By: Stephanie Perry State of Elections blog posts are written by William & Mary law students who have opted into studying election law in all its nuances. We sweat the difference between a racial gerrymander and a political gerrymander, the distinction between an expenditure and a campaign contribution. That said, this blog writer was genuinely […] The post On The Flip Side: Ballot Proposals In New York State appeared first on State of Elections ..read more

By: Anna Miller In May 2020, the Supreme Court of South Carolina was asked to rule on whether the COVID-19 pandemic constituted enough of a “physical disability” to allow all South Carolina voters to vote absentee in the 2020 election. Currently, South Carolina election law requires absentee voters to have an approved reason for casting […] The post South Carolina and the Free and Open Elections Clause appeared first on State of Elections ..read more

By: Kelsey Nickerson Montana is one of the largest states in the county, but unlike its counterparts Texas and California, it is home to relatively few people and only accounts for 3 electoral votes. The state had some close elections as of late, and with a relatively small population, a small number of votes can […] The post Montana: Changes To Voting Laws In Wake of 2020 Election appeared first on State of Elections ..read more

The 2020 presidential election was historic for many reasons, among them, the special safety measures that state election administrators had to suddenly implement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its effort to ensure voter safety in the 2020 election process, the Nevada legislature passed a law that would require all counties to mail absentee […] The post Nevada Expands Mail-In Voting Post 2020 appeared first on State of Elections ..read more

By: Shelly Vallone The Alabama Senate gave final approval for a redistricting plan of Alabama’s congressional districts on November 3, 2021 after Governor Kay Ivey commenced a special reapportionment session on October 28, 2021 to complete the mandatory redrawing of Congressional, State House of Representatives, State Senate, and State Board of Education districts after the […] The post Alabama Battles Over Redistricting appeared first on State of Elections ..read more

By: Sarah Depew On October 18, 2021, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC), the largest and oldest Latino legislative caucus in the nation, issued a public statement on their Twitter account stating that they filed a petition for deposition in order to investigate a possible violation of the Texas Open Meetings Act. More specifically, the […] The post Did Texas House Members Violate the Texas Open Meetings Act When Redistricting? appeared first on State of Elections ..read more

Sham candidates are influencing outcomes in Florida elections. And it’s “not necessarily illegal.” Running sham candidates, or “ballot management,” is the practice of strategically running a no party affiliation (NPA) or third-party candidate not to win, but to siphon votes from a competitor. The 2020 race for Florida Senate District 37 illustrates the issue. Incumbent […] The post Spoiler Alert: Sham Candidates Unduly Influence Florida Elections appeared first on State of Elections ..read more

By: Mike Arnone In July, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Brnovich v. DNC, arguably its most significant voting rights decision since Shelby County v. Holder in 2013. Two Arizona election restrictions were at issue in Brnovich, but the Court’s holding will have far-reaching consequences beyond the Grand Canyon State. The restrictions at the heart […] The post Beyond Brnovich – How an Arizona Voting Rights Case Will Have Sweeping Consequences appeared first on State of Elections ..read more

It has been ten years, a decennial census, and the Republican-controlled Texas legislature has redrawn the state maps, with incumbents finding themselves drawn out of their own districts and would-be challengers finding paths to success becoming narrower, donut- and donut-hole districts, and a flurry of legal and public pushback against the announced maps. Incumbent Representative […] The post Bready or Not: Texas, 2022 Redistricting, and Donut-Shaped Districts appeared first on State of Elections ..read more

By: Cullen Enabnit An ongoing trend following the 2020 election pushed state legislatures to introduce more and more laws aimed at curtailing perceived voter fraud or the potential of it. One of the main ways states have approached this is by enacting different levels of voter identification laws. Currently there are 36 states that have […] The post Minnesota ID: Will Voter Id Laws Be Enacted with The Coming Legislative Session? appeared first on State of Elections ..read more