The week since the election has produced more takeaways than a pizza place on a Saturday night. For states and their legislatures, the biggest headlines: Democrats overperformed expectations, and Republicans are still in control.

At least half the nation’s legislatures are on track to have veto-proof majorities next year, giving America’s first branch of government more control than ever over policymaking.

Ballot measures give voters a direct say on policy—and this year, they’re saying yes to pro-choice measures, minimum wage increases, new guardrails for state legislators and various election process changes.

Voters appeared to have stayed the course in most legislative elections—and that’s historic, NCSL election experts say.

A majority of state legislative seats are on the ballot today, and since it’s the first midterm election since redistricting, new districts and departures mean many seats will be filled with newcomers. That’s one reason NCSL...

It’s Election Day. That means news, news and more news on everything from process to results—which don’t always come on election night. As you wade through the sea of election information today and in the coming weeks,...

On election night, NCSL will bring you three online town hall updates, and State Legislatures News will provide a running tally of results as they come in.

Lawmakers in at least 19 states introduced legislation last year that would allow legislatures to call themselves into special session or require governors to call a special session during an emergency. Now, three states—Arkansas, Idaho and...

Poll watchers have been an integral part of the U.S. election landscape since at least 1934. That’s when Joseph P. Harris’ “Election Administration in the United States” was published. In it, he stresses the right, under...

Some state legislators have begun looking beyond the fall general election to the next challenge: leadership elections for 2023-24. Some have been laying the groundwork quietly for years, while others are engaged in public and competitive races.

In 2020, litigation exploded around how elections are run. The flood of cases gave rise to at least three litigation trackers: The American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Election Law keeps a list of election-related cases; the...

Counties across the country are still recruiting for some of the most important of all election officials: poll workers. “Poll workers are really essential workers for democracy,” says Amanda Zoch, project manager in NCSL’s...

Partisan control and candidate races may be dominating the headlines as the midterm elections get underway, but voters in a handful of states will also weigh in on at least 12 important ballot measures that could have major impacts on the...

More than $550 million. That’s how much has been raised so far for this year’s state legislative races. According to Open Secrets,  a website that tracks donations, spending varies significantly by state, from $6.9 million in...

Overcoming delays, the Census Bureau completed its decennial enumeration during a pandemic, but questions about data quality remain.

Many states’ newly drawn district maps will be challenged in court, but political change is likely to be minimal at the state level. At the federal level, it might be another story.

Here are 12 common steps officials can take to increase and maintain election accuracy—with negligible partisan impact.

A new NCSL database provides policymakers with up-to-date information on campaign finance disclosure laws in the 50 states and five territories.

New to the list of topics state lawmakers are addressing this year in the 250-plus election-related bills enacted in 41 states: protecting election officials.

A session at the NCSL Legislative Summit focused on the small changes policymakers and election officials can make to improve elections.

In a session at the 2022 NCSL Legislative Summit, political analyst Charlie Cook shared his thoughts about the upcoming midterm elections.

State elections directors spoke at NCSL’s Legislative Summit about ensuring election accuracy by practicing voter list maintenance, combatting misinformation and implementing clear guidelines for ballot security, including post-election...

A statistical look at how primary elections are being run in August, when voters in 15 states go to the polls.

To boost cybersecurity, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission updated the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines, marking the first major change to the standards since they were first adopted in 2005.