Democracy Maps
Democracy Maps Updates: June 2026
Tracking more than 50 laws and policies related to voting and elections, the Democracy Maps highlight the stark differences in voting access and election independence across the country. MAP updates the Democracy Maps in real time as legislatures enact laws that affect voting, elections, and our democracy.
Below is a summary of federal and state policy changes as of June 10, 2026.
▸▸ Federal Policy Updates
Threats to Mail Voting Multiply
Mail voting — used by roughly 30% of voters in the 2024 general election and relied on disproportionately by military and overseas voters, older voters, voters with disabilities, and rural communities — faces an unprecedented convergence of federal threats heading into the 2026 midterms.
Mail Voting Executive Order. In March, the President issued an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security to compile lists of adult citizens in each state using federal databases, including Social Security Administration records and immigration data, and to transmit those lists to state chief election officials. It also directs the U.S. Postal Service to create “Mail-in Absentee Participation Lists” and to refuse delivery of mail-in or absentee ballots for voters who do not appear on a federally created enrollment list. States that do not submit lists of mail voters to USPS at least 60 days before a federal election risk having their voters’ ballots go undelivered. State attorneys general, voting rights organizations, and others have filed multiple legal challenges. In May, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. declined to temporarily block the order, finding that the challenge was not yet ripe because the directives had not been carried out, though other cases remain pending.
The day after that ruling, USPS published proposed rules to implement the executive order. Under the proposal, USPS would take on a significantly expanded role in mail voting by assessing ballot validity, finalizing lists of eligible mail voters, tracking individual ballots, and setting ballot envelope requirements, including unique barcodes. The rules also contemplate USPS rejecting allegedly invalid returned mail ballots — a function currently performed exclusively by state and local election officials under state law. Election administrators have raised serious concerns about implementing these changes before November, citing limited funding, a compressed timeline, and disruption to established systems.
Watson v. Republican National Committee. Separately, the Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision by the end of June in Watson v. Republican National Committee, a case that could eliminate states’ ability to count mail ballots that arrive after Election Day, even if they are postmarked on time. The case centers on Mississippi’s five-day ballot receipt grace period but implicates the laws of at least 14 other states and the District of Columbia, all of which allow some or all ballots to arrive after Election Day. A Votebeat analysis found that at least 750,000 ballots arrived after Election Day and were eligible to be counted in 2024. A ruling against grace periods, combined with the executive order’s restrictions, would significantly increase barriers for mail voters in the 2026 midterms.
Taken together, these federal actions represent a multi-front effort to reshape the nation’s mail voting infrastructure just months before a national election. MAP will continue tracking these developments through our Democracy Maps.
Consequences from Callais Decision Continue
On June 2, the Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to use the 2023 congressional map that lower courts had twice blocked as intentionally discriminatory against Black voters. The case is the first to test the new standards for proving racial discrimination in voting. In a state where Black residents make up more than a quarter of the population, the ruling leaves just one majority-Black congressional district out of seven. Although the Callais opinion ostensibly preserved claims of intentional racial discrimination, this latest ruling suggests that few practical avenues remain to challenge it.
▸▸ State Policy Updates
Absentee Voting
See our Democracy Map here and our supporting citation sheet here.
On May 19, Connecticut’s Governor signed a law making no-excuse absentee voting available to all eligible voters in the state. The law removes longstanding restrictions and follows a 2024 constitutional referendum in which voters authorized lawmakers to make this change. In addition to expanding absentee voting, the law establishes a pilot program for risk-limiting audits and requires that voters be allowed to “cure” ballot errors.
Connecticut now joins 36 other states and the District of Columbia in offering no-excuse absentee or mail voting.
States use a variety of methods to verify that absentee and mail ballots were returned by the correct voter. Many states conduct rigorous signature verification processes or match identifying information such as driver’s license numbers, while some states only confirm the ballot is signed or the voter has affirmed their own identity.
State Voting Rights Acts
See our Democracy Map here and our supporting citation sheet here.
In April, Maryland became the 10th state to enact a state-level voting rights act. Vermont may soon become the 11th, with legislation to establish the Vermont Voting Rights Act currently awaiting the Governor’s signature.
The post-Callais landscape has also spurred additional state action. In May, California’s state Senate passed the California Voting Rights Act of 2026, which would significantly expand the state’s existing VRA — the first in the nation, enacted 25 years ago — by strengthening protections against vote dilution and broadening language-access provisions. In Michigan, Senate Democrats also introduced the state’s Voting Rights Act in May.
Voter ID Requirements
See our Democracy Map here and our supporting citation sheet here.
Continuing a trend from 2025, four states have already passed legislation this year to make voter ID requirements more restrictive and limit the types of ID voters may use.
Louisiana became the latest state to do so in June, enacting legislation that eliminates current exceptions that allow voters without ID to sign an affidavit and significantly narrowing the types of acceptable identification. The law will take effect in July 2027, making Louisiana the 14th state with a strict photo ID law, meaning that more than one in five voters nationwide will be subject to these restrictive policies.
The Ohio Senate also advanced a constitutional amendment this month that would codify the state’s existing strict voter ID law in the state constitution. If the state House approves the measure, as expected, voters will consider it in November.
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