States that pre-register soon to be voters in high school – According to Project Vote since December 2010 Arkansas has voter registration in high schools, but it is optional and schools are not mandated to do it. The common way for them to do it is by bringing in the local registrar to supervise students completing the registration forms.
funderscommittee.org
Voter ID laws –
The state requests IDs, but it can be non-photo such as a utility bill. They are also non-strict in their enforcement meaning that a voter may sign an affidavit of identity, or poll workers may be permitted to vouch for the voter.
The federal Help America Vote Act (section 15483(b)(2)(A)) mandates that all states require identification from first-time voters who register to vote by mail and have not provided verification of their identification at the time of registration.
There was an attempt to make stricter voter ID laws in 2013 with Arkansas (Act 595, SB 2): This strengthened existing law by moving to strict photo ID, but the law was struck down by the Arkansas Supreme Court in 2014.
Secretary of State Mark Martin had pushed for the law at the urging of the Republican party, but lost.
In the opinion written by Justice Donald Corbin, the court said a required photo ID was a new qualification added to voting. Identification is part of the vote registration requirements of the Constitution. The Constitution is clear about voter qualifications: A person must be 18, a U.S. citizen, an Arkansas resident and registered to vote. The ID law added a new requirement of identification.
"The four qualifications set forth in our state's Constitution simply do not include any proof-of-identity requirement. Further, with the legislature's passage of Act 595 requiring this additional qualification, we cannot determine any set of circumstances exist under which Act 595 would be valid"
arktimes.com
Delaware posted by Stephen O'Hanlon
There have been relatively few changes to Delaware voting right laws over the last decade. However, in sum, restrictions on voting have decreased under control of a Democratic governor and legislature.
In Delaware, voter ID is not required, but poll workers ask voters for ID and if they do not have one, they must fill out an affidavit before voting. Forms of ID may include:
Delaware Drivers License or State ID
U. S. Passport
Signed Polling Place or Social Security Card
Signed vehicle registration
Signed credit card with photo, or
A similar document that identifies the person by photo or signature
Moreover, first time voters who registered by mail must present a valid ID if their identifying numbers (driver's license or Social Security number) must present some form of valid photo ID, utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or other government document that proves residency. 16 and 17 year olds are eligible to preregister.
In order to request an absentee ballot, Delaware voters must have a valid excuse, which includes illness, disability, incarceration, education or work, and government/public service.
The state has relatively strict regulations for student voting. Attending school and having a student ID is not sufficient. Students must present one of the following to show residency: a Delaware Driver's License or vehicle registration, a current lease, utility bill, tuition bill, bank statement, paycheck stub, or credit card statement under the student's name and with his/her address at school, or a Delaware resident income tax return for the previous year.
Delaware has restored rights to convicted felons. In 2013, the state enacted the Hazel D. Plant Voter Restoration Act, a constitutional amendment that restored voting rights of people convicted of certain felonies after completion of their sentence, including parole and probation. Previously, there had been a 5-year waiting period following the completion of the sentence before someone could vote again. The Act was backed by the NAACP and passed the State Senate with a 15-6 vote. Rep. Helene Keeley, the bill's lead sponsor said the bill's passage "will empower a new group of Delaware citizens that now have a voice in what happens in their communities."In July 2016, SB 242 extended this broadening of voting rights, removing the requirement that people completing felony sentences pay all financial obligations before voting.
There are trainings and a registration system for organizations registering voters. After completing a voter registration drive, all forms and excess materials must be returned by within five days of the drive's end.
Florida posted by Erica Janko
The infamous Florida 2000 presidential election, leading to Bush v. Gore, was followed by a wave of voting reform legislation, both in Florida and nationwide.
In 2001, the Florida Legislature considered 71 election reform laws, and passed one, the Florida Election Reform Act of 2001 . According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Florida Senate Bill No. 1118 allotted $24 million to implement updated voting systems, $6 million to educate voters and train and recruit poll workers, and $2 million to develop "a statewide voter registration database." It also included provisions "prohibiting the use of punchcard voting systems," "requiring the Department of State to adopt rules prescribing uniform ballots," and allowing electors to request ballots without justification.
The Florida Legislature voted on 37 election reform laws in 2002 and passed four of them: House Bill No. 493, House Bill No. 527, Senate Bill No. 172 , and Senate Bill No. 618.
H 493 reformed laws relating to voter registration, including measures, "authorizing private individuals and groups to reproduce voter registration applications under certain conditions," and, "amending s. 97.057, F.S.; requiring the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to forward copies of unsigned voter registration applications within a specified period to the appropriate supervisors of elections." Voter registration ID cards could now contain the name of the supervisor of elections instead of the signature of the supervisor of elections.
H 527 revised the primary city elections in the City of Palm Coast.
S 172 made changes to election code violation procedures, "amending s. 104.091, F.S.; providing that any person who conspires with another person to violate the election code or who knowingly gives aid to a person who has violated the code with intent to help such person avoid or escape detection, arrest, trial, or punishment shall be punished as if he or she had committed the violation." It also exempted, "certain violations of the Florida Election Code," and specified offense rankings under the Criminal Punishment Code.
S 618 reforms election law in a number of areas. Some of its notable provisions include: "requiring late registration to be done in the office of the supervisor of elections," revising the Voter's Bill of Rights and Responsibility to include the right of voters to cast a vote if they are "in line at the official closing of the polls in that county," and giving procedures for duplicating damaged ballots and for manually recounting ballots, among many others.
The Florida Legislature deliberated thirty bills in 2003. It passed House Bill No. 29-B to comply with requirements of the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
In 2004, the Florida Legislature voted on 24 election reform bills. It did not pass any of these bills.
The Florida Legislature considered 44 election reform bills in 2005 and passed three of them: House Bill No. 1567, House Bill No. 1589, and House Bill No. 1591.
Notable provisions of H 1567 include: "authorizing the Secretary of State to investigate voter fraud," "providing for applicants who have no valid Florida driver's license, identification card, or social security number," "revising the Voter's Bill of Rights to authorize a provisional ballot if a person's identity is in question," "providing requirements for ballots for persons with disabilities," and revising early voting protocol.
H 1589 includes provisions, "revising the duties of the Secretary of State and the Department of State relating to election laws," "be accepted for replacement of a voter information card and signature update; revising the information the uniform statewide voter registration application must contain and must elicit from the applicant," "revising the voter registration procedure by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles," and "making it a third-degree felony to participate in certain exchanges associated with voting by absentee ballot," among many others.
H 1591 gives measures, "revising an exemption from the public-records law which is provided for information concerning persons who decline to register to vote," and, "expanding a publicrecords exemption for the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of participants in the Address Confidentiality Program for Victims of Domestic Violence contained in certain voter records held by the supervisor of elections and the Department of State."
In 2006, the Florida Legislature deliberated 27 election reform bills. It passed House Bill No. 125 and House Bill No. 55.
H 125 revised general registration practices, "requiring the supervisor of elections of each county to send voter registration applications to the Fish and Wildlife Commission and its subagents," "requiring voter registration applications to be displayed at each location where hunting, fishing, or trapping licenses or permits are sold," and, "requiring that applicants for hunting, fishing, or trapping licenses or permits be asked if they would like a voter registration application."
A relatively short bill, H 55 calls for, "requiring that the administrator of a county detention facility provide an application form for the restoration of civil rights to a prisoner who has been convicted of a felony and is serving a sentence in that facility; providing that this act shall not apply to prisoners who are transferred to the Department of Corrections."
The Florida Legislature voted on 51 election reform bills in 2007 and passed one. House Bill No. 537 moved the presidential primary to be the last Tuesday in January. Other provisions include: "requiring all voting to be by marksense ballot; providing an exemption for voters with disabilities; requiring voter interface devices for individuals with disabilities by a specified date," enabling, "A person who is otherwise qualified may preregister on or after that person's 17th birthday or receipt of a valid Florida driver's license, whichever occurs earlier, and may vote in any election occurring on or after that person's 18th birthday," calling for applicants whose voter registration identification cannot be verified to "be notified that the application is incomplete and that the voter must provide evidence to the supervisor sufficient to verify the authenticity of the number provided on the application," and requiring that after each election, "the county canvassing board or the local board responsible for certifying the election shall conduct a manual audit of the voting systems used in randomly selected precincts."
The 2008 Florida Legislature considered 33 pieces of election reform legislation. It passed an omnibus bill changing many aspects of Florida Elections Code. Senate Bill No. 866 allowed people to pre-register to vote on their 16th birthdays, reduced the forms of photo identification valid for voter registration, allowed people to update their party affiliation for upcoming elections after the registration books had closed unless the upcoming election was to elect a political party nominee, changed registration list maintenance form procedures, and held that, "A county, district, or municipality is not required to offer early voting for a bond referendum that is not held in conjunction with a county or state election," among many other measures.
The Florida Legislature also voted on 32 election reform bills in 2010. Of these, it passed two: House Bill No. 131 and House Bill No. 7079.
H 131 defines and extends voting rights to the "absent uniformed service voter" and the "overseas voter." It also includes a provision, "extending the deadline by which persons with disabilities will be required to vote on voter interface devices meeting specified requirements."
H 7079 is: "An act relating to a review under the Open Government Sunset Review Act; amending s. 97.0585, F.S., which provides an exemption from public records requirements for certain information regarding voters and voter registration and which provides an exemption from the copying requirements for signatures of voters and voter registrants…" It defines information given for voter registration as confidential.
In 2011, the Florida Legislature voted on 20 election reform bills and passed two of them: House Bill No. 227 and House Bill No. 1355.
H 227 is: "An act relating to the federal write-in absentee ballot; amending s. 101.6952, F.S.; authorizing absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters to use the federal write-in absentee ballot to vote in any federal and certain state or local elections, under certain circumstances." It allows "for abbreviations, misspellings, and other minor variations in the name of an office, candidate, or political party."
ThinkProgress called H 1355 a "radical overhaul of election law, jeopardizing voting rights of elderly, military, students," as it, "contains several provisions that drastically alter election laws to disadvantage and disenfranchise voters across the state." According to ThinkProgress, these include forced provisional ballots for those wishing to change their names or addresses at the polls, cuts in early voting, invalidations in absentee ballots if the signatures do not match signatures on record, and fines for third-party registration groups who fail to turn in registration cards within 48 hours of being signed. The Orlando Sentinel reported: "Republican leaders said the bill would cut down on fraud, even though fraudulent ballots have become a rarity in recent years thanks to past reforms including the creation of a statewide voter database." The Herald-Tribune, based in Sarasota, FL, described the "anti-voter" bill as making "needlessly damaging changes to Florida's election law." In a 2013 article published in State Politics & Policy Quarterly, political scientists Michael C. Herron and Daniel A. Smith found that after HB 1355 was enacted, "voter registrations across the state [of Florida] in the second half of 2011 dropped precipitously compared with registrations in the second half of 2007."
The 2012 Florida legislature considered 23 pieces of election reform legislation. It passed one. Florida Senate Bill No. 116 is: "An act relating to freeholder voting; amending s. 100.241, F.S.; permitting the submission of a written declaration to establish that an elector is a freeholder and qualified to vote in an election or referendum limited to freeholders who are qualified to vote; providing an effective date."
In 2013, the Florida Legislature deliberated 29 election reform bills, and passed two of them: House Bill No. 247 and House Bill No. 7013.
H 247 calls for statewide voter registration applications to ask for applicant email addresses and whether applicants would like to be emailed sample ballots. It also includes other paper reduction measures.
H 7013 makes changes to early voting and absentee voting practices. Notable provisions include: "authorizing the supervisor to petition the United States Department of Justice for authorization for the supervisor to print and deliver single-language ballots," "removing the requirement that all voting systems used by voters in a state election allow placement of the full text of a constitutional amendment or revision containing stricken or underlined text by a specified date," "prohibiting the supervisor from providing an absentee ballot on the day of an election under certain circumstances," "requiring each county to operate at least the same number of early voting sites for a general election as used for the 2012 general election; revising the number of days and hours for early voting," "authorizing the supervisor to use the elector's signature in a precinct register to compare with the elector's signature on the voter's certificate," "requiring the supervisor to provide the elector with the specific reason his or her ballot was rejected," and "providing that absentee ballots received from overseas voters in certain elections may be received up to 10 days after the date of the election."
In 2014, the Florida Legislature did not pass any of the 25 election reform bills that it considered.
The 2015 Florida Legislature voted on 32 election reform bills, and passed four of them: Senate Bill No. 184, Senate Bill No. 228, Senate Bill No. 7034, and House Bill No. 7035.
S 184 is: An act relating to the federal write-in absentee ballot; amending s. 101.6952, F.S.; authorizing absent uniformed services voters and overseas voters to use the federal write-in absentee ballot in any state or local election; authorizing an elector to vote on any ballot measure in an election using the federal write-in absentee ballot under certain circumstances…"
S 228 calls for "the Division of Elections of the Department of State to develop an online voter registration system," with "application and security requirements," "a comprehensive risk assessment." It provides for construction and implementation of the system. The bill also includes a provision, "requiring the system to compare information submitted online with Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles records."
S 7034 requires that the names, addresses, and telephone numbers in public records (such as voter registration) of victims of stalking or aggravated stalking will not be disclosed, making H 7035 changes the presidential preference primary to take place on the "third Tuesday in March of each presidential election year."
As of October 1, 2016, the Florida Legislature had considered 34 election reform bills and passed five during the election year of 2016. These five bills are Senate Bill No. 112, Senate Bill No. 184, Senate Bill No. 514, House Bill No. 541, and Senate Bill No. 666.
The main provision of S 112 is, "replacing the term "absentee ballot" with the term "vote-by-mail ballot.""
S 184 establishes the "Military and Overseas Voting Assistance Task Force" for "studying issues involving the development and implementation of an online voting system that allows absent uniformed services voters who are overseas to electronically submit voted ballots."
S 514 revises salaries of supervisors of elections, using base salaries and group rates to "calculate additional compensation for a supervisor of elections based on population increments."
H 541 includes provisions "defining the term "address of legal residence," "requiring a voter registration application to include the applicant's address of legal residence and certain additional distinguishing information," and "providing that a list of valid addresses maintained by a supervisor of elections include certain additional distinguishing information," among others.
S 666 notably includes measures for, "expanding the list of acceptable forms of identification for certain voter registration applicants to include veteran health identification cards, licenses to carry a concealed weapon or firearm, and certain government-issued employee identification cards." It also expands acceptable forms of identification to be used at polling places and early voting sites.
Summary of Current Florida Election Law
Since 2012, Florida has increased opportunities for early voting.
If Florida voters do not have a required form of photo identification on Election Day, they may cast provisional ballots. After Election Day, election officials will determine the validity of the provisional ballots with a signature match check. Voters may also be required to cast a provisional ballot if their voter eligibility cannot be established, if their eligibility is challenged by a poll watcher, or if their address or name has changed. Provisional ballots will not be counted if they are cast by a voter in an incorrect precinct or if they are cast by a voter who is not registered to vote.
Florida holds in-person early voting and no-excuse voting by mail. In addition, certain elections are held by mail. Florida voters can submit no-excuse absentee voting applications "entirely online." Florida allows county clerks to decide whether or not early voting sites will be open on Sundays.
In Florida people who are 16 and 17 years old and otherwise eligible to vote are able to register to vote.
In May 2015, an online voter registration bill was enacted (SB 228). It has not yet been implemented.
If the Florida governor declares a state of emergency, Florida may have an all-mail election. All-mail referendums elections may also be held at the city, school district, county, or special district level.
According to the Brennan Center, voting restrictions were put in place in Florida before the 2012 election. These included cutting the amount of time in the early voting periods and placing limitations on voter registration drives. After long lines during the 2012 election, some time was restored to the early voting period, but it is now less than it was before 2012. In addition, Gov. Rick Scott (R) reversed an executive action easing the restoration of voting rights to citizens with past felony convictions.
Florida has added veterans' health IDs, government employee IDs, and concealed carry licenses to is forms of eligible photo voter identification.
Kansas posted by Eric Levin
Kansas has voted republican in the last 6 elections. Following that pattern, one would expect that their voting laws would have gotten stricter as time has gone on.
Voting ID Laws:
On April 18, 2011 Kansas signed the Secure and Fair Elections Act (S.A.F.E. Act) into law. The law enacted these different actions:
Starting January 1, 2012:
Kansas voters must show photographic identification when casting a vote in person; and
Kansas voters must have their signature verified and include a copy of an acceptable form of photographic identification or provide a full Kansas driver's license or nondriver ID number when voting by mail.
Persons registering to vote for the first time in Kansas must prove U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach was sued over the S.A.F.E. Act by Arthur Spry and Charles Hamner, two elderly Kansas residents whose ballots were not counted in the November 2012 general election because they could not provide photo identification. The lawsuit stated that neither had a driver's license or access to the birth records needed to secure a photo ID. The federal trial was set for May 11, 2015. On April 23, 2014, the federal lawsuit was dismissed. Both Spry and Hamner asked to have the case dismissed when the trial was scheduled after the 2014 elections.
Kansas permits online voter registration, no-excuse absentee voting, and early voting. Kansas also permits online registration, however no same-day registration is available. No identification needs to be shown if voting online, but a voter must provide their license or identification card number.
Kansas allows high-schoolers to register if they will be 18 by the next election.
Overall, as expected, Kansas has fairly strict voter ID laws. They do have very lenient absentee ballot voting laws, though.
Nebraska posted by J. Douglas Willen
Voter ID Laws:
Voters do not need to present photo identification to vote in Nebraska. A voter may be asked to present photo ID if they are a first-time registrant who mailed in their registration application and did not provide identification at the time.
In early 2015, Senator Tyson Larson introduced LB111 in the Nebraska State Legislature. The bill proposed requiring voters to present government-issued photo IDs at the polls. Larson argued that the requirement was necessary in order to "protect the integrity and reliability of the electoral process."
In February, opponents in the legislature began a filibuster. On February 18, state legislators voted to move the bill to the bottom of the legislative agenda, effectively eliminating any chance of passage in the 2015 legislative session.
Nebraska restores voting rights to individuals with criminal convictions two years after completion of sentence. Until 2005, Nebraska permanently disenfranchised people with felony convictions. The Vote Nebraska Initiative recommended that the state adopt automatic restoration of voting rights upon completion of sentence. The Attorney General had opposed prior restoration bills on the ground that the legislature had no constitutional authority to pass such legislation. The Brennan Center provided information that proved that the Attorney General was incorrect. In March 2005, the Legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto to pass a law that repeals permanent disenfranchisement and restores the vote two years after the completion of sentence. "Sentence" here entails being in prison, on parole, or on probation.
Nebraska is one of only 14 states to introduce voting restriction laws in effect for the 2016 presidential elections. In 2013, state lawmakers reduced the early voting period from a minimum of 35 days to no more than 30 days.
There is no excuse absentee voting in Nebraska. Any registered voter can vote early in person or by mail. If one is voting for the first time in Nebraska, registered to vote by mail, and didn't include a copy of their ID when they registered, they'd need to include a copy of their ID when they vote early or on Election Day.
Absentee Voter ID:
There are no absentee voter ID requirements.
Online Voter Registration:
A law was enacted in 2014 to allow for online voter registration; it was implemented in 2015. The bill also created an online registration system. The law is estimated to be in full effect in 2017.
Same Day Voter Registration:
Nebraska does not have this provision.
Students attending college in Nebraska may register to vote at their school address if they presently intend to make it their residence and to return there after any temporary absence like summer vacation. They do not have to plan to reside at that address permanently or after graduation.
Nebraska residents who move away for college can keep their Nebraska voting residency so long as they still consider Nebraska the location of their primary residence and do not register or declare residency elsewhere. These students may request to vote early by mail.
There is no residency qualification to be allowed to vote in Nebraska.
Pre-registration for young voters:
Pre-registration is allowed from the age of 17.
Wisconsin posted by Henry Feinstein
There have been successful, albeit heavily challenged, efforts in Wisconsin to tighten Voter ID law beginning in 2011, when Scott Walker was elected governor. A 2011 law requiring voter ID at elections went into effect for the first time in February 2012. The law was immediately challenged in court by the League of Women Voters, the ACLU and others, who claimed that the restrictions would deprive citizens of the right to vote. After the February 2012 election, several judges in Dane County and elsewhere ruled that the law violated not only the Wisconsin Constitution, but section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and the Fourteenth Amendment. In July 2014 the law was upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in October 2014 that Wisconsin could not enforce the law in the November 4th elections. However, the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to the law the next year, allowing it to take full effect in the state. In April 2016 the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ordered a lower court consider an appeal to the law. In July 2016 Judge Lynn Adelman issued an injunction against the law which allowed voters without an ID to sign an affidavit instead. One month later, however, a federal appeals court reversed this ruling, allowing Wisconsin's restrictive voter ID law to fully go into effect. The law will be in effect for this coming Presidential election, and applies to both in-person and absentee voting.
Scott Walker also signed a bill in the spring of 2016 which, in part, eliminates Special Registration Deputies (SRDs), government employees who helped groups such as the League of Women Voters conduct voter drives. Without SRDs, it is nearly impossible for groups to run effective voting drives, further restricting access to registration and voting. The bill's main focus, however, is the introduction of online voter registration. Although this will theoretically increase voter registration in the long run, the SRD provision angered many groups which have organized voter drives in the past.
Not all of Walker's attempted restrictions have succeeded, however; a court struck down several Wisconsin voting rules in July 2016, including restrictions on early voting and student voting. The provisions struck down by the court include a limit on in-person absentee ballot voting times and an extended durational residency requirement. Requirements for college IDs as valid identification were also loosened. This, along with the shorter residency requirements, will make it easier for college students to vote in the upcoming election.
Other Wisconsin Election Law Notes:
Wisconsin is a no-excuse absentee voting state – any resident can request an absentee ballot without having to give a reason. A photo ID is required to request a ballot, however; absentee voting was included in the 2011 voter ID bill.
Felons may not vote in Wisconsin while in prison, on probation, or during parole. When a felon's entire sentence has been served, they may vote again, but must re-register.
Early voting in Wisconsin takes the form of in-person absentee voting; someone may request an absentee ballot and fill it out when they receive it at a government office. The July 2016 ruling mentioned above expanded the times during which one can vote in-person absentee.
Wisconsin does not pre-register high school students.
Utah posted by J. Douglas Willen
Illinois posted by Erica Janko
In 2003, the Illinois State Board of Elections first adopted the Illinois State Plan, drafted by the Illinois HAVA State Planning Committee. It adopted revisions of the State Plan in 2004, 2006, 2009, and 2010 to be in full compliance with the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Also in 2003, the General Assembly enacted HB 30, the Voting by Minors Act, which requires the State Board of Elections and the State Board of Education to develop a voting education curriculum for second through twelfth grade students.
In 2005, the General Assembly passed HB 1125, which allowed minor children to accompany a parent into the election booth if it did not seem like they would be a disturbance.
In 2007, Illinois enacted the 2007 Omnibus Bill, SB 662. It allows high school juniors to serve as election judges in addition to high school seniors. Election judges must place signs provided by the State Board of Elections near polling place entrances indicating the proper entrance. Offices to be voted on will also be displayed at the polling place. If people register to vote by mail, they must vote in person, unless they can provide sufficient proof of identity to the election authority. Absentee ballots will be counted if they are received before polls close and/or before provisional ballots are counted.
In 2009, the Illinois General Assembly enacted SB 2022, which allows voters to request absentee ballots without specifying a reason. HB 4077 allows a housing lease or contract or a college ID plus mail addressed to the voter as acceptable forms of voter proof of residence.
In 2013, Illinois enacted HB 2418. This bill required election officials to send information from provisional ballots to the State Board of Elections within two days of an election. It allowed voters who cast provisional ballots to send additional information to the election within seven days, which was an increase from two days. The General Assembly also enacted HB 226, which allows people who are 17 years to register to vote and to vote in primary elections if they will be 18 years old "on the date of the following election."
The Illinois Legislature enacted online voter registration in 2013. It was fully implemented in June 2014. In 2014 the Illinois General Assembly also passed HB 105, which: "Provides that, for each even-numbered year that a general election is to be held, each public institution of higher learning shall send an electronic message to each student enrolled in the institution devoted exclusively to information on voter registration." and "Provides that each appropriate election authority shall, in addition to the voting conducted at locations otherwise required by law, conduct in-person absentee voting on election day in a high-traffic location on the campus of a public university within the election authority's jurisdiction."
In January 2015, the Illinois General Assembly passed two election bills, which Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed into law, HB 4576 and SB 172.
SB 172 is an omnibus bill that included provisions on voter registration, voting, vote counting, and election administration. Notably, it made same day voter registration, or grace period registration, permanent in Illinois. It is mandatory in precincts with populations over 100,000 or precincts with electronic poll books. Precincts with smaller populations and without electronic poll books must offer same day registration at their main location, but do not need to have in-precinct same day registration.
In terms of voter registration, SB 172 also requires: (1) participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center by 2016, (2) the State Board of Elections to find voters who have moved and automatically re-register them by checking the Postal Service's National Change of Address database, (3) the websites of state executive departments to include links to Illinoi's online voter registration, (4) that the State Board of Elections develop a voter registration phone application, and (5) that people can register to vote or update their registration when at a government office or state agency website.
SB 172 allows voters to cast provisional ballots if they do not have the necessary documentation on election day. They will have one week after election day to submit the necessary documentation. With SB 172 early voting includes the day before election day. Early voting locations must be open until 7pm during the week before election day. They also must offer same day registration. Election authorities must send the State Board of Elections the location and hours of their early voting locations, which the State Board of Elections will publish on their website. Vote by mail ballots may now be postmarked on election day instead of the day before election day. Return envelopes must state the amount of required postage. Any authorized person, instead of only family members, may return a ballot in person to the election authority. Early voting and registration must be available at student unions on college campuses from 10am-5pm on the Wednesday through Friday before a general primary or general election.
SB 172's vote counting provisions include: (1) Election authorities may begin processing ballots 15 days before an election, but they cannot count the ballots until polls are closed, (2) Election authorities must tell the State Board of Elections how many uncounted ballots they have after election day, which the State Board of Elections will publish on their website, (3) Election authorizes must announce and notify those who request notification of the date, time, and location, where they will count the ballots at least 24 hours in advance.
Election administration provisions in SB 172 include: (1) removing references to "absentee voting," because it was replaced by early voting and vote by mail, (2) requiring that election authorities announce campaign free polling places, and (3) election authorities must make "I Voted" stickers available to all voters if they distribute them.
In August 2016, the Illinois General Assembly passed SB 250, which Republican Governor Bruce Vincent Rauner vetoed. Illinois currently has a Democratic majority in its House of Representatives and a Democratic majority in the State Senate. SB 250, sponsored by Democratic State Senator Andy Manarm and backed by the Just Democracy Coalition, would have established automatic voter registration for Illinois voters who interacted with the Secretary of State, the Department of Aging, the Department of Employment Security, the Department of Human Services, or the Departhment of Healthcare and Family services. After the veto, Just Democracy issued a statement saying: "We are deeply disappointed by Governor Rauner's decision to veto bipartisan automatic voter registration legislation. The Governor has said that he is 'a big fan of simplifying the voter registration process,' but his actions show otherwise. He has passed up the opportunity to be a national leader in modernizing voter registration, while creating a safer system and saving taxpayer money in the process…"
Also in August 2016, the Illinois Policy Institute filed a suit in the Illinois federal court on behalf of Tea Party U.S. House of Representatives candidate Patrick Harlan against Illinois's law requiring same day voter registration, as established in SB 172 in 2015. According to ThinkProgress, state GOP members said that same-day voter registration was "unfair" and "unequal" because it "favors Democratic candidates," as it requires more stringent same day registration in higher population areas, which are largely Democratic. The suit asks to stop same day voter registration before the 2016 election. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Better Government Association, the League of Women Voters of Illinois, and the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform in Harlan v. Scholtz filed an amicus brief on August 31 stating that without election day registration thousands of people in Illinois could be unable to vote. On October 7, 2016, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Plaintiff's request to expedite the Harlan v. Scholtz appeal. Its briefing will not be scheduled until after election day. Current Illinois same day voter registration laws will remain in place for the 2016 election.
Illinois expanded early voting between 2012 and 2016.
Voters may need to cast provisional ballots if they do not present the required documents (first time voters only for in-person voting), if their eligibility cannot be established, or if they requested an absentee ballot and did not cast it. Provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct are not counted. A provisional ballot may also not be counted if conflicts exist among available voter information, if the voter's affidavit does not include a first and last name, house number, street name, and a signature, or if the voter voted by mail. The status of provisional ballots may be established within 14 days of an election.
Illinois has in-person early voting and no-excuse absentee voting by mail and it allows voting on Sundays.
Teenagers may register to vote if they will be 17 by the time of the next primary election or 18 by the time of the next general election.
People in Illinois can register to vote online and can register in-person on the day of an election.
Individuals convicted with felonies are eligible to vote unless they are currently incarcerated. Their voting rights are automatically restored upon release from prison, and they are encouraged to re-register to vote.
Michigan posted by J. Douglas Willen
A voter ID law was passed in 2007 in Michigan that requires voters to display a photo ID to vote. The ID does not have to have a Michigan address on it. Votes without such identification can still be eligible to vote if they sign an affidavit claiming that they do not posses such identification.
Former felons are free to vote after completing their imprisonment term. Felons are disenfranchised only while they are in prison, not while on parole or probation. There is no waiting period for voting rights to be restored upon being released from prison.
No provision for early voting.
A person who registers to vote by mail must vote in person in the first election in which he or she participates. You are allowed to vote absentee in Michigan if you're 60 years old or older, unable to vote without someone's help, in jail awaiting trial, a poll worker at a different precinct than your own on election day, if you're going to be out of town, or because of a religious obligation (So you have to provide a "valid" excuse). Otherwise, you have to show up at the polls on Election Day.
There are no ID requirements for absentee voters.
Online Voting Registration:
There is no online voting registration provision.
There is no provision for election day voter registration.
Students from other states studying in Michigan can register to vote in Michigan if they can prove residency for more than 30 days prior to the election.
Students from Michigan studying in other states can vote in their home state.
There is no provision for pre-registration of young voters.
South Dakota posted by J. Douglas Willen
Mississippi posted by Eric Levin
Mississippi has voted republican in the last 6 elections. As a result, one would expect them to have fairly strict voting ID and Absentee Voting laws.
ID Laws:
Mississippi voters are required to present photo identification in order to vote in person. A photo ID is not required to vote absentee.
A 2011 voter ID amendment to the state constitution required an implementing statute and faced United States Department of Justice (DOJ) pre-clearance before it could take effect. In October 2012, the justice department requested additional information about the law. Mississippi voters, therefore, did not have to show proof of identification to vote in the November 2012 general election. In January 2013, proposed administrative rules for the voter photo identification law were submitted to the justice department for approval. These rules included a provision allowing for voters who lack an acceptable photo ID to obtain a free voter photo ID card by presenting the same identification materials accepted when a person registers to vote. Once the United States Supreme Court ruled in Shelby County v. Holder, federal pre-cleareance was no longer required. As a result, the voter ID law took full effect.
A voter in Mississippi can vote absentee in an election if he or she cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:
The voter will be outside of his or her home county on Election Day.
The voter is a "student, teacher or administrator at a school whose studies or employment there necessitates" absence from the voter's home county on Election Day (spouses and dependents of such voters are also eligible to vote absentee)
The voter is disabled and therefore unable to vote in person
The voter is the parent, spouse or dependent of a disabled person "who is hospitalized outside of [his or her] county of residence or more than 50 miles away" and will be with the disabled person on Election Day
The voter is 65 years old or older
The voter is required to be at work on Election Day during polling hours
There is no specific deadline for applying for an absentee ballot. The ballot must be returned by 5 p.m. on the day before the election.
Mississippi does not permit online voter registration. To register to vote in Mississippi, you must be a United States citizen and at least 18 years old by the next general election. You may register and vote in primary elections while you are still 17 if you will be 18 by the date of the general election
College students at home or at school even if their home address is not in Mississippi. The deadline is 30 days by mail.
Overall, Mississippi is fairly strict with their ID laws and also their registration laws. You also must have a legitimate reason in order to submit an absentee ballot.
Louisiana posted by Marit Vike
Absentee Voting –
For military and overseas The Louisiana Legislature passed Act 624 (HB 1200, R.S. 2010) to implement the MOVE Act for Louisiana's military and overseas voters. The law was amended by Act 195 (HB 524, R.S. 2011) to allow for greater flexibility for military and overseas voters to register to vote and cast a ballot. You Can ask for a ballot online at a voter portal and then either mail, fax or electronically submit the ballot so that it is received by 8pm on election day for those overseas or 4:30 the day before for all others.
Excuse is needed- Need to be either away or ill.
This site lists many specific reasons it is acceptable to get an absentee ballot.
Voters in Louisiana must have an accepted reason to vote absentee, including the inability to vote in person due to physical disability or enrollment in a college outside the parish, among others. Voters may submit their application for an absentee ballot in person, online, or by mail (received) by 4:30 p.m. the fourth day before Election Day (2016: November 4). Completed ballots must be received by 4:30 p.m. on the day before Election Day (2016: November 7).
Absentee Voter ID- I can not find any requirements for sending in ID information with absentee ballots.
Louisiana's paper voter registration form asks for a Louisiana driver's license or ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security Number. If you have none of these and you are registering to vote for the first time, you must attach either a copy of a current and valid photo ID or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address. Note that online voter registration requires that you have a state-issued ID, either a Louisiana driver's license or special ID card. Failure to provide this information could lead to you having to show additional identification when you vote that shows your picture or your name and address.
NOTE: Foreign-born U.S. citizens will be sent a letter requiring them to come into the parish registrar's office and show proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a certificate of naturalization or citizenship.
Early Voting– Yes there is around a 7 day window for early voting that begins 14 days before the election and closes 7 days before election day. LRS 18:1303 and 1309 : 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Saturday
Holidays excluded
www.ncsl.org
Mail-in Voting– not applicable
Online Voter Registration– Bill HB 520 – passed in 2009 and implemented in 2010. Can register online through the Secretary of State website.
www.sos.la.gov
Rules governing groups registering voters: Only qualified voters may be deputy registrars.Paid deputy registrars, who are government employees, cannot engage in political activity while registering voters. Outside of the official volunteer system, Louisiana law requires that any completed application collected through a registration drive must be submitted within 30 days of receipt to the parish registrar. In addition, "voter registration applications returned by a third party must be received by any registrar of voters no later than the registration deadline for a particular election in order for the applicant to be eligible to vote in that election." A knowing violation of the 30-day deadline is a misdemeanor subject to a maximum $1,000 fine, one year's imprisonment, or both; a second offense is punishable by a maximum $2,500 fine, five year's imprisonment, or both. Louisiana also requires that the parish registrar of voters maintain a supply of state mail voter registration application forms for distribution and for voter registration. The forms must be supplied to private entities and organized voter registration programs.
Same Day Registration– no, you must register 30 days before the election.
sos.la.gov
States that disenfranchise felons – Felons lose their right to vote until after the Completion Of Sentence (Parole and/or Probation) and then there is automatic restoration after the completion.
States that pre-register soon to be voters in high school – 16 year-olds may preregister. The Louisiana secretary of state buys an advertisement in a magazine that all public and private school students receive during their senior year. This advertisement includes the official voter registration card. The student can take out the card, complete it, and send it to the local registrar's office, or send it to the office of the secretary of state. (L.R.S.§101 A (3))
Requests Photo ID, but has non-strict enforcement meaning that if the applicant does not have identification, s/he shall sign an affidavit to that effect before the commissioners, and the applicant shall provide further identification by presenting his current registration certificate, giving his date of birth or providing other information stated in the precinct register that is requested by the commissioners. However, an applicant that is allowed to vote without the picture identification required by this Paragraph is subject to challenge as provided in R.S. 18:565. This law has been in place since 1997.
General picture IDs that are accepted are driver's licenses or special ID card or other recognized forms of photo ID.
Louisiana's Voter ID Laws have stayed above the fray because of the allowance of the affidavit.
Secretary of State Tom Schedler, who oversees the state's election laws, in an interview said he would "vigorously oppose" any efforts to remove the affidavit option.
The Secretary of State's fraud unit audited all the affidavits of voters in 50 parishes – 23 per parish on average – following the 2008 election. "We found not one questionable affidavit," he said. "It proves we don't have anybody committing fraud."
Without fraud, there is no valid reason to eliminate the affidavits, which separates Louisiana out from the states that saw direct effects of the Supreme Court overturning a critical section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
thelensnola.org
Montana posted by J. Douglas Willen
New York posted by J. Douglas Willen
North Carolina posted by John Cote
Must be a U.S. citizen
Must be a resident of the county and have resided at the current address for at least 30 days prior to the election
May register as early as age 16, but cannot vote until 18
Cannot be currently serving a sentence as a convicted felon, but full voting rights are restored once time has been served
Must not be registered simultaneously in any other state
2013 Voter ID Law
Cuts seven days of early voting
Photo ID requirement
Cuts same day registration
Stopped pre-registration for 16 and 17 year olds
A Court of Appeals struck down all of the above requirements. The Supreme Court of the United States reaffirmed the Appeals Court's decision through a split 4-4 vote. Government issued identification is now only needed for first time voters.
http://prospect.org/article/22-states-wave-new-voting-restrictions-threatens-shift-outcomes-tight-races
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/09/08/27-other-things-the-north-carolina-voting-law-changes/
North Carolina was considered a swing state in the 2008 and 2012 elections. Barack Obama carried the state by 0.4% in 2008, but lost by 2.2% in 2012.
In the 2012 election, North Carolina did not have voter ID requirements. In 2013, the NC state legislature passed a law requiring voters to present a government issued ID to vote. In 2016, a U.S. Court of Appeals struck down the law. The Supreme Court reaffirmed the decision in a 4-4 split. For the 2016 election, first time voters must present a form of identification, which includes a driver's license, utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or any other form of government issued ID.
North Carolina has a no excuse absentee voting policy; any registered voter may apply for an absentee ballot without providing a reason or justification for the ballot. However, the voter must include an identification number either in the form of a driver's license number or the last four digits of a social security number. If an identification number is not given, the voter must submit a copy of a government issued form of identification or a copy of a government check, paycheck, utility bill, or other government document.
Absentee voter ID laws have been loosened since 2008. A law passed in 2013 mandated that the absentee ballot be available online and allows for county board of elections to deliver absentee ballots by hand to disabled or ill voters. As the Washington Post points out, "It did not escape state Democrats' notice that more Republicans vote by absentee, while more Democrats cast early ballots."
Early voting has become much more popular in North Carolina in the last two presidential elections. In 2008 and 2012, six out of ten voters voted early, compared to the national early voting rate of just over . Early voters tend to vote Democratic. 72% of African Americans who voted in the 2012 election voted early.
The aftermath of North Carolina's voting law after getting struck down by the Courts is a voting law that requires identification for first time voters. This identification includes a bank statement, paycheck, utility bill, or any form of government issued ID. Since college voters are frequently first time voters, this law is a new obstacle for college students.
The only form of mail-in voting in North Carolina is through requesting and submitting an absentee ballot; the state does not have a statewide mail-in voting system.
No laws exist preventing well-intentioned individuals from registering voters in an ethical and legal way exist. The only limitations are that registration groups must:
Provide up to date forms
Avoid threatening or intimidating voters
Must fill out the form with the intent of the voter
Cannot refuse to accept completed forms
Cannot mark the form without voter's consent
Must submit forms within 25 days of receiving them (5 days recommended)
I could find no evidence that these laws have changed since 2006.
Although the 2013 law cut same-day registration, the Courts have struck down this provision in August. So, same day registration will exist for the 2016 election as it has since 2006.
North Carolina currently disenfranchises convicted felons during their time in prison, on parole, and on probation. Upon completion of the sentence, full voting rights are restored.
Pre-registering soon-to-be voters
North Carolina does not pre-register coming of age voters. Registration is available for people ages 16 and older, but students are not registered automatically through school.
South Carolina posted by J. Douglas Willen
New Jersey posted by J. Douglas Willen
Alabama posted by Nagyon Kim
Political Leanings
Alabama is a traditionally Republican state, and has voted Republican in every Presidential Election since 1976. Its two senators, as well as its six out of seven Representatives are all Republican.
Absentee Voting & Absentee Voter ID & Photo ID Laws
In order for a voter in Alabama to receive an absentee voting ballot, he/she must provide a valid excuse as to why he/she must vote absentee. Alabama does not offer no-excuse absentee voting ballots. Alabaman voters who fall under one of these categories are eligible to request an absentee voting ballot:
The voter will not be in the county on Election Day
The voter has a physical disability or illness that prevents him/her from travelling to a polling place
The voter is registered in Alabama, but lives out of the county
The voter is an appointed election officer or poll watcher at a polling place located outside of his/her own county
The voter must work a required shift of 10 hours or more that directly overlaps with voting hours
If the voter falls under one of the categories above, and thus would like to request an absentee voting ballot, he/she must write or visit the local Absentee Election Manager and provide his/her name, address, the election that he/she requires an absentee ballot for, address to which the ballot should be mailed, and voter signature. For party primaries, choice of political party must also be reported.
As with any other voter registration processes, voters wishing to vote absentee must present a valid photo ID for the application to process through. Accepted forms of photo ID include:
Valid driver's license
Valid non-driver ID
Valid Alabama Photo Voter ID
Valid State Issued ID
Valid Federal Issued ID
Valid U.S. Passport
Valid Employee ID from a government entity of Alabama
Valid student or employee ID from an institution within Alabama
Valid military ID
Valid tribal ID
This law was signed into effect in 2011, and was fully enforced starting from the 2014 primary elections (Act 2011-673). From then on, Alabaman voters must present a photo ID in order to register to vote. However, according to the official website of Alabama's Official Election Center, if a citizen who wishes to vote does not have any of the accepted forms of ID's mentioned above, he/she can receive a free photo ID card to register to vote.
There are issues, however, regarding the free photo ID program in Alabama. Only a small portion of people who applied for a free photo ID actually received ID's. In 2014, the first election year where the new voter photo ID law was fully enforced, only 5,924 free photo ID's were issued. Furthermore, between January and September 2015, only 1,442 such ID's were issued. These statistics provide a better picture of the reality of the free photo ID program in Alabama, as well as the true intention behind the voter ID law requiring photo ID's to be shown.
A student who studies in Alabama but is originally from a different state may apply to vote in Alabama, only if they agree to establish their residency in the state of Alabama. The act of voting in Alabama can be considered as a declaration of the student's residency in Alabama. However, although students must plan to return to Alabama after short absences when school is on break, they are not expected to make their residency permanent or provide any details on the future of their residency after college when they register to vote in Alabama. Students can register by providing his/her driver's license number, ID number, or last four digits of his/her social security number.
The requirement to establish his/her residency in Alabama nevertheless turns many eligible students away from voting in Alabama. The general trend in voting registration in Alabama has turned to become harder over the years, with continuously stricter rules on identification documents, and college students are one of the groups being directly affected by this trend.
Early Voting & Mail-in Voting
Early voting is not offered or permitted in Alabama in any form.
Mail-in voting is not available in Alabama unless the voter is voting via an absentee ballot. Everyone else must vote on Election Day with paper ballots.
Alabama currently has an active online voter registration system, which was implemented very recently in February 2016.
Starting a voter registration drive is simple in Alabama, as there are no training or notification requirements for people in order to start a drive. Voter registration forms can be found here, and these forms will be what voter registration drives will be using in order to plan accordingly.
Alabama does not offer same-day registration, nor did it enact a law to implement it in the future.
Alabama is covered by the Section 5 of the Voter Rights Act.
In Alabama, felons can be stripped of their voting rights permanently. Some ex-felons are eligible to apply to restore their right to vote, in accordance to Section 17-3-31 of the Code of Alabama 1975, though this means that eligible felons are considered disenfranchised until they have been approved restoration of their rights to vote. However, applicants with the following convictions, defined as "moral turpitude", are permanently ineligible to regain their rights to vote.
Rape (any degree)
Sodomy (any degree)
Sexual abuse (any degree)
Sexual torture
Enticing a child to enter a vehicle for immoral purposes
Soliciting a child by computer
Production of obscene matter involving a minor
Production of obscene matter
Parents or guardians permitting children to engage in obscene matter
Possession of obscene matter
Possession with intent to distribute child pornography
As such, Alabama has one of the strictest felon disenfranchisement law in the nation, with 7.2% of its citizens being disenfranchised by the law. Controversy regarding racism embedded within the felon disenfranchisement law has been at large, and there have been efforts within the past decade in order to reform this law.
Furthermore, the restoration process itself has been marked with intentionally placed obstacles to tweak the system. In 2005, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People – Legal Defense Fund (NAACP-LDF) filed Gooden v. Worley to the Supreme Court of Alabama, citing that the then Secretary of State Nancy Worley had specifically instructed, on top of the already strict felon disenfranchisement law, voter registrars to refuse reregistering voters with any form of criminal conviction. The case was eventually dismissed in June 2007, because Secretary Worley had changed her practices.
In February 2006, the Brennan Center and the Alabama Alliance co-released a report in an attempt to shed light on the unnecessarily complex voting rights restoration process that was keeping many eligible applicants from being re-enfranchised. The report criticized the inherently racist and classist nature of the felon enfranchisement restoration process, as well as, to some extent, to point out the excessively vast number of convictions that permanently disenfranchises some voters. In its conclusion, the report called for automatic restoration of voting rights of eligible felons.
Despite such attempts, Alabama's felon disenfranchisement law remains strict to this day, as shown through the long list of convictions that could potentially take away a person's right to vote permanently.
Preregistration for High School Students
The earliest age that one could register to vote in Alabama is when he/she is 18 before the next election.
In the big picture, voter ID laws in Alabama has tightened, with the onset of the law requiring every citizen to provide a valid photo ID at the polling station before casting his/her ballot. Even though Alabama provides free photo ID's, the process is marred with complications that nevertheless keeps many eligible voters who cannot afford photo ID's from casting their ballots during elections.
Iowa posted by Henry Feinstein
There have been few changes to Iowa's election law over the last ten years. The most notable (and most restrictive) attribute of the law is its treatment of convicted felons; Iowa is one of only three states to deprive convicted felons of the right to vote for life. A 2005 executive order restored felons' voting rights, but in 2011 this ruling was overturned by Gov. Terry Branstad (R). Felons must now apply individually to regain their franchise. In June 2016, the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the law in a 4-3 ruling, despite national criticism of the harsh restriction.
Another recent major change is the approval and implementation of online voter registration in Iowa. The rules were approved in January 2015, and were implemented in early 2016. This service does exclude those who do not have a drivers' license or non-operator DOT-issued card.
Voter ID laws are minimal in Iowa; ID is only required upon registration. After a resident is registered, they can vote in-person or via an absentee ballot without having to present ID. Any registered voter can request an absentee ballot without having to give a reason. Early voting in Iowa takes the form of in-person absentee voting – in one trip to an election official's office, a voter can request and fill out an absentee ballot. Early voting happens no earlier than 40 days before a primary or general election, and whenever the ballot is ready for any other election. A voter may also mail in an absentee ballot, as long as the election officer receives it before the closing of the polls on election day.
There are no special restrictions on college student voting in Iowa; the only limitation is that students cannot register online unless they were previously an Iowa resident and have a DOT-issued card. Students have the right to declare Iowa as their place of residence regardless of whether they pay in-state or out-of-state tuition.
Kentucky posted by Michael Meuth
As a state that has seen the majority of its electoral votes go to the Republican Candidate in the last four Presidential elections (looking almost certain to make it five judging by current polls), we can infer this is likely to show in their voting laws. Republican dominated states have preferred more restrictive voting laws, and such is the case in Kentucky. While some laws have been loosened (as I will show), Kentucky is still one of the least voter-friendly states in the nation.
Absentee Voting-
Kentucky is not a state that provides no excuse absentee ballots. Instead the state requires that you meet one of the following criteria: Advanced in age (or ill/disabled), Military personnel or overseas citizens, a student who lives temporarily removed from the state, or an individual working out of the county at all hours the polling center is open. Individuals requesting an absentee ballot must fill out the application either at the county clerk's office or mailed into the same. Such an application must be submitted no later than 7 days before the election.
Voter Registration/ID-
Kentucky shows its more restrictive roots, as well as some of the more recent moves towards loosening laws in the arena of voter registration. Kentucky requires an individual to submit his/her registration by October 11 (no less than 29 days before the election). This type of rule tends to limit new voters and continue the majority of older, Republican-leaning voters. However, Kentucky has recently implemented online voter registration in March of 2016, which tends to attract newer voters and increase turnout. Kentucky also does not require photo ID and even allows personal acquaintance with a precinct officer as an accepted form of Identification.
Felon Restrictions-
Kentucky is one of the most prohibitive states towards felons in the nation. However, in April of 2016, the Kentucky state legislature passed Kentucky House Bill 40, which allows felons to submit for reinstatement to the democratic process and full removal of their records five years after probation or the end of their sentence, whichever is the longest. While this is a big change from only allowing the reinstatement of felons through executive pardon, it is nonetheless one of the most restrictive policies in the nation.
Early Voting-
While Early Voting has been touted as a way to decrease lines and further enfranchise voters who may not have the time to wait in Election Day lines, it is not an option for the general public in Kentucky. Anyone qualifying for an absentee ballot is allowed to vote at their County Clerk's office from October 21 to November 7.
Connecticut posted by Lily Tyson
Connecticut allows voters to register online to vote. In addition, Connecticut allows for voters to register on election day as long as they meet the eligibility criteria for voting in Connecticut. Connecticut is one of only 17 states that allows same-day voter registration.
First-time voters in Connecticut must produce a photo ID with their name or address, or can show a current utility bill or government document with their name and address. After this first time voters simply have to show an ID with their name and address or their name and signature or their name and photograph.
Connecticut does not allow for no-excuse absentee voting. Voters are only allowed to vote using an absentee ballot if they are a member of the armed forces, if they are out of town, if they are ill, if they have a religious reason for being unable to vote on that day, if they are working as an election official or if they have a physical disability.
Connecticut does not allow any early voting. The question of whether or not early voting should be added as an amendment to the Connecticut constitution went up for a vote in November 2014, but it did not pass.
In May of 2016, an agreement was signed between the DMV Commissioner and the Connecticut Secretary of State which states that eligible citizens will be automatically registered to vote when they go to the DMV for a driver's license or state ID card unless they specifically chose to opt-out.
Felons serving sentences are not permitted to vote in Connecticut. However, in 2001, in Bill Number 5042, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted to restore voting rights to convicted felons who are on probation.
Arizona posted by Zhicheng Fan
Voter Qualifications
To register to vote in Arizona, you must
Be a resident of Arizona and the county listed on your registration
Be 18 years of age or older on or before the day of the next regular General Election
Absentee Voting, Early Voting and All-Mail Voting
Arizona offers "no-excuse" absentee voting option. An absentee ballot application must be received by election officials 11 days before the election, and the voter must return the ballot by 7 p.m. on election day. Early voting begins 26 days before election and ends the Friday before election. For voters with permanent physical disabilities, they may request to be placed on the Permanent Early Voter List, and ballots will be mailed to these voters before each election. Arizona absentee voting does not require a voter ID. Certain elections may be held entirely by mail.
In March 2016, Arizona state legislature enacted H.B. 2023, which made it a felony to collect early ballots from another person. The governor signed the bill, claiming that the bill may prevent voter fraud and "restores the public's respect for a process that had potentially dangerous implications and provided too much opportunity for fraud and tampering with an election." The law, however, made it significantly harder for students, minority voters, elderly voters and rural voters to vote. Democrats charged that the bill was intended to weaken minority voting power by banning ballot harvesting initiatives in minority communities. A federal judge recently denied a Democratic challenge to the law. This lawsuit was part of Democrats' recent efforts to challenge voter suppression in Arizona through legal means.
In-Person Voting ID
In 2004, Arizona passed the Arizona Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act (Proposition 200), which requires voters to show voter ID at polling places before casting ballots. Arizona Secretary of State's website gives a complete list of all acceptable forms of identifications. Voters may either choose to provide 1 photo ID, two IDs without a photograph, or a non-photo ID combined with a photo ID, U.S. passport or U.S. Military identification.
A voter may use a provisional ballot if he or she does not have a proper ID at the polling place. The voter must return to the elections office within five business days after a general election or three business days after any other elections to provide identification.
Students may vote in Arizona using their school address. College ID is not a valid form of identification according to the Secretary of State's website.
Proposition 200 required proof of citizenship from voters who use a federal registration form to vote. This part of the act was struck down in 2013, when a 7-2 majority of the Supreme Court decided in Arizona vs. The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona Inc. that the state's law was pre-empted by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also known as "the Motor Voter Act"). In 2014, Arizona and Kansas requested the Election Assistance Commission (an independent agency of US government established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002) to allow states to require proof of citizenship on the federal registration form, and the Election Assistance Commission denied that request on January 17, 2014. Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach sued the Election Assistance Commission for the decision, and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the states. The Supreme Court decided not to hear the case, letting the lower court decision stand.
Voters who wish to vote using the state's voter registration form must provide proof of citizenship documents. Arizona has implemented an online registration system.
Felon Voting Rights
In Arizona, upon completion of sentence (including parole or probation), a first-time felon's voting right is automatically restored. However, repeat offenders must petition the court or receive a pardon to have their voting right restored. Whenever a felon gets his or her voting right restored, he or she must re-register.
Pre-register Before 18
Arizona allows teens to register if they will turn 18 before the next general election. There are no known state-wide initiatives to actively pre-register soon-to-be voters.
Wyoming posted by J. Douglas Willen
Idaho posted by Abigail Diebold
Idaho has had few changes to their voting laws over the past 10 years, despite Republican control of the legislature and governorship. Idaho is not a swing state; the state has voted Republican for the last six elections.
Idaho has no-excuse absentee voting. To cast an in-person absentee vote at an absentee polling place, Idaho requires acceptable voter identification. In 2016, Idaho implemented no-excuse early voting in the three weeks before the election.
To register to vote in Idaho, you must be 18 years old and reside in Idaho for 30 days before the election. Idaho does not currently allow for online voter registration. First-time voters must provide "a copy of a current and valid photo identification or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government document that shows your name and address must be submitted with this form or shown at the polls prior to voting" (Idaho Voter Registration Form).
Idaho currently does not permit online registration; however, a bill providing for online registration has been passed and will be in effect for the next election. Idaho does allow same-day registration, if you provide an acceptable form of identification.
Idaho allows political parties and other groups to register voters, and has not changed these laws.
Idaho also allows voter to use a student ID issued by an Idaho high school as a valid form of identification to register to vote.
Idaho was not covered by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 because of the state's existing registration requirements, but proposed its own Motor Voter Act in 2013.
In 2010, Idaho passed a law requiring voters to provide identification at the polls. Student and tribal IDs with photographs are acceptable forms of identification. However, those who cannot provide an ID have the option to complete an affidavit, facing a felony charge for falsifying the information. Although voter ID laws have been passed, they are not particularly restrictive towards citizens wanting to vote.
Idaho disenfranchises felons until the end of their sentence, including probation and parole. However, once the sentence is complete, the rights of felons are automatically restored.
Idaho law requires that students register at their "principal or primary residence." Simply being a student is not enough to establish residency in Idaho for the purposes of voter registration. Challenges to students voting have resulted in students needed to indicate some intent to maintain in Idaho, such as proof of summer residency or an Idaho driver's license.
Idaho allows students to register to vote while in high school, and accepts student IDs from Idaho public high schools as an acceptable form of identification.
West Virginia posted by J. Douglas Willen
Massachusetts posted by Navid Kiassat
Those who are unable to vote due to religious beliefs, physical disability, or will be absent from their city or town on election day can vote with an absentee ballot. Massachusetts does not require an ID for absentee voting and does not have mail-in voting distinct from absentee voting.
Students attending school in Massachusetts can establish residency in their college towns.
Massachusetts allows early voting in their biennial state elections since 2016. Early voting starts 11 days before an election and ends on the Friday before election day.
Massachusetts has no voter ID laws, except when using online registration.
Massachusetts does not have same-day registration.
You can preregister at the age of 16.
Online voter registration was implemented in may 2015. Registrants must have Driver's License, ID, or Learner's permit issued by Massachusetts RMV and have a signature on file with the RMV to register online.
Felons may register to vote after serving their sentence.
There have been no laws regarding groups registering voters passed after 2006.
Interesting Election Legislation
House Bill 4310 (2009) allowed ballots to be delivered electronically by facsimile, e-mail or secure website to a voter qualified under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.
House Bill 3788 (2013) legislated the creation of an online registration portal, established early voting, and adjusted residency requirements.
Senate Bill 377 (2015), also pending, seeks to establish same-day registration.
As part of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, Massachusetts passed House bill 4156 (2015) which gives all their electoral college votes to the winner of the national popular vote.
Colorado posted by Robert Eppley
Voting eligibility in Colorado is very standard. Individuals may vote if they meet the following standards:
Be 18 at the time of the next election
Have resided in Colorado for 22 days immediately prior to the election in which they wish to vote
Are not serving a sentence of confinement, detention, or parole for a felony conviction.
Colorado requires a valid form of identification for all individuals that wish to vote in person, though this is often classified as a non-strict requirement in Colorado and the form of identification does not need to have a photo. The state offers online voter registration. Furthermore, Colorado is fairly unique in its utilization of a vote-by-mail system that is optional for all elections. Same-day registration is available for voters as well. Mail ballots are automatically sent to every registered voter, which is sent 18-22 days prior to the election date. Criminals regain voting status as soon as they complete the prison sentence and parole.
In 2013, Governer Hickenlooper signed the act H.B 13-1303 the Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act. This act saw significant reform to Colorado voting laws. This implemented a number of changes to the "Uniform Election Code of 1992". The bill shortened the period in which an individual may submit their voter registration form via mail, registration agency, or registration drive from 30 to 22 days prior to election date. In addition, it allowed for same-day voter registration, allowing voters to register at a voter service or polling center on election day. The act also requires a minimum number of polling centers and voting services. Finally, it requires mail ballots to be sent to all registered voters for most elections.
Nevada posted by J. Douglas Willen
Pennsylvania posted by Stephen O'Hanlon
Despite attempts by former Governor Corbett and the Republican-controlled legislature, there have been relatively few changes to Pennsylvania voter registration laws.
In 2012, the legislature passed a restrictive voter ID law that would require all voters to present a government approved ID. Voters without the necessary identification, were supposed to be able to obtain a free ID. The state also initiated a $5 million campaign to educate people about the law. In practice, the IDs were hard or sometimes impossible to obtain and the education campaign was not seen as effective. A Democratic justice on the Commonwealth Court, in a strongly-worded ruling, argued that the law was not furthering the goals of a free and fair election and that it disproportionately affected the elderly, disabled, and low-income residents. He added that the allegations of voter fraud were not supported by facts. The State Supreme Court chose not to contest the lower court's ruling.
Under the current law, PA voters only need to show ID when voting for the first time and when election officials cannot verify identity using a drivers licence number or the last four digits of a voter's Social Security number.
However, absentee voting is more strict (and there is no early voting). Voters are only eligible for an absentee ballot if they are going to be away from where they are registered for the entire time the polls are open because of their "duties, occupation or business" (this includes college). Absentee ballots must include a valid photo ID, drivers license number, or the last four digits of the voters' social security number.
Also in 2012, the State settled a lawsuit alleging that state welfare agencies were not "properly offering clients voter registration applications." Since then, registrations at county assistance offices have risen dramatically from 5,498 in 2011 to 45,874 in 2015.
State Rep. David Maloney, R-130, is planning to introduce an anti-voter intimidation bill, HB 148, which would make "interfering with the elective franchise of a voter a serious offense that would merit a significant criminal penalty. He has bipartisan support, but it is unclear if there is enough support for the bill to pass before the November election. There is little information about the reasoning for the law, but the Pocono Record suggests that it is related to Donald Trump's allegation that if he were to lose Pennsylvania, it would be because of fraud.
Pennsylvania has few restrictions on organizations registering voters. The only stipulation is that workers cannot be paid based on the number of registrations.
Pennsylvanians who are in jail because of a felony conviction and those who have been convicted of violating state election laws within the last four years are not eligible to vote. However, people in jail for misdemeanors, under house arrest, or on probation or parole are eligible to vote, however.
Ohio posted by Anna Garner
Election History
Ohio is a battleground state and often changes color from election to election. No presidential candidate has ever won the election without Ohio. In 2004, Bush won 50.81% of the vote with John Kerry winning 48.71%. In the 2008 election, Barack Obama won 51.2& of the vote and McCain won 47.2%. In the 2012 election Ohio also went blue. Obama received 50.0% of the vote and Romney received 47.1%.
Online registration was enacted in June 2016 but has not be implemented yet. Online registration is set to become a possibility by 2017.
Groups Registering People to Vote
There are certain guidelines that groups that hold voter registration drives must follow. Groups cannot send anything that is not authorized by the board of elections that many be misconstrued as having been sent by the board of election. For example, groups cannot mail absentee ballots. Furthermore, groups cannot pay volunteers on a fee-per-registration or fee-per-volume basis. Compensation has to be based solely on time worked. Groups cannot pay or give anything of value to people for either voting or for registering to vote. Voter registration applications must be returned to the Secretary of State or local Board of Elections within 10 days of the form being completed.
Absentee Voting and Early Voting
In Ohio, no excuse is needed to acquire an absentee ballot. Absentee ballots can both be submitted in person and by mail. Before, 2014 Ohio voters were able to register and cast their vote in the same day during a period known as "Golden Week." However, in 2014 Secretary of State Jon Husted reduced the early voting period by 6 days, effectively eliminating "Golden Week" and changed absentee and provisional ballot rules as part of a Republican effort to prevent voter fraud. In May 2015, the Ohio Organizing Collaboration filed a lawsuit against Husted's directive, claiming that it violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. In May of 2016, a trial court ruled that the elimination of "Golden Week" had a disproportionate effect on African Americans. Therefore, it violated the Fourteenth Amendment and the Voting Rights Act. The state appealed the trial court's decision to Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. On August 23, 2016, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Ohio could eliminate "Golden Week." On September 13, 2016, the Supreme Court declined to stay the appeals court's decision. Therefore, Golden Week will not be in place for the 2016 November elections.
To submit an absentee ballot, voters need to provide an Ohio driver's license or the last four digits of their Social Security number. As an alternative to either of these options, voters can provide a current and valid photo ID, a military ID, a current utility bill, a bank statement, a government-issued check, paycheck, or document that shows a voter's name and current address. However, there is nothing more that needs to be presented.
Section 5 Preclearance
Ohio is not covered under the Voting Rights Act Section 5, which has drawn criticism from critics of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. States like Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have enacted just as tough or tougher voting laws.
In 2006, Ohio adopted a strict non-photo identification requirement for voting. Acceptable forms of identification includes:
Current and valid photo ID – shows individuals name and current, photo expiration, issued by the U.S. government
Current utility bill
Current bank statement
Current government issued check, paycheck, or document
If a voter does not have a form of acceptable ID, the voter may cause a provisional ballot. The voter then must provide valid identification to the board of elections within 10 days of voting.
College Students Voting
College students may vote using their school's Ohio. They must plan to return to their college address after temporary absences and not another permanent address. Students must show a valid form of identification. Ohio now allows colleges to issue students zero-balance utility bills to use as a form of identification.
Ohio does not provide for the preregistration of 16 and 17-year-olds. Voters can register if they will be 18 by the next election.
Felons
Felons currently serving time in jail or prison cannot vote. However, as soon as they have served their time they are re-enfranchised. An otherwise eligible voter who has been convicted of a felony can register and vote while still of probation or parole. Someone who has twice been convicted of a violation of OH election law is permanently barred from voting in Ohio.
New Hampshire posted by Navid Kiassat
Identification is requested when voting. People without identification can sign a challenged voter affidavit and cast a regular ballot. Election officials will the send a letter to the voter and they must return the mailing, confirming their residence as indicated on the affidavit. Acceptable documents include a Driver License from any state, a voter ID, Photo ID, US Armed Services Card, Passport, or any photo ID determined legitimate by supervisors. More information on the voter ID law can be here.
Senate Bill 289 (2012) instituted to New Hampshire's voter ID law. The Justice Department approved the law a few months after it was passed. The legislator overrode Governor Lynch's veto of the bill. While many were concerned that the ID law would have a negative impact on turnout, New Hampshire's voter turnout broke its record in the 2016 primaries. However, it was increased Republican turnout was responsible for the new record which is not the demographic typically effected by ID laws.
New Hampshire allows for absentee voting with an excuse: physical disability, religious beliefs, military service, or temporary absence. There is no mail-in voting distinct from absentee voting.
New Hampshire does not have early voting.
College students in New Hampshire may choose their home state or their college residence for the purposes of voting.
New Hampshire has same-day registration.
No online voter registration
Anyone who will be 18 by the election day can register.
No recent laws have been made adversely impacting the ability of groups to register voters.
New Hampshire was not covered by section 5 of the VRA at the time of the Shelby County v. Holder decision.
How to register to vote in the state of New Hampshire
Senate Bill 403 (2006)- this bill requires proof of identity by persons registering to vote and modifies certain procedures for voter registration applications.
House Bill 1222 (2006) makes it a class B Felony to vote in more than one state at the same election or to vote more than once for any office or measure
House Bill 132 (2007) establishes that residency for voting purposes is not indicative of residency for other reasons.
House Bill 614 (2009) is related student residency for purposes of voting and absentee ballot application forms.
House Bill 1535 (2010) authorizes electronic ballots for certain voters and makes various changes relating to absentee voting such as requesting, processing, challenging etc.
House Bill 287 (2013) sought to eliminate voter ID requirements, but it was not passed
Senate Bill 423 (2016) gives 17 year old the right to preregister if they will be 18 by next election
House Bill 659 (2016) extends the scope of valid excuses for absentee voting to care of children or sick adults, with or without pay.
Indiana posted by Gilbert Orbea
What are Indiana's current laws regarding voter ID?
Indiana law has several restrictions and strict photo I.D. laws when it comes to voting. According to the Indiana Election Division, current voting laws in the state require that:
You must have a valid photo ID, displaying your photo, a name conforming to your registration record (but not required to be identical), have an expiration date and be current or expired as of the last general election (that being the 2014 midterm elections), and be issued by the state of Indiana or the United States government
You are both a citizen of the United States and a resident of Indiana
You are 18 years of age by the general election
You are not currently in prison
You have lived in the precinct for at least 30 days
Does Indiana have online/automatic registration? Do they have early voting? Is it easy for college students to vote? How does their mail-in or absentee voting work?
Indiana does provide for online registration and has a website allowing people to find their polling location and validate their registration, among other things. Their early voting period, in-person absentee voting, lasts for 28 days until the day before Election Day. For college students, tudent IDs from public universities of the state count as photo ID, whereas private universities do not. This is an additional barrier to voting for young people. Mail-in or absentee voting in the state is restricted and only allowed if one of the following conditions are met:
You have a "specific, reasonable expectation" that you will not be able to go to the polls during the entire 12-hour voting period
You are disabled
You are over 65
You have election duties outside the precinct
You are scheduled to work during the entire 12-hour voting period
You are confined due to illness or injury, or caring for someone confined due to one of those, for the entire 12-hour voting period
You are a member of the military or public safety
You are in the state's address confidentiality program
You are a "serious sex offender" as defined by Indiana Code 35-42-4-14(a)
You cannot vote because of the unavailability of transportation
It is worthwhile to note that mail-in voting, though requiring a reason, does not require you to show ID
What changes has the legislature implemented, or tried to implement? What has happened since SEA 483?
These changes to Indiana law regarding photo ID were created in 2005 with the passage of SEA 483 and implemented in 2008 after the Supreme Court found it constitutional in Crawford v. Marion County Election Board (2008). The changes have been in effect since the 2008 general election. The case began what has, since 2006, been an unprecedented restriction of the franchise in the United States. Crawford was followed by NAMUDNO v. Holder (2009), where the Supreme Court mentioned that certain sections of the Voting Rights Act may not stand up to scrutiny should the Court revisit it. The warning was prescient, as the conservative Court in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) found that Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional because of its impermissible burden on the sovereignty of states and the constitutional principle of federalism. Indiana thus is the leader of the new wave of restrictions on voting since 2006.
Recently, Indiana's legislature has tried to disallow straight party-line voting and require the voter identification number on mail-in absentee ballots. Public Law 21-2016, which includes the straight party-line voting limit, was signed by governor Mike Pence this year. It will be implemented in time for the 2016 election. State officials claim it will force voters to actually consider their options, while opponents claim it will just make it harder for people to easily vote for their preferred party. Considering the very confusing nature of election ballots in the United States, the fear that voters will be confused and vote for the wrong candidates is understandable. They also now allow party-nominated election officers to demand proof of identification at the polls, according to the Brennan Center – seeming like an alarming attempt at voter intimidation.
Indiana is one of many states with Republican control of both houses of the legislature and a Republican governor. There is no doubt that the restriction of the franchise and worrying new laws, dating back to 2005, are attempts to restrict and demoralize the Democratic party and its base. As Justice Souter noted in Crawford, the state has put up apparitions of voter fraud to justify restrictions – in other words, passing solutions in search of a problem. Indiana holds the shameful prize as the catalyst for historic disenfranchisement in the 21st century.
Oklahoma posted by J. Douglas Willen
Oklahoma has quite restrictive voting laws, as one might expect from a consistently Republican state. It has limited early voting, no online-registration and has passed very restrictive Voter ID laws in recent years.
Voters must register either in person or by mail no later than October 14th. Felons can vote but only upon serving their time in jail as well as completing any parole or probation. College students can vote as well.
Voter ID:
Oklahoma, like many conservative states, has passed strict voter ID laws. All voters must have either a current Oklahoma driver's license, a current Oklahoma non-driving photo ID, a current photo ID recognized by the US government such as a US passport, a military photo ID or a county election board voter ID card. Voters may use a current tribal membership card so long as it has a photo. No photo ID can be expired for any period of time.
Voters may vote early from 8am to 6pm on the Thursday and Friday before the election. They may also vote from 9am to 2pm on the Saturday before the election. Vote by mail is permitted through an absentee ballot, which any voter can obtain.
More questions can be answered here.
Maine posted by Michael Meuth
bMaine is widely recognized as a historically liberal state and its voting record reflects this. Having voted Democrat in the last 6 Presidential elections, we would expect to see the looser voting laws we associate with primarily democratic states, and Maine largely meets expectations with only one or two exceptions. We will examine a few general categories that demonstrate Maine's voter-friendly laws:
Absentee Voters:
Maine is extremely accommodating of absentee voters with a no-excuse absentee ballot policy. This means that any registered voter in Maine can request an absentee ballot without needing to provide an excuse for why they are unable to make it to their respective polling place.
Meshing with Maine's policy on absentee voting, voters are able to cast votes early through the request of an absentee ballot that they may then mail in. Alternatively, voters may fill out the absentee ballot in person at their county clerk's office beginning on September 24. However, in March of 2014 the Maine State Legislature voted against implementing an in-person early voting measure that would allow for organized polling centers on dates before the general election.
Voter Registration in Maine in some ways is easy and is in some more difficult. With respect to the former, Maine does not have laws that require photo ID and is not a state that disenfranchises felons. However, Maine does not have an option to register online and requires individuals to either register in-person or mail in a voter registration card.
Felon Enfranchisement:
Maine is one of the two states in the nation, which does not disenfranchise felons in any way. Felons are allowed to vote even while in jail and need not apply for any sort of re-instatement or other mechanisms of rejoining the voting population.
Maine requires voters to only show identification on their first instance voting. For first time voters, they must bring some semblance of identification (not necessarily bearing a photo), but after the first time need no ID.
Vermont posted by J. Douglas Willen
Minnesota posted by Anna Garner
Minnesota has voted blue in every presidential election since 1976. In 2004, John Kerry received 41.1% of the vote. In 2008, Obama won with 54.1% of the vote and again in 2012 with 52.7% of the vote.
In 2008, 78% of those eligible voted in Minnesota according to George Mason University and in some districts more than 90% of those eligible voted according to Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.
In October of 2013 online registration became available, and in 2014 legislation was passed that enabled the use of this registration system.
There is no notification or training requirement for registration drives. Groups cannot pay workers based on the number of registrants they obtain. Pre-filled voter registrations are not permitted. All applications have to be submitted to the Minnesota Secretary of State or county auditor within 10 days after the applications are dated.
There is no excuse required to request an absentee. In 2015 a Minnesota statute provided that absentee ballots can be submitted anytime up until the day before the election and that absentee ballots can be submitted online. Also, as of 2015, non-registered eligible voters can register by including a voter registration application with their absentee ballots.
Eligible voters can apply to become permanent absentee voters. This measure was adopted in July of 2013.
To submit an absentee ballot, voters need to provide a Minnesota driver's license or identification card or the last four digits of their Social Security number.
Early voting begins 46 days before the election. It is essentially the same as in-person absentee voting. Early voting ends at 5:00 PM the day before the election.
Mail-in voting can be used in Minnesota for municipalities with fewer than 400 registered voters and which is not located in a metropolitan area.
Same day registration was enacted in 1974 and is still the law.
No voter ID is required in Minnesota. A measure to require photo IDs was placed on the ballot in 2012 but failed.
Students can vote using their college address. They can prove residency at their college or university with a photo id issued by the school. A current student fee statement provided along with photo identification is also acceptable.
Pre-Registering High Schoolers
Convicted felons are able to vote after they have completed their prison sentence, parole, and probation
North Dakota posted by Zhicheng Fan
There is no formal registration procedure in North Dakota since 1951, and is currently the only state without registration requirements. Voters do not need to register prior to the election day in order to vote. (For this reason, North Dakota is coded as "Permitted/No Change" in the category of "Same Day Registration.") Cities are permitted to register voters for city elections.
To vote in North Dakota, the voter must be:
A U.S. citizen.
At least 18 years old on the day of an election.
A North Dakota resident.
A resident in the precinct for 30 days preceding the election.
Voter ID Requirements
To vote in-person in North Dakota, the voter must bring one of the following IDs:
Current driver's license or non-driver's identification card
Tribal government issued identification
Long-term care certificate (provided by ND facility)
Voter's Affidavit
The fourth option, Voter's Affidavit, was reinstated after a recent federal court decision, in which Judge Daniel L. Hovland, a George W. Bush appointee, struck down a 2013 bill that removed the affidavit option and eliminated many other options of identification. Student IDs and military IDs cannot be used as acceptable forms of identification, following a provision added in 2015.
North Dakota was one of the four states that required voter IDs (none of them photo-based at the time) to vote, before Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 required all new voters to show voter ID.
In addition to the above listed IDs, to vote absentee a voter may use the following:
Military ID (For uniformed service or family member stationed away from North Dakota residence)
Passport (For North Dakota residents outside the United States)
Attester (For applicants without a valid form of identification)
North Dakota permits no-excuse early voting. Early voting begins 15 days before election.
A college student may vote in North Dakota if he/she is:
A U.S. citizen;
At least 18 years old;
A resident of North Dakota;
A resident in his/her precinct for 30 days immediately preceding the election; and
Able to provide a driver's license, non-driver identification card or tribal identification containing your current residential address.
As noted above, college IDs cannot be used to vote since 2015.
Felon Voting
Convicted felons may vote immediately after release from prison.
Texas posted by J. Douglas Willen
Texas attempted to increase restrictions on voter identification requirements for the upcoming 2016 elections, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that Texas' new law would have a disproportionate effect on African-American and Hispanic voters, and was intended to be discriminatory.
Acceptable forms of photo ID:
Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS
Texas personal identification card issued by DPS
Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS
United States military identification card containing the person's photograph
United States citizenship certificate containing the person's photograph
United States passport
Texas and the court reached an agreement on July 26, which requires voters without these forms of identification to present a supporting form of ID and fill out a Reasonable Impediment Declaration.
Supporting forms of ID include:
Valid voter registration certificate
Certified birth certificate (must be an original)
Copy of or original current utility bill
Copy of or original bank statement
Copy of or original government check
Copy of or original paycheck
Copy of or original government document with your name and an address (original required if it contains a photograph)
Texas has agreed to spend at least $2.5 million for a public outreach campaign to educate voters about the new procedures by no later than August 15. The State is also required to develop election worker trainings by the same date.
"Reasonable impediment declarations" shall be translated into Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese in Texas counties required to do so in accordance with Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act.
In order to vote, an individual must meet the following requirements:
A United States citizen;
A resident of the Texas county in which application for registration is made;
At least 18 years old on Election Day;
Not finally convicted of a felony, or, if so convicted must have (1) fully discharged the sentence, including any term of incarceration, parole, or supervision, or completed a period of probation ordered by any court; or (2) been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disability to vote; and
Not determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be (1) totally mentally incapacitated; or (2) partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
Texas has implemented a new outreach program designed to help get young voters registered. This policy requires that all public high school principals or their designees act as voter registrars for their students. The deadline for Texans to register to vote is October 11.
"Early voting" is a way to cast your ballot before Election Day either in person or by mail. It begins on October 24. Texas uses the terms absentee and mail-in voting interchangeably. Any registered voter can vote early, but to vote early by mail you need to fill out an application, and meet one of the following criteria:
out of the county during early voting and on Election Day (includes college students), age 65 or older, sick or disabled, or confined to jail (awaiting trial/not serving a sentence).
Virginia posted by Irina Bukharin
Although once a state that traditionally voted Republican, Virginia has voted for Democrats in the past two presidential elections.
Virginia was one of the states originally covered in Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which required covered jurisdictions to clear any new voting changes with the federal government before instituting them. The states and jurisdictions subject to this law were ones that had a history of racial discrimination in voting. In 2013, Section 5 was effectively overturned by the Supreme Court Case, Shelby County v. Holder, so Virginia no longer has to seek preclearance for new voting changes.
In 2012, the Virginia legislature passed a law requiring an ID to vote, though it did not have to be a photo ID. This took away the option of signing an affidavit to confirm identity. In 2013, the legislature amended this law so that the only valid forms of identification for voting were photo IDs. This law was challenged in 2015 by the Democratic Party, who argued that it was an undue burden and therefore violated the Constitution and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting practices that discriminate based on race, color, or language. The trial court upheld the law in May of 2016, but the plaintiffs appealed to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and oral arguments were heard on September 22, 2016.
In 2013, Governor McDonnell ended the permanent disenfranchisement of all citizens convicted of felonies, automating rights restoration for people who completed their sentences for non-violent convictions. Previously, they were permanently disenfranchised unless they went through a lengthy and difficult process to restore their rights on their own. One year later, Governor McAuliffe restored more rights by removing drug crimes from the list of violent offenses and shortening the waiting period for violent offenders to petition to have their rights restored from five to three years. In April of 2016, Governor McAuliffe issued an executive order that restored voting rights to all citizens who had been convicted of felonies and had completed the terms of their sentences, including probation or parole, and did so again in May and June. However, these actions were challenged, and in July the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that they were unconstitutional under the state constitution, because the governor could not restore rights in bulk. Since then Governor McAuliffe has systematically restored rights on a case-by-case basis.
Since 2013, third-party registration groups have been subject to new restrictions. Individuals and organizations who want to register more than 25 people now have to register with the state and receive training. The law also reduced the number of days that groups had to return the applications from 15 to 10.
Virginia introduced an online voter registration system in 2013.
District of Columbia posted by Lily Tyson
Voters in the District of Columbia are able to register to vote online. In addition as of 2010, voters are able to register to vote on election day.
To vote by absentee ballot in DC, it is not necessary to show a valid ID unless it is the voter's first time voting. No excuse is necessary to vote by absentee ballot. In person absentee voting begins 15 days prior to an election, and ends the day before an election. It is possible for voters in DC to receive permanent absentee status.
Early voting is available in DC. Early voting begins a week before an election and ends the Saturday before election day. No excuse is necessary.
In DC, registered voters do not need to present any identification to vote. If the voter is registering to vote on election date then it is necessary for them to show proof of residence. Acceptable forms of proof of residence include, valid photo identification, a copy of a current utility bill, a bank statement, a government check, a paycheck or another government document that shows name and address.
DC does not allow convicted felons to vote while incarcerated, however DC does permit the restoration of voting rights upon release.
California posted by Robert Eppley
There have been few changes to Voter ID laws in California. In order to vote, and individual must adhere to the following list:
Be 18 years or older on election day
Be a resident of California
Not be declared mentally incompetent by a court
"Not in prison, on parole, serving a state prison sentence in county jail, serving a sentence for a felony pursuant to subdivision (h) of Penal Code section 1170, or on post release community supervision"
For first time voters, a valid form of identification is needed. This includes a long list of items such as a copy of a recent utility bill, a document sent to an individual by a government agency, a passport, etc. All registered California residents are allowed to vote via an absentee ballot. Early voting policy in California is contingent on the County in which you are voting, in general, however, early voting ends the day before election day.
California allows any registered voter to become a permanent vote-by-mail voter, in which case the individual will automatically receive an absentee ballot during each election. In order to register to be a permanent voter-by-mail, an individual must send in an application 7 days before the election. If one is not registered as a permanent by-mail voter, they can still vote by mail by sending in an application to do so at least 7 days prior to the election. This option is available to all California voters, and is one that will attract nearly 5 million Californians in the 2016 primary.
In 2012 California enacted same day voter registration, which was planned to take effect in 2014, but today the system has yet to be implemented.
In 2015 Jerry Brown signed the New Voter Motor Act – Assembly Bill No. 1461 – which allowed the state to automatically registered individuals after they had visited the DMV in order to acquire/renew a driver's license. The law went into place January 1, 2016.
Alaska posted by J. Douglas Willen
Hawai'i posted by Nagyon Kim
Hawaii is a heavily blue state that has voted Democrat for every presidential election it has participated in except twice. According to 270 to Win, the only times Hawaii gave its four Electoral College votes to a Republican were in 1972 and 1984, both of which were elections where the Republican presidential candidate won by a landslide.
Furthermore, the state's two Senators and Representative are also all from the Democratic Party (one of the two U.S. Representative seats in Hawaii is currently vacant). Thus, Hawaii is not considered as a swing state, due to a firm Democratic base that is implanted within the state.
Absentee Voting & Absentee Voter ID
In order to cast an absentee ballot in Hawaii, one must attach one of the following to the mail ballot:
State ID card
Bank statement
Government check
Any other government document that shows the name and address of the voter
Over the years, it has become significantly easier to receive an absentee ballot in Hawaii. No excuse is needed in Hawaii in order to receive an absentee ballot. In 2011, Hawaii started to offer permanent absentee status, proving that it has become easier for citizens to gain an absentee ballot for whatever reason.
For college students whose hometown is in Hawaii, one must fill out the Wikiwiki Absentee Application to vote under the college's address instead of the voter's home address. This applies to schools in both Hawaii and elsewhere in the United States. This form can be found here.
For students studying in Hawaii whose hometowns are in elsewhere in the United States, one must go through the same procedure as anyone else in order to become a voter in Hawaii. Normally, residents of Hawaii must provide a state-issued ID card or driver's license in order to complete an application to become eligible to vote in the state. However, as college students from other states who are studying in Hawaii do not have state-issued ID's, they must fill out the Voter Registration & Permanent Absentee Vote. As mentioned above, Hawaii's comparatively lenient Absentee Voting Registration process makes it easier for college students to register to vote in the state. This form can be found here.
In Hawaii, there are two ways to vote early, if residents wish: voting in person during a designated time and voting via mail.
Voting in person is simple. Any registered voter may simply walk in to a designated location correspondent to his/her county to vote. There is a strict time designated as an early-voting period, and if a voter wishing to vote early in person misses this deadline, then he/she must vote on the official Election Day.
For voters wishing to vote via mail, two forms of mail-in voting are available. If a voter wishes to vote via mail permanently, he/she must complete the aforementioned Wikiwiki Voter Registration & Permanent Absentee Application. If a voter wishes to vote via mail for a specific election, he/she must complete the Wikiwiki Absentee Application.
Over the years, Hawaiian residents have shown an increasing preference for early walk-in and mail-in voting, as opposed to voting in person on Election Day. In a primary election in August 2016, 19,215 registered Hawaiian voters out of 726,941 opted to vote early. Thus, the trend in popularity of early voting in Hawaii is increasing.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Hawaii Online Voter Registration was enacted in 2012 and was officially implemented in 2015. The bill number to enact and implement this system is HB 1755.
Voter Registration Drives are welcomed by the Office of Elections of the State of Hawaii. According to its site, the Office "welcomes opportunities to increase voter registration to all eligible citizens, statewide." The Office provides materials necessary on its website for these voter registration drives to take place smoothly. It has uploaded Voter Registration forms, Permanent Absentee forms, and One-Time Absentee forms in English, Chinese, Ilocano, and Japanese in order to make voter registration drive groups more accessible to citizens across various ethnicities in the state.
In 2012, during the Presidential and Senate Elections, Hawaii saw the worst voter turnout in the entire nation, even though Barack Obama, a Hawaii native, was on top of the ballot with the Presidential Race. Only 44% of registered voters in Hawaii showed up in polls to vote in the election.
In 2014, Hawaii enacted a law that allows same-day voter registration, in an attempt to raise the low voter turnout that the state was suffering. The law will come into effect in 2018, and the Hawaiian state government is currently devising a plan to implement the law.
Hawaii is not covered by the Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
Hawaii forbids felons from voting during sentence. However, those who are placed on probation or paroled after imprisonment will be able to vote during the period.
According to NCSL, eligible Hawaiian residents who are 16 years of age may preregister to vote. Those who are 17 years of age may register, but not vote.
All in all, voter identification laws have generally loosened, with Hawaii taking one of the leading positions in the U.S. to making voting more accessible to everyone. Photo ID is still required for first-time voters, but with the introduction and enactment of many cases to improve the voting system in Hawaii, it has taken a step toward making it easier to expand the turnout rate.
New Mexico posted by J. Douglas Willen
New Mexico has the set of standard liberal voting laws that one would expect from a state that has been reliably blue in recent years. It has strong access to early voting, mail-in voting, and absentee ballots, as well has rather loose voter ID laws.
Voter registration in New Mexico must be completed by October 11th, and can occur online, by mail or in person. Those under 18 who will be 18 by election day can vote in primaries and pre-register for the general election. College students are permitted to register, as are felons who have served their time and are no longer on parole or probation.
Voter ID is only required for first-time voters, unless an ID was submitted with registration in which case no ID is required. That ID can include a current state-issued Photo ID, utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, Student ID, Indian nation-ID or any other government document showing your name and current address. After someone has voted for the fist time, they no longer need to bring any form of ID.
Any registered voter can vote early starting 28 days before the election and goes until the Saturday before the election. This year that is October 11th-November 5th. Early voting may be conducted by mail or in person. Polls on election day itself are open from 7am to 7pm.
Oregon posted by Abigail Diebold
Oregon is not a swing state and has gone blue in the previous six elections. Oregon's former Secretary of State and current governor, Kate Brown, is a strong proponent of increasing voter accessibility and has been instrumental in recent changes to Oregon's voting laws.
Oregon is entirely mail-in voting, increasing the ease of absentee and early voting. Voters have the option to drop-off their ballots before Election Day, in addition to mailing them in. Mail-in voting has worked well for Oregon; the state consistently posts very high voter turnout, particularly for a state that consistently votes Democratic.
Oregon allows voters to register at 17, but will not be mailed a ballot until an election occurring after their 18th birthday. To register, voters must provide a driver's license or state ID card. Voters who cannot provide either of these may also use an alternate government-issued document for their proof of address. Registration closes three weeks before the election.
In 2015, Oregon became the first state to pass a "Motor Voter" law. The law changed voter registration during DMV interactions from an "opt-in" process to an "opt-out" process; instead of choosing to be registered at the same time as receiving or updating a license or federally-issued ID, Oregonians are not automatically registered after one of these interactions unless they choose not to be. Automatic registration began in January 2016.
In June, the second phase of Motor Voter went into effect – anyone eligible to vote who had a DMV interaction in the two years prior to the implementation of Motor Voter was automatically registered and mailed a card with the option to opt-out. The onus is on the voter to choose not to be registered, instead of actively pursuing registration.
Oregon allows voters to register online, provided they have an Oregon driver's license or ID.
Oregon has been strongly in favor of registering voters while in high school; the Bus Project, a volunteer-led voter registration organization was founded in 2002. Although they register voters of all ages, one of their major initiatives is for registration of high school students. National Voter Registration Day (September 27) also originated in Oregon.
Oregon disenfranchises voters while in prison.
Oregon allows college students to register at their school address, provided they plan to return to school after temporary breaks — they do not need to intend to reside at that address permanently.
Washington posted by J. Douglas Willen
Maryland posted by Irina Bukharin
Maryland has been a consistently Democratic state in presidential elections, though it elected a Republican governor in 2003 and 2014. However, Maryland has over 20% more Democratic eligible voters than Republic ones, and it is generally considered a safe Democratic state, especially in presidential elections.
In the past 10 years, Maryland has significantly rolled back felon disenfranchisement. In 2007, the state repealed lifetime disenfranchisement, and in 2016 it gave people on probation and parole the right to vote, which it had previously prohibited. People in prison still cannot vote.
During this time period, Maryland has also introduced and expanded early voting. In 2005, the Democratic Maryland legislature introduced a bill that would establish early voting in Maryland, but it was vetoed by Republican Governor Robert Erlich. The legislature overrode his veto in 2006, but the law was then deemed unconstitutional by an Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge, a decision that was upheld by the Maryland Court of Appeals. In 2007, Maryland voters passed a constitutional amendment authorizing voting before the day of the election. In 2009, legislation was passed that required early voting to be in place for the 2010 elections. In 2013, the state increased the number of days early voting was available and increased the number of early voting sites, increasing accessibility to early voting. At the start of 2016, the state again increased the number of early voting sites per county.
During 2013, Maryland also passed legislation for same-day registration during the early voting period. However, Maryland does not have same-day registration on election day.
In 2010, the state started to allow voters to directly download their ballots from the internet, which had previously solely been accessible through individualized emails. This made absentee voting easier for Marylanders, especially those overseas.
Choose a Layer (Optional) All States ---------- 2004 Swing States2008 Swing States2012 Swing StatesAbsentee Voter IDAbsentee VotingCollege Student VotingEarly VotingMail-in VotingOnline Voter RegistrationRules governing groups registering votersSame Day RegistrationStates covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act as of 2013States that disenfranchise felonsStates that have consistently supported one party since 1992States that pre-register soon-to-be voters in high schoolVoter ID laws
Choose a State No State ChosenAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming Choose a State No State Chosen Choose a State No State Chosen New Hampshire (D)Minnesota (D) Nevada (R)West Virginia (R)Missouri (R)Florida (R)Colorado (R)Ohio (R)New Mexico (R) Choose a State No State Chosen Nevada (D)Florida (D)North Carolina (D)Ohio (D)New Hampshire (D)Indiana (D) Missouri (R) Choose a State No State Chosen Nevada (D)Florida (D)Colorado (D)Ohio (D)New Hampshire (D) Missouri (R)North Carolina (R) Choose a State No State Chosen Nevada (Loosened)Utah (Loosened)West Virginia (Loosened)Florida 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(No excuse absentee voting)Nevada (No excuse absentee voting)Wyoming (No excuse absentee voting)Utah (No excuse absentee voting)Alaska (No excuse absentee voting)Washington (No excuse absentee voting)New Jersey (No excuse absentee voting)Rhode Island (No excuse absentee voting)Florida (No excuse absentee voting)Kansas (No excuse absentee voting)Nebraska (No excuse absentee voting)Wisconsin (No excuse absentee voting)Illinois (No excuse absentee voting)North Carolina (No excuse absentee voting)Iowa (No excuse absentee voting)Arizona (No excuse absentee voting)Idaho (No excuse absentee voting)Colorado (No excuse absentee voting)Ohio (No excuse absentee voting)Oklahoma (No excuse absentee voting)Maine (No excuse absentee voting)Minnesota (No excuse absentee voting)North Dakota (No excuse absentee voting)District Of Columbia (No excuse absentee voting)California (No excuse absentee voting)Hawaii (No excuse absentee voting)New Mexico (No excuse absentee voting)Oregon (No excuse absentee voting)Maryland (No excuse absentee voting) Choose a State No State Chosen New York (Easier)Vermont (Easier)Montana (Easier)Wyoming (Easier)Utah (Easier)Alaska (Easier)West Virginia (Easier)Kansas (Easier)Wisconsin (Easier)Illinois (Easier)Mississippi (Easier)Massachusetts (Easier)Ohio (Easier)New Hampshire (Easier)Hawaii (Easier)Oregon (Easier) Nevada (Harder)Tennessee (Harder)North Carolina (Harder)Alabama (Harder)Kentucky (Harder)Indiana (Harder)North Dakota (Harder) Choose a State No State Chosen Georgia (Decreased)Nevada (Decreased)Rhode Island (Decreased)Florida (Decreased)Nebraska (Decreased)Wisconsin (Decreased)Kentucky (Decreased)Ohio (Decreased) Vermont (Increased)Montana (Increased)Wyoming (Increased)Utah (Increased)Alaska (Increased)Kansas (Increased)Illinois (Increased)Mississippi (Increased)North Carolina (Increased)Idaho (Increased)Massachusetts (Increased)Maine (Increased)District Of Columbia (Increased)Hawaii (Increased)Maryland (Increased) South Dakota (Not available)New York (Not available)Washington (Not available)South Carolina (Not available)Rhode Island (Not available)Missouri (Not available)Delaware (Not available)Michigan (Not available)Alabama (Not available)Connecticut (Not available)Pennsylvania (Not available)New Hampshire (Not available) Choose a State No State Chosen Georgia (Ballots may be returned by mail)South Dakota (Ballots may be returned by mail)New York (Ballots may be returned by mail)Utah (Ballots may be returned by mail)New Jersey (Ballots may be returned by mail)Florida (Ballots may be returned by mail)Kansas (Ballots may be returned by mail)Nebraska (Ballots may be returned by mail)Wisconsin (Ballots may be returned by mail)Illinois (Ballots may be returned by mail)Michigan (Ballots may be returned by mail)Mississippi (Ballots may be returned by mail)Iowa (Ballots may be returned by mail)Kentucky (Ballots may be returned by mail)Arizona (Ballots may be returned by mail)Idaho (Ballots may be returned by mail)Oklahoma (Ballots may be returned by mail)Maine (Ballots may be returned by mail)Minnesota (Ballots may be returned by mail)North Dakota (Ballots may be returned by mail)California (Ballots may be returned by mail)Hawaii (Ballots may be returned by mail)New Mexico (Ballots may be returned by mail) Vermont (No mail-in voting)Montana (No mail-in voting)Nevada (No mail-in voting)Wyoming (No mail-in voting)Alaska (No mail-in voting)South Carolina (No mail-in voting)West Virginia (No mail-in voting)Rhode Island (No mail-in voting)Tennessee (No mail-in voting)Missouri (No mail-in voting)Arkansas (No mail-in voting)Delaware (No mail-in voting)Louisiana (No mail-in voting)North Carolina (No mail-in voting)Alabama (No mail-in voting)Connecticut (No mail-in voting)Massachusetts (No mail-in voting)Pennsylvania (No mail-in voting)Ohio (No mail-in voting)New Hampshire (No mail-in voting)Indiana (No mail-in voting)Texas (No mail-in voting)Virginia (No mail-in voting)District Of Columbia (No mail-in voting)Maryland (No mail-in voting) Washington (Voting is exclusively by mail)Colorado (Voting is exclusively by mail)Oregon (Voting is exclusively by mail) Choose a State No State Chosen Florida (Authorized but not yet implemented)Wisconsin (Authorized but not yet implemented)Idaho (Authorized but not yet implemented)Ohio (Authorized but not yet implemented)California (Authorized but not yet implemented) Georgia (Implemented)New York (Implemented)Vermont (Implemented)Nevada (Implemented)Utah (Implemented)Alaska (Implemented)Washington (Implemented)South Carolina (Implemented)West Virginia (Implemented)Rhode Island (Implemented)Missouri (Implemented)Delaware (Implemented)Kansas (Implemented)Nebraska (Implemented)Illinois (Implemented)Louisiana (Implemented)Alabama (Implemented)Iowa (Implemented)Kentucky (Implemented)Connecticut (Implemented)Arizona (Implemented)Massachusetts (Implemented)Colorado (Implemented)Pennsylvania (Implemented)Indiana (Implemented)Minnesota (Implemented)Virginia (Implemented)District Of Columbia (Implemented)Hawaii (Implemented)New Mexico (Implemented)Oregon (Implemented)Maryland (Implemented) South Dakota (Not available)Montana (Not available)Wyoming (Not available)New Jersey (Not available)Tennessee (Not available)Arkansas (Not available)Michigan (Not available)Mississippi (Not available)North Carolina (Not available)New Hampshire (Not available)Oklahoma (Not available)Maine (Not available)North Dakota (Not available)Texas (Not available) Choose a State No State Chosen Utah (Easier)Washington (Easier)Hawaii (Easier) Georgia (Harder)Nevada (Harder)Wyoming (Harder)West Virginia (Harder)Florida (Harder)Wisconsin (Harder)Alabama (Harder)Virginia (Harder) Choose a State No State Chosen Vermont (Easier)Montana (Easier)Utah (Easier)Illinois (Easier)Connecticut (Easier)Colorado (Easier)New Hampshire (Easier)Maine (Easier)District Of Columbia (Easier)Hawaii (Easier)Maryland (Easier) Wisconsin (Harder)Kentucky (Harder)Idaho (Harder)Ohio (Harder) Georgia (Not Permitted)South Dakota (Not Permitted)New York (Not Permitted)Nevada (Not Permitted)Utah (Not Permitted)Alaska (Not Permitted)Washington (Not Permitted)South Carolina (Not Permitted)West Virginia (Not Permitted)New Jersey (Not Permitted)Rhode Island (Not Permitted)Tennessee (Not Permitted)Missouri (Not Permitted)Arkansas (Not Permitted)Delaware (Not Permitted)Florida (Not Permitted)Kansas (Not Permitted)Nebraska (Not Permitted)Michigan (Not Permitted)Mississippi (Not Permitted)Louisiana (Not Permitted)Alabama (Not Permitted)Kentucky (Not Permitted)Arizona (Not Permitted)Massachusetts (Not Permitted)Pennsylvania (Not Permitted)Ohio (Not Permitted)Indiana (Not Permitted)Oklahoma (Not Permitted)Texas (Not Permitted)Virginia (Not Permitted)California (Not Permitted)New Mexico (Not Permitted)Oregon (Not Permitted) Choose a State No State Chosen South Dakota (Covered in part)New York (Covered in part)Florida (Covered in part)Michigan (Covered in part)South Dakota (Covered in part)New York (Covered in part)North Carolina (Covered in part)Colorado (Covered in part)California (Covered in part) Georgia (Covered in whole)Alaska (Covered in whole)Georgia (Covered in whole)Mississippi (Covered in whole)Louisiana (Covered in whole)South Carolina (Covered in whole)Alabama (Covered in whole)Arizona (Covered in whole)Texas (Covered in whole)Virginia (Covered in whole)Alaska (Covered in whole) Choose a State No State Chosen Montana (During prison)Utah (During prison)Rhode Island (During prison)Missouri (During prison)Illinois (During prison)Michigan (During prison)Massachusetts (During prison)Pennsylvania (During prison)Ohio (During prison)New Hampshire (During prison)Indiana (During prison)Oklahoma (During prison)North Dakota (During prison)Hawaii (During prison)New Mexico (During prison)Oregon (During prison)Maryland (During prison) New York (During prison and parole)Rhode Island (During prison and parole)Missouri (During prison and parole)Connecticut (During prison and parole)Colorado (During prison and parole)Oklahoma (During prison and parole)District Of Columbia (During prison and parole)New Mexico (During prison and parole) Tennessee (During prison, parole, probation and post sentence)Kentucky (During prison, parole, probation and post sentence)Texas (During prison, parole, probation and post sentence)California (During prison, parole, probation and post sentence) Georgia (During time in prison, parole, and probation)South Dakota (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Wyoming (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Alaska (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Washington (During time in prison, parole, and probation)South Carolina (During time in prison, parole, and probation)West Virginia (During time in prison, parole, and probation)New Jersey (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Missouri (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Arkansas (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Delaware (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Florida (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Kansas (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Nebraska (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Wisconsin (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Mississippi (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Louisiana (During time in prison, parole, and probation)North Carolina (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Arizona (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Idaho (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Oklahoma (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Minnesota (During time in prison, parole, and probation)Texas (During time in prison, parole, and probation)New Mexico (During time in prison, parole, and probation) Nevada (For life)Alabama (For life)Iowa (For life)Virginia (For life) Vermont (Not at all)Maine (Not at all) Choose a State No State Chosen Iowa (Blue in 5 out of 6 elections)New Hampshire (Blue in 5 out of 6 elections)New Mexico (Blue in 5 out of 6 elections) New York (Blue in all 6 elections)Vermont (Blue in all 6 elections)Washington (Blue in all 6 elections)New Jersey (Blue in all 6 elections)Rhode Island (Blue in all 6 elections)Delaware (Blue in all 6 elections)Wisconsin (Blue in all 6 elections)Illinois (Blue in all 6 elections)Michigan (Blue in all 6 elections)New York (Blue in all 6 elections)New Jersey (Blue in all 6 elections)Connecticut (Blue in all 6 elections)Massachusetts (Blue in all 6 elections)Pennsylvania (Blue in all 6 elections)Maine (Blue in all 6 elections)Vermont (Blue in all 6 elections)Minnesota (Blue in all 6 elections)District Of Columbia (Blue in all 6 elections)California (Blue in all 6 elections)Hawaii (Blue in all 6 elections)Oregon (Blue in all 6 elections)Washington (Blue in all 6 elections)Maryland (Blue in all 6 elections) Georgia (Red in 5 out of 6 elections)Montana (Red in 5 out of 6 elections)Georgia (Red in 5 out of 6 elections)Montana (Red in 5 out of 6 elections)North Carolina (Red in 5 out of 6 elections)Arizona (Red in 5 out of 6 elections)Indiana (Red in 5 out of 6 elections) South Dakota (Red in all 6 elections)Wyoming (Red in all 6 elections)Utah (Red in all 6 elections)Alaska (Red in all 6 elections)Kansas (Red in all 6 elections)Nebraska (Red in all 6 elections)Utah (Red in all 6 elections)South Dakota (Red in all 6 elections)Mississippi (Red in all 6 elections)South Carolina (Red in all 6 elections)Alabama (Red in all 6 elections)Wyoming (Red in all 6 elections)Idaho (Red in all 6 elections)Oklahoma (Red in all 6 elections)North Dakota (Red in all 6 elections)Texas (Red in all 6 elections)Alaska (Red in all 6 elections) Choose a State No State Chosen Vermont (Increased)Utah (Increased)Washington (Increased)West Virginia (Increased)Arkansas (Increased)Florida (Increased)Kansas (Increased)Nebraska (Increased)Illinois (Increased)Mississippi (Increased)Louisiana (Increased)Massachusetts (Increased)New Hampshire (Increased)Texas (Increased)District Of Columbia (Increased)Hawaii (Increased) Choose a State No State Chosen Washington (Loosened)West Virginia (Loosened)Florida (Loosened)North Carolina (Loosened)Kentucky (Loosened)Maine (Loosened)California (Loosened)Hawaii (Loosened) Georgia (Tightened)Nevada (Tightened)Utah (Tightened)South Carolina (Tightened)West Virginia (Tightened)Rhode Island (Tightened)Tennessee (Tightened)Missouri (Tightened)Kansas (Tightened)Wisconsin (Tightened)Michigan (Tightened)Mississippi (Tightened)Alabama (Tightened)Idaho (Tightened)Colorado (Tightened)Ohio (Tightened)New Hampshire (Tightened)Indiana (Tightened)Oklahoma (Tightened)North Dakota (Tightened)Texas (Tightened)Virginia (Tightened)
All States Layer Chosen
Democratic Republican
No excuse absentee voting
Absentee voting if away from residence or for certain other reasons
Voting exclusively by mail
Ballots may be mailed in
No mail-in voting
Loosened Tightened No Change
Increased Decreased
Not Available Available/No Change
Authorized but not yet implemented
Easier Harder
Covered in Whole Covered in Part
Dem in last 6 elections Dem in last 5
Rep in last 6 elections Rep in last 5
Loosened Tightened
During prison
During prison and parole
During prison, parole, and probation
During prison, parole, probation and post sentence
Easier Not Permitted
Harder Permitted/No Change
Political Map of the United States An interactive political map of the U.S. States that meet certain layer criteria like voter id law, 2004 swing state, etc... will be coloured differently than the rest of the states. States can be clicked on to see additional information. Hawaii Alaska Florida South Carolina Georgia Alabama North Carolina Tennessee Rhode Island Connecticut Massachusetts Maine New Hampshire Vermont New York New Jersey Pennsylvania Delaware Maryland West Virginia Kentucky Ohio Michigan Wyoming Montana Idaho Washington Texas California Arizona Nevada Utah Colorado New Mexico Oregon North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Iowa Indiana Illinois Wisconsin Missouri Arkansas Oklahoma Kansas Louisiana Virginia Washington D.C. Mississippi Minnesota
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