Voter Intent Laws
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.
State has a voter intent law or administrative rule
(48 states)
State has no applicable law or rule
(2 states + D.C.)
Recommended citation:
Movement Advancement Project. “Voter Intent Laws.” https://mapresearch.org/democracy-map/voter-intent-laws-to-standardize-ballot-interpretation/. Accessed June 12, 2026.
Breakdown by Population
*Note: These percentages reflect the voting-eligible population, as reported by the United States Election Project.
97%
97% of voting-eligible population lives in states that have a voter intent law or administrative ruleÂ
3%
3% of voting-eligible population lives in states that have no applicable law or rule
