Election Independence
Laws Protecting Election Officials Against Threats
Since 2020, state and local election officials have increasingly been the targets of an alarming increase in violent threats and harassment. As a result, some states have put in place new laws that seek to explicitly protect the election officials
State Voting Rights Acts
This map illustrates the landscape of state voting rights acts, which are generally modeled after the federal Voting Rights Act but differ in scope. State voting rights acts provide new legal tools to fight voter suppression in court, create protections
Nonpartisan Election Observers
While most states allow the use of partisan poll watchers, a number of states also have policies that allow nonpartisan election observers such as academics or the media to witness various parts of the state’s election processes.
State Legislature Interference in Elections
Starting in 2021, some state legislatures enacted laws that increase the danger of election subversion by giving the legislatures more power to interfere in election administration. This map tracks which states have these laws in place and which states do
Election Officials Face Threats of Undue Criminal Penalties/Fines
Despite the challenges of the COVID pandemic, the 2020 election was conducted safely and securely, and also saw record turnout - thanks in large part to the work of nonpartisan election officials. Despite this success, in 2021 some state legislatures
