Welcome to the December edition of The Lever, featuring expert insights and analysis from Voting Rights Lab. In this issue, we take a look at trends emerging from 2024 election reforms and restrictions – offering a bird’s-eye view of the changes that will shape our elections for years to come. 

Additionally, we explore new data emerging about voters’ perceptions of the 2024 election process and examine some proposed measures that could speed up the counting of votes in Arizona – without restricting voter access.

REFORMS AND RESTRICTIONS: A YEAR OF CONTRASTS IN ELECTION LAW & POLICY

The past year offers a story of both reforms and restrictions across the ever-evolving state election law and policy landscape. Some states expanded access to the ballot box and ensured more efficient election administration. Others introduced legislation that could create new barriers for voters and election officials alike. 

Some key trends we highlight in our analysis of the 2024 landscape:

• Many states continued to pursue new laws requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voters, despite robust checks and balances already in place.

• Several states passed sweeping changes in an attempt to consolidate partisan control over election administration.

• The movement to restore voting rights to individuals with past felony convictions picked up momentum in several states.

• Multiple states saw legal challenges that could have far-reaching implications for mail voting and list maintenance.

BY THE NUMBERS

9 in 10

That’s approximately how many voters felt that this year’s election was run “very well or somewhat well,” according to new data from the Pew Research Center. This figure, driven exclusively by increased trust among Republican voters, is about 30% higher than it was at a similar time in 2020. 

NPR examined the findings of this study and offered some additional analysis. There was a notable increase in trust, even taking into consideration the “winner’s effect,” in which voters express greater confidence in an election when their preferred candidate wins. 

Election officials' engagement with the media and the public may have contributed to this shift towards trust. Highlighting measures in place for ensuring secure elections allowed officials to adopt a more assertive – rather than defensive – stance in the face of ongoing attacks on our election systems.

WHAT WE'RE READING

THE MARKUP

The Markup is Voting Rights Lab’s weekly law and policy update, powered by our Voting Rights Tracker. If you’d like to get these insights straight to your inbox, head here to sign up. Here’s a preview of what we’re watching this week:

North Carolina legislature overrides governor's veto in partisan power grab, puts ballot initiative requiring photo ID for mail voters on 2026 ballot. The North Carolina legislature overrode the governor’s veto to enact S.B. 382, which shifts authority to make appointments to the State Board of Elections from the governor to the state auditor. This comes after the state courts blocked 2023's S.B. 749, a bill that would have shifted appointment power from the governor to the state legislature. 

Michigan lawmakers advance bill providing voting information upon release from prison. The Michigan Senate passed S.B. 835, a bill that directs corrections officials to provide voter registration information to citizens being released from incarceration. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.