By: Rose Kores
Edited by: Lara N. Tomescu
Introduction
A government that truly upholds popular suffrage ensures that the people’s voice is freely expressed, fairly considered, and fully realized. The most effective governments safeguard and strengthen this right through equitable and meaningful legislation.1 However, the slew of legislative changes enacted in the United States in recent years have jeopardized the stability and accessibility of this right, leaving many to wonder how these changes will impact their right to vote in the upcoming election cycle. In 2025, while lawmakers across the 50 U.S. states deliberated over 631 expansive voting acts, 47 of those states also considered 486 bills geared towards restricting voting access, with states ultimately passing slightly more restrictive laws than expansive ones.2 With primary and midterm elections right around the corner, and some already underway, it is imperative for citizens to be aware of the changing landscape of U.S. election laws, and how these changes – both restrictive and expansive – might impact their ability to exercise their First Amendment right to vote.
I. Voter Registration
Six different states have enforced new restrictive voting legislation, positioning eligible, registered voters to be purged or eliminated from their state’s election database due to oversights stemming from these new laws. Between 2020 and 2022, more than 19 million voters were removed from voter registration platforms.3 In early 2025, the Indiana State Legislature passed Senate Bill 10, which prioritizes faster and more thorough voter roll maintenance and outlines the conditions for removing a voter from the system.4 While streamlining the system can be advantageous if duplicated or erroneous entries are removed, deleting registered voters can be subjective. This is problematic because officials’ inherent biases may influence which voters are removed from the system, thereby exacerbating discrimination within the electoral process.
Comparatively, Wyoming passed an expansive voter registration law in 2025 that restores eligible ex-felons’ right to vote through a certificate of restoration. The certificate can be requested by ex-felons five years post-incarceration.5 This expands voting access to a historically disenfranchised population while simultaneously expanding Wyoming’s population of eligible voters.
II, Vote by Mail
In March of 2025, Utah passed House Bill 300 which enforced restrictions on mail-in ballots. This bill stipulates that all voters must manually request an absentee ballot starting in 2029. This will require voters to present a valid form of identification to receive their ballot and will mandate a signature verification process.6 This will unfairly disenfranchise elderly, low-income, and rural residents in addition to out-of-state college students, service members, working citizens, and individuals with disabilities, many of whom lack the resources or flexibility to visit an election office in person. The signature verification process could result in the denial or invalidation of citizens’ ballots due to signature inconsistencies. Since voting by mail is one of the most common forms of election participation, with nearly 1 in 3 Americans (31%) submitting an absentee ballot in the 2024 general election, it is imperative that citizens understand their state’s absentee ballot regulations so that they can ensure their participation in upcoming elections.7
In 2025, Rhode Island and California implemented laws expanding absentee voting access. Voters in Rhode Island can now request an application that, once approved, will enable them to automatically receive an absentee ballot for each election.8 This will make it significantly easier for voters to complete the one-time registration process for their absentee ballot, eliminating the added barrier of re-registering for and checking the status of their ballot before each election cycle. Similarly, California recently enacted a law that will extend the deadline in which absentee ballots may be received by an election official after Election Day. The previous law permitted voters to turn in their ballot no later than 3 days after an election, and this amendment extends that deadline to 7 days, making ballot returns more accessible for voters.9 This will be particularly helpful for citizens with inflexible work and family commitments and/or restricted transportation to their nearest election office.
III. Ballot Access and Administration
Several states have made headway in limiting voting access and weakening the integrity of the vote counting process. For instance, Oklahoma recently passed legislation to limit voting locations and Ohio and Kansas have passed legislation to shorten early voting or mail-in voting periods.2 This is disadvantageous for many voters as early voting periods increase turnout by offering flexible opportunities that better accommodate varied schedules.
In August of 2025, the governor of New Hampshire enacted House Bill 154 which enables voters to request that their ballot be hand-counted.10 After running the polls for around 14 hours, election officials must then facilitate vote counting, which is typically completed through an electronic process. Hand-counting ballots after the polls close increases the probability of human error. An MIT study conducted in New Hampshire revealed that the error rate for poll workers who hand counted ballots was 8%, whereas the error rate for machine counting was only about 0.5%.11
The Kentucky General Assembly passed House Bill 684 in March of 2025 to prevent voters from providing their debit or credit card as a form of identification at the polls.12 This is disadvantageous for students, young adults, elderly individuals, and incapacitated individuals who might be eligible to vote but do not have immediate access to their passports, photo identification cards, and social security cards.
Fortunately, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, and Texas have all improved access to election materials for non-English speakers. In May of 2025, Maryland passed House Bill 983 pertaining to the establishment of the Language Assistance Program. This program requires a local board of elections to help administer this program if the State Board determines that significant language barriers exist for voters within a primarily English-speaking county.13 This board will be responsible for designing informational election materials tailored to non-English speaking voters. With about 74.8 million U.S. citizens (22%) speaking a language other than English at home, most commonly Spanish, this legislation will expand voting access to a substantial share of the population.14
IV. Key Recommendations
Do Your Research
To stay informed about the changing election laws in your state or district, the first step is to identify who is in charge of elections in your region. Conduct a quick Google search to learn more about the Supervisor of Elections Office or Board of Elections for your district. Look for information about voting registration rules and deadlines, identification requirements, and early voting or absentee ballot policies. Regularly check your election official’s website or call their offices to receive the most up-to-date and accurate information.
Familiarize yourself with the election process in advance. Look up a sample ballot through your state’s website or voter toolkit so that you know what to expect on Election Day. Follow policy trackers such as the National Conference of State Legislatures which contains information about election law changes across all 50 states, and sign up for newsletters or election alerts through your election office or reliable voting organizations. Additionally, review your state legislature’s bill database to stay in-the-know about which bills are actively being discussed and passed.
Consume Trustworthy Information
Verify all election-related information to ensure that the information you are encountering is accurate and applicable to your district and/or state. Best practices to avoid consuming misinformation online include cross-checking information with official state sources and avoiding unknown links, viral social media posts, and unsolicited mailers. Call your local election office with any questions.
Learn Your Rights
Understanding your legal protections can be helpful in navigating voting-related issues confidently and amicably. It may be helpful to review information from the U.S. Department of Justice to learn more about disability access, language assistance, and protection against intimidation from election or government officials. While it is important to understand election regulations, it is equally important to know your rights both before and on Election Day so that you are freely able to exercise your First Amendment right to vote.
Engage Locally
If you are able, attend your district’s meetings pertaining to election laws and accessibility or sit in on a legislative session at your state capitol. This will allow you to learn more about the types of bills they are considering and how they might affect voting accessibility. You can also sign up to be a poll worker or get involved in local civic organizations to engage more directly with the election process. Exercising your right to vote is largely what you make of it. Hence, voters who are informed, prepared, and engaged are far more likely to have an efficient, stress-free, and even enjoyable experience on Election Day.
Works Cited
- McCrary, George W. 1879. “Our Election Laws.” The North American Review 128, no. 270: 449–61. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25100750.
- Brennan Center for Justice. 2026. “State Voting Laws Roundup: 2025 Year in Review.” https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/state-voting-laws-roundup-2025-review.
- Brennan Center for Justice. n.d. “Voter Purges.” https://www.brennancenter.org/topics/voting-elections/vote-suppression/voter-purges.
- Indiana General Assembly. 2025. “Voter Registration.” https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills/senate/10/details.
- State of Wyoming Legislature. 2025. “Restoration of Rights Amendments.” https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2025/SF0009.
- Utah Legislature. 2025. “HB0300.” https://le.utah.gov/~2026/bills/static/HB0300.html.
- States United Democracy Center. 2025. “Nearly 1 in 3 Americans Voted by Mail in 2024.” https://statesunited.org/resources/americans-vote-by-mail-2024/.
- Rhode Island LegiScan. 2025. “RI HB 5709.” https://legiscan.com/RI/drafts/H5709/2025.
- California LegiScan. 2025. “Assembly Bill 930.” https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB930/id/3193849.
- New Hampshire LegiScan. 2025. “HB 154.” https://legiscan.com/NH/text/HB154/id/3040089?__cf_chl_tk=QuFOrQW4PPHYuo.C.UiJ8f2r1akfUJlQU1BoA6CdMb0-1773959656-1.0.1.1-jKeHgBK_sGdY7P2TYZjeKwfnPdmepM_8gHHNaHgwBCw.
- Voting Rights Lab. 2024. “Ballot Hand Counts Lead to Inaccuracy.” https://votingrightslab.org/2024/02/27/ballot-hand-counts-lead-to-inaccuracy/.
- Kentucky General Assembly. 2025. “25RS HB 684.” https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/25rs/hb684.html.
- Maryland LegiScan. 2025. “HB 983.” https://legiscan.com/MD/bill/HB983/2025.
- United States Census Bureau. 2025. “New Data on Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and the Ability to Speak English.” https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/2017-2021-acs-language-use-tables.html.
Author Bio
Rose Kores is a second-year Master of Public Administration (MPA) candidate concentrating in Social Policy, with a particular interest in state and electoral politics. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Belmont University, where she gained experience in state and local government, working at the intersection of legislative affairs and constituent services. In the long term, Rose aims to enter the administrative and regulatory law field to merge her passions for law and public policy as a federal legislative strategist.
