New Article Documents Changes in State Election Laws since 2020

The Voting Rights Lab has summarized key trends in election law changes since 2020 in a new article, “The Lasting Impacts of the 2020 Election: Voter Registration, Voter List Maintenance, and Mail Ballot Applications.” The article’s author notes that while many states expanded voting access leading up to the 2020 election in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, certain provisions, such as voting by mail, became politicized. As a result, some states have increased barriers to voter registration and have restricted mail ballot access. The article cites examples of new barriers to registration enacted in Texas, Arizona, Tennessee, Florida, Montana, Missouri, and New Hampshire, as well as restrictions on mail ballot access enacted in Florida, Texas, Georgia, Delaware, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Arizona. At the same time, other states have expanded access to voter registration and mail ballots. The article cites examples of voter registration improvements in Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Louisiana, as well as examples of expanded mail ballot access in California, Nevada, Vermont, Delaware, Rhode Island, and New York. The Voting Rights Lab will continue to monitor the impacts of election law changes on voters.