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State of Election Administration Legislation 2025 Mid-Year Report: Introduction
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Absentee/mail-in voting • Early voting • Electoral systems • Voting rights for convicted felons • Private funding • Primary systems • Redistricting • Voter identification |
August 15, 2025
By Ballotpedia staff
Introduction
What's in the report
This report contains analysis and takeaways of election-related legislation from 2025 state legislative sessions. It focuses on the topics and states where legislators have passed the most new laws, but also includes information on some legislation still under consideration. It examines six topics of note, providing context about policy and updates on active legislation for each. We selected these topics based on the attention lawmakers have given these issues in recent legislation sessions, the range of policy proposals associated with a topic, and relevant new laws.
The report also includes in-depth recaps of new laws in 12 states—three with a Democratic trifecta, three with a Republican trifecta, and three with a divided government. This includes states where legislatures have already adjourned for the year, and where lawmakers have adopted numerous or notable election-related laws.
Session snapshot
All 50 states held legislative sessions in 2025. As of the publication of this report, 24 state legislatures had adjourned their regular legislative sessions, while one state, Texas, was in a special session.
Lawmakers have passed 566 new election laws so far in 2025, more than at this time last year, but fewer than in 2023. New laws from states with a Republican trifecta make up a larger share of new laws this year (71.6%) than they did in the last odd year (63.6%).
The six states with the most new laws all have Republican trifectas, and Republican trifectas make up nine out of the top 10 states in terms of adopted election legislation this year. Republican-led states also adopted a higher share of Republican-sponsored bills (77.5%) than Democratic-led states did Democratic-sponsored bills (55.4%). In total, Republican-sponsored legislation in states with a Republican trifecta makes up the majority of new election laws (314, 55.7% of all new laws).
Several large states with Democratic trifectas, including California and New York, will not adjourn their legislative sessions until closer to the end of the year. This means that it is possible the number of new election laws in states with a Democratic trifecta will be a larger share of all new laws than at present.
See below to learn more about key topics, active states, and trends in new election laws.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job.
Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. But that's just the beginning of what it can do:
- Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments.
- We translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language.
- And because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan.
About the authors
Joe Greaney is a staff writer on Ballotpedia's Law Team.
Ballotpedia Managing Editor Janie Valentine reviewed the report and provided feedback, as did Senior Editor Norm Leahy Associate Director of Features Cory Eucalitto.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
- About Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
- Voting laws in the United States
- Election Policy
