Almost every state has some form of a “voter intent” law or policy, which operates to guide election officials in determining a voter’s choices on their ballot. These policies help in situations where the voter’s marks on a ballot are unclear or there are stray markings, and allow voter’s ballots to be counted rather than disqualified.
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State has a voter intent law or administrative rule
(48 states)
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State has no applicable law or rule
(2 states + D.C.)
Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. "Voter Intent Laws." https://www.mapresearch.org/democracy-maps/voter_intent_laws. Accessed 12/22/2024.
Breakdown by Population
*Note: These percentages reflect the voting-eligible population, as reported by the United States Election Project.
97 % of voting-eligible population lives in states that have a voter intent law or administrative rule
3 % of voting-eligible population lives in states that have no applicable law or rule
