Topic Descriptions
Absentee Voting-Application for
Includes legislation relating to applications to receive an absentee ballot or to vote absentee, including requesting an absentee ballot electronically.
Absentee Voting-Distributing Ballots
Includes legislation relating to the distribution of absentee ballots.
Early Voting/In-Person Absentee
Includes legislation relating to early in-person voting and in-person absentee voting.
Absentee Voting-Eligibility
Includes legislation regarding the eligibility to vote absentee, including whether an excuse is required.
Absentee Voting-Military/Overseas
Includes legislation relating to absentee voting for military and overseas voters, or those that fall under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).
Absentee Voting-Misc.
Includes legislation relating to absentee voting that does not fit within other absentee voting categories.
Absentee Voting-MOVE Act
Includes state legislation relating to the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment “MOVE” Act of 2009.
Absentee Voting-No Excuse
Includes legislation relating to no-excuse absentee voting.
Absentee Voting-Permanent Status
Includes legislation relating to permanent absentee voting, also known as permanent absentee voter lists, where a voter can ask to receive absentee ballots for not just one election but for future elections.
Absentee Voting-Returning Ballots
Includes legislation relating to the return of absentee ballots, such as the date they must be received by election officials, whether postage is paid, and ballot drop boxes.
Alt Voting Methods (Ranked Choice, etc.)
Includes legislation relating to alternative voting methods such as ranked-choice voting, instant runoff voting, approval voting and other non-traditional voting methods.
Audits
Includes legislation relating to post-election audits, pre-election audits, procedural audits and logic and accuracy testing.
Ballot Access-Candidates
Includes legislation on candidates’ ballot access including nomination petitions, fees and paperwork requirements.
Ballot Access-Parties
Includes legislation on party status, such as what percentage of votes are required to have major party status and how minor parties can get on the ballot.
Ballots-Required Number, Format & Design
Includes legislation on the number of ballots required to be printed and their design and format.
Candidates-Qualifications and Running for Office
Includes legislation relating to candidate qualifications for office such as residency, age, criminal history and more.
Candidates-Resign to Run
Includes legislation on whether a candidate must resign from a currently held office to run for another office.
Candidates-Withdrawal/Death
Includes legislation relating to how a party may (or may not) field a candidate in the event the original candidate withdraws or dies before Election Day.
Candidates-Write-in
Includes legislation relating to write-in candidates.
Challenges to Voters
Includes legislation regarding challenges to voter eligibility.
Election Contests (Court Challenges)
Includes legislation relating to election contests, the act of disputing the conduct or results of an election in court.
Costs of, and Funding for, Elections
Includes legislation relating to election costs and funding, including what level of government (federal, state or local) pay for what expenses, and prohibitions on some funding sources.
Counting Votes
Includes legislation regarding counting, including counting absentee ballots, signature verification and cure processes.
Cybersecurity
Includes legislation relating to cybersecurity pertaining to elections.
Dates of Elections
Includes legislation regarding dates of elections, such as measures to standardize when state and local elections can be held. For primary dates see Primary Elections-Dates.
DREs
Includes legislation on direct recording electronic voting machines, including requirements to have paper trail.
Election Crimes
Includes legislation regarding election crimes such as voter crimes, election official crimes and crimes against election officials.
Election Data-Collection/Retention of
Includes legislation relating to election data collection and retention.
Election Day Holiday
Includes legislation regarding paid time off on election day or making election day a holiday.
Election Officials-Campaign Activities
Includes legislation regarding election official’s campaign activity.
Election Officials-Local
Includes legislation regarding local election officials, including their duties, compensation and how they are selected.
Election Officials-Statewide
Includes legislation regarding statewide election officials, including their duties, compensation and how they are selected.
Election Results/Canvass, Reporting of
Includes legislation relating to canvassing, certifying and reporting votes and results.
Electioneering
Includes legislation relating to electioneering (campaigning at or near polling places) and using artificial intelligence in campaigning.
Electoral College
Includes legislation regarding presidential electors and the electoral college. This tag does not include legislation relating to the National Popular Vote Compact.
Electoral College-National Popular Vote
Includes state legislation regarding the National Popular Vote Compact.
Emergencies/Disasters
Includes legislation relating to emergencies or natural disasters and elections, such as who has authority to call an emergency, and what actions can be taken in the event of a disaster or emergency.
Exit Polling
Includes legislation relating to exit polling.
Fusion/Dual-Party
Includes legislation on more than one party nominating the same candidates, or a candidate being endorsed by more than one party.
Internet/Electronic Voting
Includes legislation relating to internet (or electronic) voting and electronic ballot return, whether for overseas voters, voters with disabilities, first responders or other voters.
Mail Voting
Includes legislation relating to mostly-mail voting, all-mail ballot voting or sending mail ballots to active voters. Note that this does not include traditional absentee voting or in-person absentee voting. See absentee voting categories above.
Miscellaneous
Includes election legislation that does not fit into any other category.
Offices-Method of Filling
Includes legislation relating to filling offices.
Political Parties
Includes legislation regarding political parties, but not related to ballot access.
Poll Watchers, Poll Challengers, Election Observers
Includes legislation that who can serve as poll watchers, poll challengers, or election observers more generally, and limitations and permissions for their work.
Poll Workers-Compensation
Includes legislation regarding poll worker compensation.
Poll Workers-Misc.
Includes poll worker legislation that does not fit in with the other poll worker categories.
Poll Workers-Selection/Qualifications of
Includes legislation on the selection method and qualification of poll workers.
Poll Workers-Training
Includes legislation regarding poll worker training.
Poll Workers-Youth
Includes legislation regarding poll workers who are minors.
Polling Places-Arrangement of/Procedures at
Includes legislation regarding procedures and arrangements of polling places, including what is allowable at a polling location. This may include ballot selfies, guns at polling places and giving out food and water in line.
Polling Places-Disabled Access
Includes legislation regarding polling place access for people with disabilities.
Polling Places-Hours
Includes legislation relating to polling place hours of operation.
Polling Places-Locations
Includes legislation regarding polling place locations.
Polling Places-Vote Centers
Includes legislation regarding voter centers or consolidated polling locations.
Precincts
Includes legislation relating to precincts, such as the maximum number of voters in a precinct, and laws relating to drawing precinct boundaries and reporting of precinct boundaries to a state entity.
Primaries-Dates
Includes legislation regarding dates of primary elections.
Primaries-Misc.
Includes primary legislation that does not fit in the other primary-related categories.
Primaries-Presidential
Includes legislation relating to presidential primaries.
Primaries-Runoff
Includes legislation regarding primary runoffs.
Primaries-Types
Includes legislation relating to primary types such as open or closed primaries.
Provisional Ballots
Includes legislation relating to voting via provisional ballots and regulations on how they are verified and counted.
Recounts
Includes legislation relating to election recounts, including mandatory thresholds and who can request a recount.
Registration Drives
Includes legislation relating to voter registration drives, including third-party registration.
Registration-Application Form/Content
Includes legislation regarding voter registration applications.
Registration-Automatic
Includes legislation relating to the automatic registration or updating of voter registration records as a result of qualified citizens interacting with government agencies.
Registration-Statewide Voter Registration Databases
Includes legislation relating to centralized statewide voter registration lists.
Registration-Deadline
Includes legislation regarding voter registration deadlines.
Registration-Election Day or Same Day
Includes legislation regarding Election Day or same-day, voter registration, by which an eligible citizen can register and vote on the same day (typically during the early voting period).
Registration-Online
Includes legislation relating to electronic voter registration including online voter registration.
Registration-Eligibility ID Required
Includes legislation regarding identification requirements to register to vote.
Registration-List Maintenance
Includes legislation relating to voter registration list maintenance procedures, such as checking voter lists against state and federal data sources and procedures for contacting those on the rolls who have not voted in recent elections.
Registration-Misc.
Includes legislation relating to the registration of voters that does not fit into the other registration categories.
Registration-Preregistration for 16- and 17-year-olds
Includes legislation regarding the preregistration of individuals under 18 years of age who will be eligible voters when they turn 18.
Registration-Sale/Distribution/Use of Lists
Includes legislation relating to the use, sale and distribution of voter registration lists.
Runoff Elections
Includes legislation relating to runoff elections when a candidate does not receive a certain threshold of the vote.
Special Elections
Includes legislation relating to special elections.
Straight Ticket Voting
Includes legislation relating to straight ticket voting.
Task Forces/Study Commissions/Interim Committees
Includes legislation regarding election-related task forces, study commissions and interim committees.
Vacancies
Includes legislation regarding how vacancies are filled.
Voter Education/Information
Includes legislation relating to voter information and education, such as voter pamphlets, website standards and government mailings to voters.
Voter Identification
Includes legislation on voter identification requirements to vote.
Voters-Absence from Work
Includes legislation relating to voter absences from work.
Voters-Age
Includes legislation relating to the age at which a voter can vote, including in primary elections and in local elections.
Voters-Assistance to
Includes legislation regarding voter assistance for those who have disabilities or where language assistance may be required.
Voters-Incarceration and Voting
Includes legislation relating to the restoration of voting rights for former felons and voting from jail.
Voters-Miscellaneous Qualifications
Includes legislation on voter qualifications that do not fit in the other voter categories, including citizenship verification.
Voting Equipment/Technology-Selection & Standards
Includes legislation regarding voting technology and equipment as well as the selection and standards of voting equipment.
Voting System Testing/Security/Storage
Includes legislation regarding voting system testing, security and storage.