2018 Kicks Off with Voter Laws Legislative Frenzy

Every state legislature that has introduced restrictive voting bills in 2018 has also introduced expansive bills. The voter laws frenzy happens every year, according to the NYU center that tracks it.

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According to a study by the New York University School of Law Brennan Center for Justice, an initial round of legislative bill tracking in states that opened for legislation -- 39 states and the District of Columbia -- there are 16 new bills restricting voter access in eight states and 144 new bills expanding voter access in 22 states. Add to that the proposed voter laws carried over from last session -- 263 bills -- and tracking the voter expansion initiatives alone are dizzying.

According to the voter laws roundup, the voter registration restrictions introduced in 2018 are related to:

  • Voter ID requirements: Nebraska and New Hampshire
  • Registration & Voter Registration Mobilization: Virginia
  • Early Voting: Indiana and Utah
  • Absentee Voting: Nebraska and Virginia have introduced bills restricting access or increasing burdens related to absentee voting.
  • Voter Roll Maintenance: Indiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, and New Hampshire
  • Minimum Standards for Election Administration: Georgia and Washington
  • Student Voting: New Hampshire

Also, six states have so far introduced election security bills.

The center conducts the voter laws roundup annually, and published the 2017 study in May last year.

Review and download the full January 2018 analysis of proposed voter laws here:

1.22.18 Voting Laws Roundup 2018 by Ed Praetorian on Scribd

Andrea Fox is Editor of Gov1.com and Senior Editor at Lexipol. She is based in Massachusetts.

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