Democracy Maps
Democracy Maps Round-Up: Tracking Wins and Trends in 2025
Tracking more than 50 laws and policies related to voting and elections, the Democracy Maps reveal the incredible differences in access to voting and election independence across the country. MAP updates the Democracy Maps in real time as legislatures across the country pass laws impacting voting, elections, and our democracy.
As the year comes to a close — with only a handful of states remaining in legislative session as of this writing — MAP is looking ahead to 2026 and offering an overview of the major trends from election and voting related legislation in 2025.
There were thousands of election- and voting-related bills introduced across the country in 2025 and although we’ve seen an alarming number of efforts to further restrict access for voters and protections for democracy, we intend to highlight the very real wins around the country by activists and advocates committed to safeguarding access to the ballot.
Positive Developments Across the States in 2025
Proof of Citizenship Requirements Mostly Fail to Advance
One of the prominent trends in state election legislation this year was documentary proof of citizenship requirements. These requirements create significant barriers to voting, due to lack of access to documents to prove citizenship. These laws would also disproportionately impact marginalized communities, create immense administrative and cost burdens on election officials, and disrupt current registration systems.
In 2025, 27 states introduced at least 73 bills to adopt proof of citizenship requirements, but only one law passed, in Wyoming. In addition, the section of the president’s executive order on elections, which attempted to mandate proof of citizenship nationwide, was struck down by a federal district court, and the government has not yet appealed the ruling. The federal SAVE Act also failed to advance through the U.S. Senate. While proof of citizenship requirements will undoubtedly continue to be a focus for legislators at the federal and state level in 2026, the overwhelming majority of these efforts were defeated this year.
Membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) Rebounds
ERIC is recognized as the best tool for states to share data in efforts to maintain the accuracy of their voter rolls. Despite this, since 2020, nine states have withdrawn from the organization citing false claims and misinformation. However, this year some positive shifts have occurred, with Hawaii officially becoming a member of ERIC after passing legislation in 2024 to initiate their membership in the organization. In addition, legislation that has passed both chambers in New York would require the state to join ERIC in 2026.
Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) Adoption Continues to Progress
Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) has been one of the most prominent positive trends in election legislation in recent years. AVR systems come in two main forms: secure AVR and partial AVR. In secure AVR systems — sometimes referred to as “back-end AVR” — designated agencies, such as state DMVs, systematically send information from relevant transactions to state election authorities. Once a voter’s eligibility is confirmed, the voter is then automatically registered (or registered in pending status) before being given an opportunity to opt-out at a later time, usually through the mail. Secure AVR systems are more efficient and effective at registering eligible voters, keeping registration records accurate, and registering only U.S. citizens to vote.
Since 2020, more than a dozen states have either implemented AVR for the first time or upgraded their systems to secure AVR. Earlier this year, New Mexico implemented a new system of secure automatic voter registration (AVR), following their enactment of a law in 2023 to transition from partial to secure AVR. Michigan also transitioned their AVR system from partial to secure AVR earlier this year. With Michigan and New Mexico’s updates, ten states, along with D.C., have implemented a secure AVR system.
More States are Requiring Post-Election Audits
North Dakota and Oklahoma both enacted laws that require post-election audits for the first time. Post-election audits are a nonpartisan process that allows states to verify the accuracy and performance of voting equipment and vote counting machines. Properly conducted, nonpartisan audits provide public confidence in election results and can also act as a safeguard against hacking and foreign interference. With these new laws, only seven remaining states do not require post-election audits.
Maryland and Texas also enacted legislation to require the use of risk-limiting audits for the first time. Risk-limiting audits are a form of post-election audits that use statistical methods to analyze random samples of ballots and verify the accuracy of election results. In a risk-limiting audit, the size of the random ballot sample is increased until there is statistical and objective confidence in the election results. Including these new laws, 15 states now conduct these best practice audits.
State Voting Rights Acts Continue to Grow
Colorado became the ninth state to enact a state level voting rights act, and the fifth state to do so since 2020. These laws mirror the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA) and are also a response to over a decade of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that stripped away some of the most important protections of the federal VRA.
State voting rights acts provide new legal tools to fight voter suppression in court and create protections against voter intimidation and racial discrimination, among many other critical safeguards. Colorado’s new law also contains first of its kind protections specifically for LGBTQ voters.
At Least 13 States Enacted New Expansive Laws or Policies in 2025
Since 2020, we’ve witnessed the progression of opposing trends in state election laws, with some states prioritizing restrictive measures, while others have become more expansive. Broadly speaking, MAP defines expansive laws or policies as those that expand voter access, reduce barriers to the ballot, and make elections more secure and independent. Examples include automatic voter registration, state level voting rights acts, and protections for election officials against threats and intimidation. This year, over a dozen states enacted new expansive laws or policies:
- California
- Colorado
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Maryland
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Rhode Island
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington
Note: this list reflects issues tracked by MAP’s Democracy Maps, covering 50+ policies. States may have enacted additional expansive or restrictive policies not included here.
Looking Ahead to 2026
A Continued Focus on Proof of Citizenship Requirements
While advocates were mostly successful in defeating harmful proposals this year, proof of citizenship requirements are certain to be a focus for state and federal lawmakers in 2026. The federal SAVE Act passed the House in 2025 but has not yet advanced out of the Senate. While a federal court struck down the portion of the president’s executive order on elections attempting to impose a proof of citizenship requirement, there are some indications that the federal Election Assistance Commission is under political pressure to pursue other avenues to adopt a similar policy. And as noted above, the 26 states that unsuccessfully pursued proof of citizenship bills this year are likely to renew their efforts in 2026.
Federal and State Authorities Using the Federal SAVE Database for Voter Purges
Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security began transforming the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database into a central hub for checking the citizenship status of voters, raising significant privacy concerns heading into 2026. The changes would link data from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to the SAVE system and repurpose SAVE as a voter citizenship verification tool.
This data sharing and consolidation proposed by DHS threatens the privacy and security of Americans’ sensitive personal information; and this repurposing of the SAVE system could wrongfully purge lawfully registered voters from voter rolls, preventing eligible voters from casting their ballot. Just this month, the use of the database in Texas flagged hundreds of voters as potential noncitizens despite the fact that they had already proved their citizenship.
State Mail Ballot Grace Periods at Risk of Repeal
This year also saw a trend in states repealing their mail ballot deadline grace periods, a move that is likely to continue in 2026. Kansas, North Dakota, and Utah all enacted legislation this year that will require mail ballots to be received by the end of the day on Election Day. Legislation currently awaiting the governor’s signature in Ohio would make them the fourth state to repeal their grace period this year.
This comes in the wake of the President’s executive order on elections, which seeks to force states to change their policies that allow ballots postmarked by Election Day to be received after Election Day. The order threatens to withhold federal funds from noncompliant states — which exceeds presidential authority — and directs the Attorney General to take legal action against these states. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a case challenging Mississippi’s mail ballot deadline grace period, which threatens to upend these laws nationwide.
As we move into the 2026 legislative sessions and prepare for elections in November, MAP will continue tracking dozens of laws and policies about voting, democracy, and elections through our Democracy Maps, which are updated in real time. Stay tuned for our legislative session forecast in January 2026.
Interested in learning more about policy areas impacting voter access and election integrity? Read our latest installment in MAP’s Democracy 101 series by clicking here or below.
