Top 12 Webinars

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Putting Election Laws to the Test 


February 13, 2012
2 p.m. ET/ 1 p.m. CT/ Noon MT/ 11 a.m. PT

This webinar discussed the various election reforms being debated in legislatures, including whether to require citizens to show ID to register or to vote, whether to allow online and Election Day registrations, and how best to modernize aging voting machines.

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States passed a flurry of voter ID legislation in 2011 and more will reintroduce voter ID laws in 2012. Several laws have wound up in court, however.

Eight states will have new requirements that all citizens show ID before voting, bringing the total number of voter ID states to an all-time high of 31. 

• The U.S. Department of Justice denied pre-clearance of South Carolina’s new photo voter ID law late in 2011, ensuring the issue will be in courts in 2012. Legal battles could extend to other states with similar laws. 
• The voter fraud vs. voter disenfranchisement arguments will play out in court, and it’s certain both sides will be out in force on Election Day, looking for proof at the polls to support their arguments. 
• The volume of voter ID legislation may be reduced in 2012, but the issue will continue to garner attention. Bills introduced in 2011 continue being debated in some states, while a handful of states may introduce new voter ID legislation.
• States will be adopting their voter ID laws well before Election Day, educating voters and providing IDs to those who need them.
• Over half the states allow early voting. But in 2011, Ohio and Florida shortened the time during which voters can cast a ballot before Election Day. 2012 may see similar efforts in other states.
• Lawmakers will grapple with registration issues in 2012, including online registration, Election Day registration, and proof of citizenship to register requirements.
• Modernizing election systems will be an expensive but necessary job as new voting machines purchased in the wake of the 2000 elections reach the end of their usefulness. States will be experimenting with new uses of technology in elections too; many are transmitting ballots electronically to military and overseas voters, and at least one state is piloting iPad voting.

Visit NCSL’s Elections, Campaigns and Redistricting webpage.