State of Election Administration Legislation 2025 Spring Report: Topics of note
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Absentee/mail-in voting • Early voting • Electoral systems • Voting rights for convicted felons • Private funding • Primary systems • Redistricting • Voter identification |
March 20, 2025
By Ballotpedia staff
Topics of note
Absentee/mail-in voting
Lawmakers introduced 308 bills and resolutions related to absentee/mail-in voting in 43 states. These bills change different aspects of the absentee/mail-in voting process, such as the ways by which a voter can request or return a mailed ballot, the deadline to do so, the method of tabulating mailed ballots, or the period when election officials must mail ballots.
States making or considering changes to the process of returning mailed ballots include:
- Arizona, where SB 1098 would require anyone dropping off a mailed ballot at an early voting location to provide identification. It also required anyone delivering another voter’s ballot to attest in writing that they are the voter's family member, household member, or caregiver. The Republican-sponsored bill passed the state’s lower chamber on March 5.
- In Kansas, SB 4 would move up the deadline for election officials to receive a mailed ballot in order for the ballot to be counted. Under current law — adopted in 2017 with bipartisan support — ballots are valid if they are postmarked by Election Day and received within three days of Election Day. SB 4 stipulates that any ballot an election official receives after 7 p.m. on Election Day will not be counted. The bill has passed both chambers of the legislature, with all Democrats opposing the measure and near unanimous support from Republicans. It awaits action from Gov. Laura Kelly (D).
- In Nevada, AB 306 would expand the availability of drop boxes to return absentee ballots. Supporters of the bill say the change would speed up ballot counting after election officials in Clark County attributed delays to an influx of ballots at a drop box on Election Day in 2024. The bill was scheduled for a hearing in the lower chamber’s Legislative Operations and Elections Committee on March 13.
- Washington, where SB 5017 adopts the Uniform Military and Overseas Voters Act (UMOVA) and makes changes to how these voters update their registration and voting details. The bill passed the Washington State Senate with all Democrats in support and Republicans splitting their votes 10-9 against the bill.
On the other side of a voter’s vote-by-mail experience, states considering or making changes to the process of requesting an absentee/mail-in ballot include:
- At least three states with Republican trifectas are considering major changes to requesting an absentee/mail-in ballot:
- In Idaho, HB 139 would end no-excuse absentee voting in the state and require voters wishing to vote by mail to provide a reason for why they are unable to appear at an in-person polling place. The bill did not advance out of committee on a tied vote on February 26.
- Oklahoma's HB 1515 would take a similar step, replacing a no-excuse system with a requirement that voters state why they are unable to vote in person before they are eligible to receive an absentee ballot. The state’s House Government Oversight Committee held a hearing on the bill on March 6.
- In Utah, HB 300 would end the state’s all-mail voting system and require voters to request to receive a ballot by mail. The bill has passed the legislature and awaits action from Gov. Spencer Cox (R). Read more below.
- In several states with Democratic trifectas, lawmakers are considering automatically mailing absentee/mail-in ballot request forms or expanding voter’s options to request a ballot:
- In Maryland, HB 201 would require local boards of election to mail absentee ballot request forms to all registered voters at least 60 days before a statewide primary. The bill is active in the lower chamber’s Ways and Means Committee.
- In New York, S 5570 would allow a voter to submit an online absentee request form. The bill is active in the senate’s Elections Committee.
- In Minnesota, which has a divided government, Republican-sponsored HF 931 would require a disclaimer on absentee ballot applications or sample ballots sent to a voter by a third-party clarifying that the mailing is not an official government communication. The chamber’s Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee delivered a favorable report on the bill on March 3.
Forty-one states have a bill related to returning ballots, while 35 have bills related to the process of requesting a ballot. Learn more about these bills here.
Other changes to the administration of absentee/mail-in voting include:
- Indiana’s HB 1679, which requires election officials to publish absentee activity reports by 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. on Election Day, and allows a voter to request a replacement absentee ballot by email if election officials determine their original ballot to be defective and orders a correction. The legislation also makes a number of changes to election laws apart from the absentee/mail-in voting process. The lower chamber of the state’s legislature passed the bill on February 13, when 19 Democrats joined chamber’s Republicans in voting for passage. Indiana has a Republican trifecta.
- New Hampshire's HB 294 eliminates a provision that delays the counting of absentee ballots when a certain number of challenges are made at a polling location. The bill has bipartisan sponsorship and passed the state House in an unrecorded vote on March 6. New Hampshire has a Republican trifecta.
- Nevada’s AB 148 would specify that election officials must mail ballots to voters between the fourth and fifth Monday before an election instead of no later than 20 days before an election. The bill would also require election officials to mail each voter a sample ballot ahead of their regular ballot. Nevada is an all-mail voting state and has a divided government. The bill was scheduled to have a hearing in the lower chamber’s Legislative Operations and Elections committee.
Click here to see all bills related to absentee/mail-in voting.
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 Marquee Team.
Ballotpedia Editor in Chief Geoff Pallay reviewed the report and provided feedback, as did Managing Editor 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
