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Welcome to the July edition of The Lever, featuring expert insights and analysis from Voting Rights Lab. 

In this issue, we provide a deep dive into the trends defining the 2025 legislative session so far. We also examine the Trump administration’s active lawsuit against the North Carolina State Elections Board, and share Mississippi’s unusual new public-private data partnership to maintain voter rolls.

2025 LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS TO DATE: KEY ELECTION POLICY TRENDS

While the Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul our elections have attracted national headlines, some of the most consequential changes are happening in state legislatures. President Trump’s allies in the states are following his blueprint and making it their own. 

In our 2025 mid-year report, our team identifies key trends: 

1. At this point in the year over the last four years, states have enacted about twice as many laws improving voting laws as laws restricting them. But that trend reversed this year, with a dramatic drop in the proportion of enacted bills improving voter access or election administration. 
2. We also track how state legislatures are advancing Trump’s elections agenda. That agenda includes burdensome proof-of-citizenship requirements, the elimination of ballot receipt grace periods for ballots postmarked by Election Day but received after, restrictions on commonly used voter ID options, and state-level attacks on military and overseas voters.

BY THE NUMBERS

200,000

That’s approximately how many North Carolina voters could see their ballots rejected in future elections. To ensure their vote is counted, 103,000 voters must update their voter registration file to include their driver’s license or partial Social Security number. In May, the Trump administration filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina State Board of Elections, claiming the absence of this information amounts to voter fraud.

Voters who fail to provide this information will be forced to cast provisional ballots. This risks invalidating their votes, as some state and local races do not accept provisional ballots. In other races, they’ll need to follow up with election officials and provide an ID number to have their ballot counted.

The State Board of Elections has formed a database and has begun contacting these affected voters to collect the missing information. Another 100,000 registrants whose records lack this information – but who have proven their identities using other methods – will be permitted to vote normally. They will be solicited to update their records at a later date.

WHAT WE'RE READING: MISSISSIPPI PARTNERS WITH EXPERIAN FOR NEW VOTER ROLL MAINTENANCE DATA

THE MARKUP

The Markup is Voting Rights Lab’s weekly law and policy update, powered by our Election Policy Tracker. We’re currently sending these updates on a biweekly summer schedule. If you would like to receive these emails, please tick the sign-up box at the bottom of this form.

Here’s an excerpt from the latest Markup:

• Pennsylvania rolls out redesigned provisional ballot envelopes aimed at reducing errors. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt unveiled a redesigned provisional ballot envelope. The new envelope features clearer instructions, highlighted signature areas, and simplified poll-worker sections. During the November 2024 election, 29% of provisional ballots cast in the state were rejected. The redesign follows a similar update of mail-in ballot envelopes in 2023. That update was linked to a 57% drop in mail ballot rejection rates. 

• DOJ pressures states for voter data, as local officials express concern over politicized investigations. The U.S. Department of Justice has requested that numerous states turn over detailed voter registration lists and election-related information as part of a new initiative to investigate alleged voter fraud. The request includes sensitive data, such as voter registration history, raising alarm among voting rights advocates and state officials. According to a new Brennan Center survey, nearly half (46%) of local election officials say they are at least somewhat concerned about politically motivated investigations.