Virginia:
- Photo ID required to vote (signed into law)
- Restrictions on third party registration (signed into law)
Summary of Pending Restrictive Voting Legislation (see a detailed list of passed/pending 2013 bills)
- Identification laws
- Photo ID laws. At least 22 states have introduced legislation either requiring voters to show photo ID at the polls or making existing photo ID laws more restrictive.[3] Photo ID bills were already signed into law in Virginia and Arkansas this session.
- Proof of citizenship laws. At least eight states have introduced legislation requiring proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, to register or vote.[4]
- Making voter registration harder. At least seven states have introduced bills to end Election Day or same-day voter registration, limit voter registration mobilization efforts, and reduce other registration opportunities.[5] Virginia has passed a law restricting voter registration drives.
- Reducing early voting opportunities. At least seven states have introduced bills that limit existing opportunities to vote early in person.[6]
- Making it harder to restore voting rights. At least two states have introduced legislation that would further restrict the right to vote to persons with criminal convictions.[7]
- Making it harder for students to vote. At least two states have proposed legislation that would make it harder for students to register and vote.[8]
Pushback Against Restrictive Voting Legislation
On April 2, 2013, voters in Wisconsin overwhelmingly supported an advisory referendum to keep the state’s highly-popular same-day registration law.
On March 21, 2013, the New Hampshire House voted to stop implementation of more restrictive voter ID requirements pending an impact study by state officials.
On March 5, 2013, the Florida House voted to reverse the early voting restrictions it adopted prior to the 2012 election.
Note: In the cases where more than one piece of expansive legislation has been introduced in a state, we designate the state’s passed, active, or pending status based on its most active piece of legislation.
Expansive Voting Laws Passed in 2013
New Mexico:
- Automation of voter registration at the DMV office (signed into law)
More Articles
- Selective Exposure and Partisan Echo Chambers in Television News Consumption: Innovative Use of Data Yields Unprecedented Insights
- Jo Freeman Reviews Thank You For Your Servitude: Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission
- Journalist's Resource: Religious Exemptions and Required Vaccines; Examining the Research
- Jo Freeman Reviews: Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight
- Jo Freeman Writes: Sex and the Democratic Party – In Brooklyn
- Jo Freeman Reviews MADAM SPEAKER, Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons Of Power: “An iron fist in a Gucci glove”
- Brennan Center: One in Three Election Officials Report Feeling Unsafe Because of Their Job
- Jo Freeman Reviews Mazie's Hirono's Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter's Story
- Jo Freeman: The Georgia Peach Is Purple
- Jo Freeman Reviews The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage and Justice